But gleaming with a big smile and re-energised, Annie Heatherson has signed a professional contract, which will see her remain as a Yeovil Town Ladies FC player for the 2018/19 FA Women’s Super League season.

In her self made video, created inside the Performance Gym at the clubs training ground of Bridgwater and Taunton College, she said “I’m really excited to have signed my professional contract with Yeovil Town this year. The girls are all raring to go and cant wait for the season to start.”

Under new leadership in Lee Burch, the new Head Coach has been pleased by what he’s seen of Heatherson saying “Annie has already shown me a great passion, belief and desire for both the club and the team. She has impressed me with her attitude both on and off the pitch and above all, her quality with the football has shone through.

“Im looking forward to seeing what Annie can achieve for us this season and I’m really pleased to have signed her.”

If you’ve not purchased your 2018/19 Season Ticket, you can do so by clicking here

Courtesy of Yeovil Town Ladies FC

Announcing the changes, Chairman Steve Allinson is confident that these developments reflect the strategy of growing the Club from a sustainable base through the involvement of experienced business people who all share a commitment to make a difference to women’s football in the South West.

Every member of the Board brings different strengths and will be responsible for a particular area of expertise.

Becky Bevins, managing director of Rebecca Bevins HR Consultancy, becomes HR Director and Company Secretary. Alison and Kevin Smith, owners of Brook Financial, become joint Finance Directors and also with responsibility for the Youth section of the Club.

Darren and Anna Shutler (the former mayor and mayoress of Yeovil) have taken on responsibility for the commercial arm of the Club together with Andy Bevins who will also be the Utilities Director with particular responsibilities on match days.

Sam Reilly, Head of Sports, Outdoor Education and Public Services at Bridgwater and Taunton College, will build on the excellent relationship we have with the College by becoming the Partnership and Education Director.

Katherine Bolton, head of marketing at Yeovil College will be responsible for the strategic marketing and communications plan as the Club seeks to expand its reach into other areas. Mark Jones, Solicitor with Pardoes, will lead on the Community and Engagement programme which the Club sees as one of the key areas to increase awareness of the importance of sport and healthy lifestyle.

Finally, Jamie Sherwood has swapped his dugout role to become Director of Football and provide the Board with a link to the core football work being undertaken by the on field management team.

Steve Allinson said “Every business needs to be constantly evolving and a football Club is no different. We say thank you to both Mark Porter and Ben Tupman who both gave great service to the Club in recent years.

“Moving forward though, I am thrilled at every one of these appointments as each person brings a particular area of expertise to us and also a real desire to make a difference. Despite being very busy professional people, they are all giving their time and expertise in a non-executive role.

“The Club is now in a very strong position off the field to face the increased challenges that professional football brings.”

Mr Allinson also confirmed that due to other professional and charitable commitments, Emma Britton had reluctantly had to stand down from her honorary role as Club President. He said “Emma will always be a great friend of Yeovil Town Ladies FC, but we recognise that she has many demands in her life, and so we look forward to seeing her this year as a fan whenever possible “

The FA Women’s Super League fixtures have been released and season tickets are on sale now. To purchase, please click here

Courtesy of Yeovil Town Ladies FC

The FA have published the 2018/19 season fixtures, which reveal Yeovil facing London Bees at The Hive in the Continental Tyres Cup on 19th August, before welcoming Crystal Palace to Dorchester Town in the same competition on 26th August.

They then travel to top four side Reading Women in the Women’s Super League opener on 9th September, before facing Tottenham Hotspur back in Continental Tyres Cup action, also at Dorchester, and then meet last season’s SSE FA Women’s Cup runners up Arsenal, in a midweek game under the lights at The Avenue Stadium.

The Avenue Stadium, which has been named Yeovil’s new home ground for the upcoming season, will host all league and cup matches, in an effort to ensure stability and continuity of fixtures for fans, sponsors and broadcasters. With that in mind, all Sunday scheduled fixtures will kick off at 3.00pm (subject to change if being broadcast live on BT Sport or BBC) and all midweek home games scheduled on Wednesdays with a 7.45pm kick off.

