Halesowen Town Football Club have said they are delighted to announce the release of their very own book charting the history of the club.

Supporters, Benjamin Bullock and Matthew Ponter, have spent the last few months researching Halesowen Town’s 147 year history and compiling it into a book they have titled YELTZMEN.

The work is the first of its kind for the club, uncovering lost stories of the formation years, players, fans, and the history behind the team’s mysterious nickname - the Yeltz.

19-year-old Benjamin is a History and Music double major at Wabash College, Indiana, USA and Matthew, 21, has recently completed a Sports Journalism degree at Solent University, Southampton. They arrived at the idea of publishing the book during a virtual walk to Wembley, wherein Benjamin and his step-dad Richard walked laps of the Halesowen ground as part of a club fundraiser.

Halesowen Town were two games away from a potential FA Trophy final at England’s national stadium before the coronavirus pandemic. Both Benjamin and Matthew have devoted considerable time to researching and planning the 170 page book, which will go on general sale mid-August. Benjamin said:

“It has certainly been a demanding - yet rewarding - task! The two of us approached the book from a slightly different perspective; Matt’s background in journalism gave him different insights and contacts to my historical one.

“A lack of information has plagued Yeltz historians for many years, but access to old newspaper archives has enabled us to uncover some fascinating stories.”

They have already sold over 100 copies during the pre-order period, with many fans eagerly awaiting the finished product. Matthew was particularly surprised with the responses that both he and Benjamin were receiving. He added:

“Firstly, I couldn’t believe that nobody had written a book on the club’s history, given that there is so much to discuss! Of course, there were a few prints released from the glory days during the 1980s and the following few years, but never before had anyone taken time to write a full history.

“It was great to speak to so many different people, past and present, who could provide results, players, and funny anecdotes to which we could filter within the chapters. It was also really nice to have fans thank us for our work, and provide the extra support we needed to finish it!”

YELTZMEN is available to pre-order at yeltzclubshop.com/yeltzmen, with 100% of the profits being donated to the club.