The club is dead long live the club.

One can only imagine the conversations amongst players and officials at the beginning of August 1895. Rumours were obviously circulating that financially the club were in serious trouble. The full extent of that was revealed at the Yeovil football club AGM  on the 23rd August 1895, held at the Masonic Hall in Hendford. The treasurer reported that because of the awful weather, the lack of  matches during it, added with  the debt carried forward from the previous year, the club debt was now stood at £26. Much to the astonishment of those gathered. 

The Masonic Hall, venue for the 1895 AGM

The treasurer was asked to give the revenue from gates between the Rugby and the Association clubs, which he did  

" the revenue gained from rugby gates amounted to £28 pounds and the revenue from Association gates amounted to £9"

It was met with howls of laughter from the rugby loving contingent, who obviously saw the lack of money from association games as the root to the club's trouble. 

Up stepped Fred Bond, captain of the Association team. 

"Mr treasurer, I would like to ask you how many rugby games it took for the £28 and how many association games for the £9? "

The reply came back, sixteen games for Rugby and ten for the association teams. 

"how many rugby matches were played on holiday dates and how many associations?" asked Bond again, knowing that holidays at Easter etc were big money games 

Again the treasurer replied, three for Rugby and one for Association. 

Bond then questioned the treasurer over the breakdown of match fees that appeared unusually large. Enquiring who paid the fees of rugby players outside of Yeovil, who it was thought were being paid fees to play. Something the treasurer denied apart from some players from Bridgewater used in one match and the Captain Mr Mansfield. 

Fred Bond had made his point though, the debt was just as much fault of the Rugby team as Association. Being a proud local boy he also questioned the usage of outsiders when he felt that only Yeovilians be used. 

Dr Kingston the chairman of the meeting then allured to a meeting that had been undertaking privately by the association players who had voted in forming a new  sssociation club, independent of any other sport. He asked Bond if true. Bond replied in the affirmative. 

The question then laid was what to do with the debt? Bond not accepting that the debt be in anyway responsible of  the new association club. Although he agreed that members associated with the old club would be liable.

So, the rugby club would be liable for half the debt and the old members of the association part of the club would be liable for the other half. 

With that, it was all over , the club was wound up on the spot, the two clubs to become separate entities and to go their own way. 

It was the catalyst for what was to follow and lay the roots for what we know to day as The Glovers. I am in no doubt that Fred Bond left that meeting a very happy man. He now, could press forward with his plans to establish the association club as the best in  Somerset. Although, I am also sure that he never envisaged the impact his club would have for future generations of Yeovilians and make it known Worldwide. 

Bond's meeting 

Fred Bond had wasted no time in making his ambitious plans reality. Even before the AGM he had held a semi-public meeting with the association players in the town. He had split them up into sub-committees alll with a task, such as finding a new pitch, finding new players and members. 

Four days after the AGM, Bond had called all Association players to the Victoria Hall in South Street, Yeovil. . It became apparent that Bond and others had been very proactive secretly behind the scenes in anticipation of the outcome of the AGM. 

The Victoria Hall, Yeovil 

He had spoken to the clubs Yeovil Rovers and Congregational Swifts. Two of the best teams in Yeovil, Rovers formed from the Pall Mall pub and Swifts formed from the Congregational church! Although, they joined with concessions involving committee representation. Both teams had decided to disband their clubs and be amalgamated to Bond's club. The Yeovil Thursday team also jumping on board. 

Committee members were then elected :

Mr. J. Hann, Mr, T. Davis, 

Mr H. Dunn, Mr. W. Yeo, Mr G. Jones, Mr. Whittaker and Mr K. Jesty. 

John Hann was a barber and fishmonger in the town, Harry Dunn previously on the committee of Yeovil Rovers. Mr. Dunn was previously in the committee of Yeovil Rovers, later he would become a local referee. 

Already Bond and Davis had attended meetings with the Somerset football association, provinciall being promised a county game to be played on the town. The famous Corinthians football side had given word they'd be happy to play the new club in April. Gilbert Vassall, being both a member of Yeovil and Corinthians football clubs. An 'A' and 'B' team would run in conjunction with the first team. The A team to adopt the colours of Yeovil Rovers, blue shirts and the 'B' team to use the colours of the Swifts. The team would be called Yeovil Casuals and then the choosing the first team colours., which were to be Green and White. 

Membership was to be half a crown for over sixteen, a shilling for under and 1d for small boys. With that the meeting was over, conducted in unanimous manner. 

Members of the Casuals that were involved with the previous club would like be liable for half the debt, this would show that the members were 'Honourable men who didn't shirk responsibility' 

With that, it was all over, all the Casuals needs to do was locate a pitch and the Yeovil Casuals were born. 

Happy days 

* for more seasons and stories check the archive