Welcome back to ‘Matchday DJ Of The Week’, where in each issue we put 10 serious and not so serious quick-fire questions to a matchday DJ from the world of sport! This week we sat down for a chat with Yeovil Town’s Ian Welch.
- Name: Ian Welch
- Occupation: Matchday DJ at Yeovil Town FC
- Club Website
- Stadium: Huish Park
- Capacity: 9,565
The Interview
SM: When did you take over as Matchday DJ at Yeovil Town?
IW: I took over the match day announcing role at Yeovil town in the middle of 2019. We then had Covid so I spent a year and a bit talking to an empty stadium! It was all very surreal! When we first had people in the stadium for a pilot event, that morning I was on radio one, radio two and newsbeat for the BBC. It was a crazy morning.
SM: How did you initially get into the role?
IW: It’s a bit of a weird one and definitely luck. I was at a Christmas meal with the then chief operating manager and jokingly I asked if I could have a go on the mic for a match day. The then, stadium announcer who has been at Huish park for a very very long time (15 years plus!) stepped away from the club. A couple of people had a go with one of them swapping the match day mic for the press box and the radio. The chief operating manager phoned me up and the rest is history!
SM: Can you remember your first football match/stadium experience?
IW: My first experience, was actually watching Yeovil town when I was 4 years old. We were at the old Huish park which was on a massive slope! My grandpa and I would never pay to watch, we would stand on top of the hill and cheer the glovers on from there.
SM: Would you say your first experience of live football and the memories of that day were motivation for taking on your role?
IW: Absolutely! I was always intrigued as to how it all worked and the more I followed Yeovil home and away I took a liking to the match day playlists and the stadium announcer. I would say that the stadium announcer at Everton has given me the most help and inspiration!
SM: In your time at Huish Park, who’s the best player you’ve seen wear the famous green and white strip?
IW: Very very tough one! I loved watching Lee Johnson play in the midfield during my childhood but I will have to go for Paddy Madden. A great find from our then manager Gary Johnson and scored our first goal in the play off final against Brentford, which we went onto win and had a top season in the championship. Just amazing!
SM: Who is your favourite artist/band of all time?
IW: The Chemical Brothers I absolutely love! I try to squeeze at least one of theirs in on a match day.
SM: Which piece of music do you think is the ultimate track for motivating a footballing side?
IW: Durade – ‘Sandstorm.’ Definitely none of the tracks that I hear from the home dressing room at Huish park!
SM: Do you have an all-time favourite track that you play at Yeovil?
IW: It’s an original one, it’s called ‘Yeovil True’, it got into the UK Top 40! It was also released by the club with some questionable singing by the players.
SM: What are the main songs you use week in, week out at the ground?
IW: We use Pirates of the Caribbean as the players come out for the second half, which stays in my head for days! We love ‘Insomnia’ by Faithless and ‘Right Here Right Now’ by Fat Boy Slim!
SM: On a final note, are there any funny mishaps/cock-ups that have taken place that come to mind when you think about your career so far?
IW: I once got a substitution all wrong! We had a player with the same name as one of our match day commentators and I said his name instead! Also I always get Maidenhead and Maidstone mixed up. No idea why, I just always say the opposite one.
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