David Bruce has already outlined why he is the perfect fit for Arise's Sheffield Wednesday blueprint
Sheffield Wednesday have installed David Bruce as their new chief executive following the completion of Arise Capital Partners LLC’s takeover.
Arise Capital Partners LLC have wasted no time in getting their feet under the table at Sheffield Wednesday.
The US consortium, governed by David Storch, had not officially been unveiled as the club’s new ownership group, yet they walked out onto the pitch at Hillsborough ahead of last Saturday’s 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion for their official unveiling with new chief executive David Bruce alongside them.
Storch was introduced to the Wednesday faithful for the first time ahead of the win over the Baggies, making on an on-pitch address to the fans. As part of his maiden speech he outlined just some of the projects he and his team intend to oversee at Hillsborough this summer.
Vowing to deliver hot water, better food and beverage, better merchandise, and Wi-Fi of world-class quality, Storch confirmed those particular missions will be overseen by Bruce, who has joined Wednesday after leaving his post as chief business officer at Sunderland.
Arriving in S6 with glowing reports and references from his time with his boyhood club, it feels as though Arise have pulled off a coup by bringing in the MLS’ former chief marketing officer to serve as Wednesday’s CEO.
Storch, during his maiden speech, promised to “return the club to the fans”, vowing to be the “best stewards on your behalf”.
Storch had already made it crystal clear that he wants the supporters to be at the heart of his plan to resurrect a club that has been put through wringer in recent years under the previous ownership. In an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield back in March, Storch described the fans as the “greatest asset” Wednesday have.
With no shortage of work to be done at Hillsborough, both short-term and long-term, it is important that Arise surround themselves with people aligned with their vision and blueprint. In Bruce, it is clear they have found the perfect candidate to help them rebuild the connection between Wednesday and their supporters after the events of recent years.
Bruce, speaking to Sunderland’s YouTube channel last year, highlighting the importance of fan engagement, said: “I think what we have probably lacked a little bit is a sense of purpose of who we are, what makes Sunderland special, the heart and soul of the football club and bringing that to life in all of our actions and interactions with the fans.
“I think that is probably one area that we haven’t been as good as we need to be. Listen, I think it’s well-documented the idea of us being connected to the fan, listening, learning, servicing at a more appropriate level, I think is really, really important for a football club.
“On the business side there is one thing we can’t do, and that is impacting what happens on the field. But what we can do is create an incredible asset for the fans, a brilliant community asset that connects to the fan base in a way that we all know if we do it right, that sense of belonging between the football club and the fan is really at the core of what makes this football club special.
“It really means putting them at the heart of all decision-making. Whether we are in Black Cat House or wherever we might be in the business, the fan is always, always, always front and centre.
“It sounds like this is a no-brainer, but the reality is, in football clubs, sometimes you lose sight of this a little bit. But we have to hit reset, we have to put the fan at the core of everything we do moving forward, we need to listen, we need to learn, and we need to build our actions around that moving forward.”
Bruce may have been speaking about Sunderland, but you would be forgiven for thinking he was talking about Wednesday. There are striking parallels between the mission he oversaw at the Stadium of Light and the challenge he now faces at Hillsborough.
“For us to build a complete football club, you have got to have good owners, a good sporting side and a good business side,” Bruce added. “If those three things are working well, then the football club will be working well.”