Formed in 1895, and known then as the Yeovil Casuals, this club is no longer casual about their football, as they are known as FA Cup giant killers. Yeovil has an interesting claim to fame which more than likely stem from those feats. When the football game Subbuteo unveiled their only non-league side, that side was Yeovil Town. As far as the club’s badge is concerned it is based on the official town’s coat of arms. (PIC 1) Thanks go to YTFC media officer Adrian Hopper, for sending me copies of the badge and arms. He also informed me: “I think the weird-looking bloke in the middle is supposed to be John the Baptist”. I take it you are no theologian Ade, but further investigation shows you are right and the weird-looking bloke is indeed John the Baptist.
The arms were granted in 1954 in the centenary year of Yeovil becoming a municipal borough. The main shield as is used in the club badge depicts John the Baptist, taken from the town seals of the 14th Century. In his hand is a medallion, a symbol of his martyrdom. The crosiers or pastoral staffs represent the Bishopric of Bath and Wells and the Abbey and Convent of Syon, whose abbess was town lord in the 15th and 16th Centuries. Above the crosiers are the crowns of Empress Matilda, who placed the 11th Century tenement of Yeovil under the protection of St John and King John, who granted Yeovil a fairs and markets charter in 1205. This along with the lion supporters, club’s name and motto “ACHIEVE BY UNITY”, is what make up the club’s badge. The rest of the official arms are made up of the crest which has a Saxon crown and is a symbol of King Alfred the Great, owner of Kingston Manor, and the flames emitting from the crown tells of devastating fires of medieval times. (PIC 2) The bull which has golden hooves and horns, represents the agricultural and dairy industries, which contributed to the town’s growth. In the hoof of the bull is a small shield depicting a golden glove, and is symbolic of the town’s staple industry. It is this industry that gives the club its nickname of “The Glovers”. The supporters are a lion from the Earl of Arundel, and the horse from the Horseys of Clifton Maybank. They are wearing shields of the Maltravers, Whitmore and Phelps of Montacute. Symbols in the collars come from the arms of Harbin of Newton Surmaville. The motto “INDUSTRIA VIRTUTE ET LABORE” translates as, By Diligence Courage and Work. Incidentally, the initials of the Latin motto spell out an early form of the town name, IVEL. Both the club’s motto and the official arms of the town are combined to make up the crest displayed at the football ground. (PIC 3)
The old FA Cup giant-killing sloping pitch has now gone and given way to a level playing field. The new ground opened in 1990, and Huish Park holds 9,565 loyal supporters. Yeovil’s rivals are Torquay, and Exeter, who make up the West Country derby. The name Yeovil was first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter dated 880 as Gifle, and in the Domesday or Doomsday Book as Givele. It is from a Gaelic word for a fork in the river. The river referred to is the River Yeo which is also known as the River Ivel. To explore and discover more on “The Glovers” get your mitts on www.ytfc.net
