Cheltenham Town manager Steve Cotterill is set to receive the prestigious Freedom of the Borough at a ceremony held at the Town Hall on Monday, May 18.
The accolade, the highest civic honour a local council in the UK can confer, comes following a petition supported by more than 1,000 people advocating for the 61-year-old’s recognition.
A true local hero, Cotterill was born in Cheltenham and attended Elmfield and Arle Comprehensive schools. As a player, he featured for the Robins, Alvechurch, and Burton Albion before rising to the top tier with Wimbledon, competing in both the old First Division and the Premier League.
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His playing career also included spells at Brighton & Hove Albion and AFC Bournemouth. Between his playing days and managerial career, Cotterill made a lasting impact, starting his managerial journey with Sligo Rovers in Ireland, where he led the team into the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Returning to Cheltenham Town in late 1996 as player/manager, Cotterill guided the club back to the top level of non-league football by May 1997. The following season, he led the team to FA Trophy success at Wembley and achieved the club’s highest-ever league finish as runners-up in what is now the National League.
The 1998/99 season marked a historic milestone when the Robins clinched the title, earning promotion to the Football League and introducing professional football to Gloucestershire for the first time.
Cotterill’s Cheltenham squads came close to the play-offs in 1999/00 and 2000/01 before stepping up once more in their third EFL campaign, beating Rushden & Diamonds 3-1 at the Millennium Stadium to secure promotion to the third tier. That same season, Cheltenham reached the last 16 of the FA Cup.
After leaving Cheltenham, Cotterill managed several clubs including Burnley, Notts County, Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest, Bristol City, and Shrewsbury Town. Having reached a remarkable milestone of 1,000 matches as a manager, he returned to Cheltenham in September 2025, when the team was struggling at the bottom of League Two and facing possible relegation to non-league.
Cotterill’s impact was immediate—he won his first game 2-0 and steadily steered the Robins away from relegation danger, securing safety with five matches remaining.
In recognition of his contributions, Cotterill received an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Gloucestershire in 2000. Now, as he accepts the Freedom of the Borough, he expresses profound pride and gratitude.
“I am extremely proud to receive this prestigious award,” Cotterill said. “It means everything to me and my family. Very few people receive this honour, so I feel privileged and humbled, and I am in great company. I’d like to thank Greg Newcombe and the Robins Trust, who I know started the petition.
“I really look forward to the night now. It might be an emotional occasion for me if I have to start speaking! Either way, I will take my award home with me and be very, very proud. It will certainly be cherished.”