Thanks to a monumental effort by fans, the club’s Crowdfunder has now passed the initial £25,000 target and hopes are high that it will exceed the £30,000 mark before the scheme closes in 13 days.
The £25,000 target was exceeded late last night when the Glovers Trust added in the £5,000 they had collected via their separate Crowdfunder exercise. This means that next season the away stand will be named “The Martin Baker – Glovers Trust Terrace”.
Commenting on the phenomenal fans support club Chairman Scott Priestnall said; “This support is truly humbling – to have such backing in these difficult times is really incredible and speaks volumes for the character for the club’s supporters and their affinity for Yeovil Town FC. To break the £25k mark is brilliant news not only for the club but also for the Yeovil Hospital Charity who will get 10% of the final total raised, which is currently over £2,700 and counting.
“In addition to this and the NHS bundles that have been purchased, I will be giving a further 100 tickets to our home games next season to Yeovil Hospital Charity to distribute to NHS staff as a small token of our thanks for their extraordinary efforts in the community.”
Scott also commented on differencing ways fans have contributed when he said; “Many individual fans have been digging deep to help out, but in addition some fans have been arranging larger contributions via competitions they have set up and many of the Supporters Alliance Groups making significant contributions informally via their members.
“I understand groups like the Disabled Supporters Association and Green and White Supporters Club used this method of contributing whilst the Glovers Trust raised an impressive £5k via their parallel Crowdfunder which means that next season the away end will be partly named in honour of Martin Baker – a fitting tribute to someone who did so much to for the club over the years.
“All this support combined with strong backing for the Crowdfunder from the Green Army YTFC Supports page and Ciderspace Facebook and twitter pages has been outstanding – there could be no better example of the club motto Achieve by Unity being enacted. To everyone who has contributed I thank you on behalf of our club – your immense support will not be forgotten”.
Commenting on the incredible response, Supporters Alliance Chairman Rich Rendell said; “It is a fantastic response from the Yeovil Town Fans to reach the £25k. All Supporters groups and Fans have come together to achieve this sum of money for the Club and the NHS. We are getting back to becoming a family Club again.”
Rich’s comments were echoed by Glovers Trust Chairman Stuart Burrell, who said; “To reach the Trust donation target with over a week to spare, and to see the Club smash it’s goal with two weeks remaining is incredible, and really highlights the fantastic support that both campaigns have received to date. We are so grateful to those who have backed the Crowdfunder and are pleased to be able to offer support to the Club during such uncertain times. It will also be fantastic to see the sponsorship tribute to Martin Baker when it is safe to get back to business!”
Reflecting on the fact that the ever increasing total means a bigger donation to the Yeovil Hospital Charity, Sarah Cherry commenting on behalf of YHC said; “The community spirit from this town has been phenomenal during this period and to be supported by our local football club is fantastic. We are so grateful to all of Yeovil Town Football Clubs fantastic supporters, who have now raised £2700 for our hospital! This money will enable us to make such a difference for our staff. To also receive an incredible number of football tickets to share with the staff is just brilliant. This will enable us to continue to boost morale during this challenging period. Thank you to each and every one of you who has made this possible”.
Notes:
As of earlier today 305 people or organisations had contributed just over £27,973. Fans can still either buy special packages for next season (which start at £25) or donate any sum. Contributions can be made anonymously if desired.
The club Crowdfunder page can be found at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/yeoviltown
NB The club’s current situation in respect of the playoffs, club operations and ticketing all remain as detailed in the club statement of May 4th which can be found here: https://www.ytfc.net/news/2020/may/statement–an-update-on-club-matter/
The club will be issuing a sperate comment in due course regarding its retained list of players and decision on Academy Scholar contracts.
