Gemmill started his career at Nottingham Forest as an apprentice on leaving school in the summer of 1987 and two years later he was given a professional contract by manager Brian Clough, who then gave him his first team debut on 30 March 1991 in a 3–1 defeat by Wimbledon at Plough Lane.
[4] By the end of the 2002–03 season, he had played 97 Premier League games for Everton but his first team chances had become increasingly limited since David Moyes replaced Walter Smith as manager in March 2002.
He did not make a single league appearances for the Toffees in the 2003–04 season, during which he spent seven games on loan at Preston North End and scored once against Bradford.
[7] Gemmill was part of the Scotland squads for the Euro 96 and 1998 World Cup but failed to make an appearance in either, a situation he described for the latter as "bittersweet" and "heartbreaking".
[8] He won 26 caps for Scotland and scored one goal, against a Hong Kong League XI in a Reunification Cup match in 2002.