'Best in the world' - David Storch shares Sheffield Wednesday dream and makes promotion admission
Sheffield Wednesday chairman David Storch has big ambitions to take the club forward - and he appears to be in a hurry.
Chairman David Storch has said he wants Sheffield Wednesday to become “the best football club in the world,” admitting that he expects promotion back to the Championship by the end of next season.
Storch, alongside his Arise Capital Partners colleagues, completed his takeover of the Owls on May 1, buying them out of administration and bringing an end to the darkest chapter in the club’s rich and colourful history.
Since securing the keys to Hillsborough just over 100 days ago, Storch and his team have worked at a ferocious pace to implement infrastructure improvements, oversee the arrivals of 13 new signings and carry out a whole host of other tasks.
The improvements that have been made in such a short space of time have, in many cases, left Owls supporters jaw-dropped at the progress that has been made off the pitch. Hillsborough and the club’s Middlewood Road training base had become tired and dated, meaning both sites had desperately needed modernising for years.
However, the Arise consortium has put its money where its mouth is this summer, investing more than £8 million in the Owls’ infrastructure. And although the progress that has been made in next to no time has been impressive, Storch is constantly thinking about the next objective.
“My mind can’t stop,” Storch told The Athletic. “It’s a curse in some respects. There is so much to do that I can’t stop thinking about the next thing to do.
“Every time I think I’ve got it all, I go, ‘Ah f**k, what about this?’ I want this to be the best football club in the world.”
Although there is a great sense of optimism and excitement around Hillsborough ahead of the start of the 2026/27 League One campaign this weekend, Storch accepts that patience will be required. Nevertheless, he is targeting a return to the Championship as quickly as possible.
He continued: “I’m incredibly optimistic about the future. I’d be very disappointed if (promotion to the Championship) hasn’t happened by the end of next season.
“I’m not patient by nature, but I do appreciate it’s needed. I can tell you this: I’m in for the long haul.”
Ever since expressing an interest in buying the Owls last year, Storch has consistently highlighted that the fans must be at the forefront of every decision the club makes moving forward. With that in mind, he is determined to have a positive impact on the lives of Wednesdayites by making a difference at Hillsborough.
“My life is very comfortable, but life is not about money,” Storch added. “I’ve always wanted to make a difference and when I saw the Sheffield Wednesday story unfold, I felt I could make a positive difference to people’s lives.
“You can’t monetise that.”