Trust update: 5 October 2023

Trust update: 5 October 2023

This is an update for our members and all Sheffield Wednesday fans following the Trust’s meeting with the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) on 30 September 2023. The meeting had been arranged following an invitation from the FSA in August 2023 to hold a face-to-face meeting; the FSA regularly offers catch-up meetings to all supporter groups in its EFL Network.

As it happened, the timing of our meeting with FSA coincided with a concerning statement that was released by the Club’s Chairman, which, as you know, was published on the day of the home match against Sunderland. We must put on record that personal attacks against the Chairman and his family are totally unacceptable. In addition, we agree with the Chairman that only constructive debate and collaboration will benefit all Sheffield Wednesday Football Club stakeholders.

Engagement

The Trust has only had limited success engaging with the Club in the past – our formation in late 2020 led to the creation of the Supporters’ Engagement Panel, but you will be aware that the Trust is currently not part of the Panel, a position which has existed since August 2021. Our recent member survey results backed an action to contact the FSA to address this position. We discussed this with the FSA at our 30 September meeting, and the FSA committed to help facilitate communication between the Club, the existing Engagement Panel and the fan base, which includes the Trust and many other supporters’ groups. The ball is now with the FSA, in conjunction with the EFL, to take this forward. 

More generally, we have seen how wonderful our fan base can be through support from Wembley to West Brom and when uniting for broader causes. We invite all Wednesday fan groups, staff and officers at the Club, social media groups and everyone who bleeds blue and white to consolidate and present a unified message that truly represents the Sheffield Wednesday family – and hence the Club’s image to the outside world. Our collective strength is a powerful force, and the Trust believes that together, we can work towards a brighter future for Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.

Club funding

At our meeting on 30 September with the FSA, we discussed the Chairman’s recent statement and, as you will be aware from a tweet we published earlier this week, this led to us contacting the EFL. We are keen to understand the impact of the Chairman’s statement on the Club’s funding and the potential effects on the Club’s staff and immediate future. 

Whilst we have asked the EFL to assess the implications of the Chairman’s statement, it would be helpful if the Chairman could indicate what the next steps are and answer the following related questions:

1. Does the Club have the financial resources to meet all payroll and HMRC obligations for the foreseeable future?
2. Is the Club in any imminent danger of administration?
3. Is the Club officially up for sale? Whilst it is understood that approaches can be made at any time (as the Chairman has stated), putting the Club up for sale (i.e. ‘on the market’) may attract more prospective buyers.

By asking these questions, we intend not to damage the Club or criticise the Chairman in any way – we are simply trying to understand some vital aspects of our beloved football club. We would be happy to meet the Chairman face-to-face to discuss and receive answers to these questions; we can be contacted via enquiries@swfctrust.co.uk