Season tickets are on sale now, which permit entry to ALL league and cup home games. To purchase, click here

19th August 2018 Away v London Bees (Continental Tyres Cup Group Stage)
26th August 2018 Home v Crystal Palace (Continental Tyres Cup Group Stage)
9th September 2018 Away v Reading (FA Women’s Super League)
16th September 2018 Home v Tottenham Hotspur (Continental Tyres Cup Group Stage)
19th September 2018 Home v Arsenal (FA Women’s Super League)
30th September 2018 Away v West Ham (FA Women’s Super League)
14th October 2018 Away v Liverpool (FA Women’s Super League)
21st October 2018 Home v Bristol City (FA Women’s Super League)
28th October 2018 Away v Brighton and Hove Albion (FA Women’s Super League)
4th November 2018 Home v Everton (FA Women’s Super League)
18th November 2018 Away v Chelsea (FA Women’s Super League)
25th November 2018 Home v Manchester City (FA Women’s Super League)
2nd December 2018 Away v Birmingham City (FA Women’s Super League)
6th December 2018 Away v Chelsea (Continental Tyres Cup Group Stage)
9th December 2018 Home West Ham (FA Women’s Super League)
12th December 2018 Home v Brighton and Hove Albion (Continental Tyres Cup Group Stage)
13th January 2019 Home v Liverpool (FA Women’s Super League)
27th January 2019 Away v Bristol City (FA Women’s Super League)
10th February 2019 Home v Reading (FA Women’s Super League)
21st February 2019 Away v Arsenal (FA Women’s Super League)
13th March 2019 Home v Brighton and Hove Albion (FA Women’s Super League)
31st March 2019 Away v Everton (FA Women’s Super League)
21st April 2019 Home v Chelsea (FA Women’s Super League)
28th April 2019 Away v Manchester City (FA Women’s Super League)
12th May 2019 Home v Birmingham City (FA Women’s Super League)

A range of different topics will be covered, from passing, dribbling, shooting, goalkeeping, attacking, defending, plus more, with expert coaches on hand to make sure all sessions are fun.

First team players from the FA Women’s Super League club will also make appearances to not only run coaching sessions, but will also hold additional sessions giving an insight into what it takes to become a top level player.

The five venues include Dorchester, Yeovil, Caerphilly, Langport and Street, of which they all run between the hours of 10am to 3pm each day.

Mondays 

• Dorchester Town Football Club, Dorchester
• 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th August

Tuesdays 

• Yeovil College, Yeovil
• 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th August

Wednesdays 

• Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre, Caerphilly
• 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th August

Thursdays 

• Huish Episcopi Leisure Centre, Langport
• 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th August

Fridays 

• Strode College, Street
• 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st August

The cost for the full course is £60.00, to include all four sessions. Alternatively, single days can be booked at £15.00 per day.

Discounts are available to Wildcats attendees, who can attend all four days for the price of three.

For more information, please click here or email info@yeoviltownladies.com

You can book a place now by clicking here

Courtesy of Yeovil Town Ladies FC

Burch, who was named the 2017/18 FA Women’s Super League Two manager of the year at the LMA Awards, will take on the role, following the departure of former manager Jamie Sherwood.

Joining Millwall Lionesses midway through the 2016 campaign, Burch guided his former team into a top three finish last season, picking up the Manager of the Year Award in the process.

With Yeovil Town Ladies FC now confirmed as a Tier 1 side for next season, Burch will look to build upon recent successes of the club, in a full-time professional setting.

Commenting on his appointment, Lee Burch said “I’m delighted to be joining Yeovil Town Ladies Football Club. After speaking to the club and seeing the vision, I was excited by the challenge and look forward to the season starting.

“The club has many of the key values I look for in myself, the players I work with and the staff and this was key to my decision.

“I cannot wait to get into the full time environment and with the new WSL1 structure, I believe it’s going to be an exciting time for the club, staff, players and supporters.”

