I went to Barry Bannan's charity event - and left with an opinion on Sheffield Wednesday
A fundraising evening supporting Sheffield Children’s Hospital was attended by the great and good of Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday evening - and raised over £60,000. Our man Alex Miller popped along to enjoy.
There was something about it. Somewhere approaching 11pm in the underbelly of Sheffield Mercure Hotel, rising viral comedy character Steve Bracknall signed off to welcome the Everly Pregnant Brothers to the stage and roared into the room with his own summation of what it is to be Sheffield; proud, understated and based in community.
Those present responded with a roar of their own. With the city of Sheffield a theme, it was a few hours painted unashamedly blue and white and brought together some of the club’s biggest associated talents; footballers, artists, musicians. Cursory conversations throughout the evening revealed guests to be some of the city’s most talented and successful business people.
The second ‘An Evening with Barry Bannan and Friends’ had the community feel Bracknall had alluded to. There was a sense of oneness throughout, where all the stresses that come with supporting a daft and chaotic football club three miles up the road were parked to one side for an even greater source of Steel City honour.
What went down? Momentarily interrupting history’s longest run of back-to-back selfies, a grinning Danny Röhl sat in the middle of the room and bidded for Bracknall to take a Wednesday training session. Lee Gregory got perhaps the loudest ovation of anyone as one of the former players to lend their evening to the cause and Josh Windass comically fired back at a misjudged fan question that was inspired by premium lager.
Away from the players came a conveyor belt of Wednesdayite celebrity. Jon McClure’s rendition of ‘Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday’ was followed by two of his own Reverend and the Makers hits, The Everly Pregnant Brothers delivered their unmistakable South Yorkshire life commentary and in their seats were members of Pulp, The Arctic Monkeys and Milburn.
Sheffield keeps its greatness quiet. Writing as a West Yorkshireman welcomed onto the fringes of one of the city’s great institutions in recent years, the fact remains a source of confusion and admiration in many ways. As was said on the night, while other cities shout their collective achievements from the rooftops, you lot choose to play it cool. Football, music, art; the Steel City is surely up there with any. That the world-renowned expertise of the Children’s Hospital was described on Sunday evening was a righteous and inspiring buck trend.
And so too Sheffield Wednesday. With poster boy Bannan at the heart of the event and with Röhl the crown prince, the club has plenty to be proud of in its rapid on-field growth over the last few years. But is there more to be gained through better embracing the feeling and talent in the room that evening?
Every club has its own feel and despite one or two comedy jibes on stage, there’s no doubt many football clubs could lay on an event similar to that of Sunday night. Perhaps they’d raise even more money, perhaps in its own way it would be bigger and better. But it wouldn’t be the same. Rivals may mock, but there’s no doubt there’s a certain something about Wednesdayism. Would other clubs be able to lean on that weight of flair and talent in its fanbase? There must be something there to be better tapped into.
It was an evening of McKee, McClures and mucking about. It left every person present proud to have supported the greatest of causes - and proud to be Sheffield Wednesday.