New Sheffield Wednesday supporter group hopes to provide support to Armed Forces veterans

The group – SWFC Armed Forces Supporters Club – would also stand to raise money for charity and get involved with local community projects in the Sheffield area.

It’s an idea that has been in the pipeline for nearly a year, with the club hoping to form official links with the club over the next few months.

It’s the brainchild of Adam Thompson, a lifelong Wednesdayite who spent five years in the Navy before moving to work in the Army two years ago, alongside Adam Eccles, who serves in the Air Force.

“It’s more than just providing a link between the club and fans,” Thompson explained, speaking to The Star on the day the group started reaching out to potential members on social media.

“We see so many people struggle with their mental health in what we do, particularly when they leave the forces and maybe struggle with civvie life.

“We want to provide a place where people can link up and talk to one another, we’d like to have events on a regular basis where people can come along and have the sort of banter they’ve missed since leaving.

“And the Wednesday thing obviously offers that common interest.”

The most recent data offered by the Ministry of Defence shows that more than one in 10 people serving in the Armed Forces last year sought help for a mental health related reason last year, though the number of those suffering issues is likely much higher.

The intention is to provide current and former Armed Forces personnel with an opportunity to meet up and ‘muck in’ on projects as they would in their military work. Mental health-trained professionals will also be introduced as a support base.

Thompson is confident there will be a large take-up from Wednesday fans both in Service and retired and hopes to follow the lead of a similar group out of Tottenham Hotspur.

“A city like Sheffield is fantastically working class and so you do get so many people who serve,” he said.

“I notice a lot of people on Twitter that are in that boat and are passionate about Sheffield Wednesday. Other clubs have similar groups, Spurs are maybe the best example.

“Their Armed Forces group has amazing links with the club, they hold meetings at their ground a couple of times a year, they do the Remembrance Day parade and so on. They’ve given us plenty of advice.”

Potential projects would include fundraising for charities such as Sheffield Children’s Hospital and lending a hand at local foodbanks.

But if there’s a cause that needs a helping hand, the group will do all they can.

“It’s about us getting off the ground and getting amongst it,” Thompson said. “That’s very much part of the ethos of what we do in our jobs and how we go about things.

“It’s about giving Wednesday fans who have or are serving that platform to help make a difference, meet regularly and make sure noone is left alone.”