Club Chairman Steve Allinson commented “On behalf of everyone at Yeovil Town Ladies I am delighted to welcome Lee to our Club at this exciting new chapter in our development.

“Lee demonstrated in our interview process how much he shared the values we cherish and our long term development vision. We look forward to working with him and building together on and off the field.”

Courtesy of Yeovil Town Ladies 

The new Centres will be launched during the FA’s inaugural Girls’ Football Week (Monday 23 April – Sunday 29 April). The initiative is aimed at girls aged 5-11 who have an interest in football, want to get active, learn new skills, meet new friends and have fun outdoors.

More than 200 clubs were piloted across England in 2017 and the scheme is now being extended to more than 900 centres with 26,000 participants across the country.

Wildcats Girls’ Football sessions take place on a weekly basis, either after school or at weekends, and provide a safe environment where girls can try football for the first time. The initiative aims to inspire participants to engage with football, meet new friends, develop fundamental skills, learn new things and create the foundation for a lifelong love of football. Each Wildcats club will be run in conjunction with local County FAs and utilising qualified coaches and local facilities to offer girls a location nearby where they can get involved.

Trevor Jenkins, General Manager, Yeovil Town Ladies Football Club, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer a local, organised and safe opportunity for girls to get involved within football. As a club, we have a clear ambition to grow and expand the number of females enjoying football both as a sport and as a way to stay fit and active, as well as the number of fans and supporters enjoying the game.”

The FA has an ambitious target to double the number of players and fans in the women’s game by 2020. One hundred and ninety-nine SSE Wildcats Centres, where 5-11-year-olds can enjoy football on a weekly basis, have been established with a further 772 to follow. SSE Wildcats has been established in partnership with SSE, supporters of girls’ football participation and sponsor of the SSE Women’s FA Cup, with support from UEFA, FIFA and The Youth Sport Trust.

The YTLFC Wildcat programme begins at the following locations:

Huish Episcopi Leisure Centre, Langport (starts Monday 23rd April)
Bridgwater and Taunton College, Bridgwater (starts Tuesday 24th April)
Gryphon Leisure Centre, Sherborne (starts Tuesday 24th April)
Strode Sports Centre, Street (starts Wednesday 25th April)
Yeovil College, Yeovil (starts Friday 27th April)
Weston-super-Mare FC, Weston-super-Mare (starts Friday 27th April)
Berrow FC, Berrow (starts Saturday 28th April)

Bookings can be made by contacting wildcats@yeoviltownladies.com

Sessions will be running for 16 weeks at each location. The first session will be free, and the hope is to continue the Centres beyond the initial period. At the end of the programme there will be a mini Awards Ceremony, a guest appearance by at least one of the Yeovil Town Ladies first team players and a certificate for all who attended.

Report courtesy of Yeovil Town Ladies FC

Well thats exactly what happened to Megan Robinson just over a week ago, when the Somerset FA Advanced Coaching Centre players were in the crowd at Huish Park, as Yeovil Town Ladies FC hosted Chelsea Ladies.

Robinson, who is aged 17, was introduced to the pitch in the 82nd minute, replacing Leah Burridge, a former Somerset FA Centre of Excellence player, in the process. Playing against the likes of Fran Kirby, Eni Aluko and Karen Carney, Robinson was making her second top flight appearance, with her first made against Arsenal Ladies ten days earlier, which saw her in a left wing position, with Arsenal’s Alex Scott as the opposition’s defending right back at Boreham Wood.

Almost 50 girls from the Somerset FA Advanced Coaching Centre were in attendance for the fixture against Chelsea at Huish Park and they watched in awe, as Robinson inspired her former team mates to try to follow in her footsteps.

For many of those girls, Robinson would have been a familiar face, as she has been at the Centre for over 8 years, with many of the current U16 age group being players who she would have trained with on a weekly basis last year. Robinson attended the Centre, whilst also playing through the youth teams at Yeovil Town, as well as being a member of the Regional South West Centre of Excellence.

Fast forward in time to just under 12 months since Robinson was also an Advanced Coaching Centre player, she has now been studying her academic course at Bridgwater and Taunton College, whilst also playing regularly for Yeovil in the FA WSL Development Squad, along with representing the college in the highest ECFA Category One Elite League.

Training in excess of 15 hours per week, whilst also keeping on track for some high achieving qualifications academically, Robinson has been one of many developing players, who are being given opportunities at the highest of levels in the FA Women’s Super League One.

Speaking about her recent appearances, Robinson said “No words can adequately describe how it felt playing with and against some of the best teams and female football players in the country. Of course I was nervous, but also determined to do my best and work my hardest for the team.

“I have worked and trained extremely hard to get to this point in my football career and was overwhelmed that I was given this opportunity. If anything it has made me more determined to prove to the coaches that I am able to compete at this level of football”

When asked what it felt like to play in front of her former team mates, Robinson commented “Hearing their cheers brought back the amazing memories I made with my former teammates training and playing for Somerset ACC. These memories of my youth career encouraged me as I walked on the pitch, by reminding me of just how far I had come.”

Robinson added “The partnership between the college and the club has been outstanding, as I receive quality training each week as well as playing one or sometimes two high level games each week.

“In addition, my academic course is timetabled efficiently and effectively around our football schedules, which allows me time to complete my work and assignments.”

Find out more about studying and playing at Bridgwater and Taunton College, and combining this with your football, by emailing talent@yeoviltownladies.com

Report courtesy of Yeovil Town Ladies FC

As the club begins its transition towards a full-time model, the club are announcing the advanced departure of long standing manager Jamie Sherwood following the final league match of the season on 20th May.

Joining midway through the 2014 season, the club has seen year on year progress on the pitch, which culminated in winning the FA Women’s Super League Two division in 2016 and then promotion to the top tier of the women’s game.

Still competing in the top tier, but under a part-time status, Sherwood and his side have committed to big changes in the 2018/19 season, which will undoubtedly help performances and results in what is a very competitive league.

With 11 league games still remaining and 5 of them at home, Sherwood and the club felt the time was right to release this news now so that the club could begin preparations immediately in finding a long term replacement to follow on from the success over the last 4 seasons.

Speaking of this announcement, Jamie Sherwood said “Every decision that I’ve ever made has always been for the stability, growth, and development of the club and this decision can be treated no differently.

“It is important that the club has an idea of my future plans as this can now create the timing for a new appointment that can still assess the current playing group as well as the support which is around them.

“Yeovil Town Ladies FC is my home and I fell in love with this club the moment I met it. To watch it grow from such a privileged position has been truly magical.

“I can assure you that all the players and staff will remain focused and determined to deliver performances and displays that we can all be proud of for the rest of this season and I urge everyone to continue to support them throughout.”

Club Chairman Steve Allinson said “There is never a good time to release news of a management departure, however, both the club and Jamie wanted to be proactive, open, and honest to allow the opportunity in finding the best possible replacement. Someone who is going to carry on the excellent work already carried out by Jamie over a long and successful period of time.

“There is no-one more emotionally attached to Yeovil than Jamie. This decision has been an extremely tough one to make but one which is correct to announce at this time – taking into account both his personal reasons and the realism of the new structure and environment.

“Fans will undoubtedly acknowledge the success that Jamie has had and will see the ever-committed manager right until the final whistle this season.”

In terms of the looking forward,  Allinson added, “We are in discussions with Jamie with regards to him moving in to a role at the club at a senior level and at this stage we wouldn’t rule out a potential position as a Director at Yeovil Town Ladies FC. We aim to keep everyone posted in that regard.

“But now is the time we invite applications for the next Head Coach of Yeovil Town Ladies Football Club to take this club to the next level within the top tier of the Women’s game in England.”

The club’s application process is now open for this position, with the deadline to apply at 6pm on 23rd February 2018. To find a Job Description of the role and how to apply, please click here. Interview dates are week commencing 19th March 2018.

For more information, please email jobs@yeoviltownladies.com

Report courtesy of Yeovil Town Ladies FC

Yeovil Town Ladies FC sadly announces that Ellie Curson has taken the decision to step back from her playing career for the immediate future.

Curson who will be embedded in the club’s history as the Captain of the 2016 FAWSL 2 League Championship Squad and her ever tigerish displays for the club, made her a fans favourite.

The decision comes during the international break where she has met and discussed with manager Jamie Sherwood the reasons for the decision.

Curson said, “This has probably been the hardest decision I have ever had to make as Yeovil Town Ladies FC has been a huge part of my life for the past few years.

“Unfortunately, my work commitments do not allow me to train full time and with the club moving towards full time training for next season, it now feels like the right decision for everyone involved. I am a primary school teacher and this profession doesn’t allow me to train full time due to the demand of my role.”

Curson went on to say, “The club has already achieved a huge amount of success and I can only wish that this continues. I truly wish the club all of the best for the rest of the season and for the future. I am hoping to attend some games to support the girls or will be watching the results closely.

“I would like to especially thank Stephen [Allinson – Club Chairman] and the Board for their efforts in achieving WSL1 status for next season, and would also like to make a special mention to both Trevor Jenkins & Jamie Sherwood who’s passion and determination for this club to develop and progress is faultless.

“Another special mention has to go to the loyal supporters who have always supported not only me but the whole team. My time here has been very enjoyable and I will always treasure memories, especially the promotion season which was the highlight of my footballing career, where I had the privilege to captain the team.”

Curson finished off by saying, “I am intending on continuing to play football and will be seeking a club at the start of next season, where I will be able to combine my career with training and playing part time.”

The midfielder has not only been a fans favourite but also been central to the dressing room. She became captain at the beginning of the 2016 season and has been integral to the progress and development of the club on and off the pitch.

Speaking about her departure, Jamie Sherwood said “It’s hard to think of a starting eleven or squad without Ellie in it, as she has been a huge part of the teams success.

“Her work as the Sister Club officer and a catalyst for pre match events has seen the club reach an audience many thought would not have been achieved.”

Sherwood went on to say “Even though I do not like this decision I respect it, as Ellie is a player I have worked with and supported since the age of eleven and I know how much this decision hurts, but is right for her future career as a teacher. All players and staff will be facing a crossroads throughout the remainder of this season as we transition towards a full time programme.”

Club Chairman, Stephen Allinson said “Ellie will forever be known as one of Yeovil Town Ladies greats. This is not only for her football ability which we have all admired, but she lived out all the values we seek to aspire to in our Club. She was a true ambassador and always had time for our supporters.

“I also want to pay tribute to her parents, Mike and Sue, who followed Ellie and the team home and away and in all conditions. Ellie and her family will always be welcome at our Club.”

Curson who made 67 FA WSL appearances after joining from local rivals then Bristol Academy, now Bristol City WFC, quickly established herself at Yeovil with dynamic & energetic displays and along the way, scored crucial goals, most of which came from outside the box. Who could forget the curling effort that clinched victory against her former club in 2016?

All at Yeovil Town Ladies FC wish Ellie every future success and we hope that we will not be seeing the end of Ellie’s work for the club, but for now, thank you skipper, you’ve represented us, guided us and now we wish you well in the next stage of your career.

#ABU

Report courtesy of Yeovil Town Ladies FC

Yeovil celebrate (Photo: Terry Fisher)

Following considerable hard work from all departments, an application was submitted that allowed Yeovil Town Ladies FC to fulfil the FA’s criteria for Tier 1 status.

The criteria meant that the club had to put plans into place, that were expected to take 2-3 years, in 2 months.

The club are delighted to have achieved this status but the hard work continues now as the club put this plan into action and are calling on your support in maintaining this status.

The club have extended their gratitude to all current partners: business, education, charity and others, for their support in this application and look forward to growing their community further in the coming months and years.

Finally, they give special mention to the YTLFC faithful. The club’s mantra, Achieve By Unity, has really been put into practice this season and this will form the foundation for the club’s future.

More details will follow about initiatives and plans that are incorporated into the application in due course.

Report courtesy of Yeovil Town Ladies FC