Sheffield Wednesday date with Norwich City can have monumental impact on Owls future
There’s been a lot asked of Sheffield Wednesday fans in the last 10 days - and boy have they responded. The next request could be one of the most important yet.
From shirt sales to ticket sales to online donations, to pints and pies and pencil cases, Wednesday fans have dug deep when their club has needed them most. A Supporters Trust fundraising push has raised a whopping £50,000 and counting and an Owlstalk donation rally has covered the costs of pre-match preparation for the first team’s upcoming trip to Blackburn Rovers.
The days leading into end of the month has long since been a nervous time for those around the club, but on Thursday staff wages were successfully paid not only on time, but a day early. The vibe around the place is renewed. It’s fun again. It’s been a truly remarkable effort in which the strength and commitment of the Sheffield Wednesday community has surprised perhaps even itself.
And the fan base has been asked to go again this week by snapping up another ticket or four.
A cold midweek meeting with Norwich City in November isn’t the sort of evening that screams Hillsborough sell-out. But with ticket prices dropped considerably and with Wednesday’s marketing efforts suggesting a bustling Bonfire Night bonanza, there are hopes the stadium can be sold out. The money is of course important, but on this occasion there’s more to it than that.
Administration has delivered a post-Chansiri euphoria that doesn’t look like ending any time soon. But with a week down already, attention is flipping fast towards who is next to take the wheel. The administrators are legally-bound ultimately secure the best deal for the club’s creditors, but there’s a sales schmooze here nonetheless. Dozens of parties have come forward with interest in acquiring the club and, as of last known count, three have made it so far as to return proof of funds. Things are moving.
Beyond the continuing financial support of the club and those who rely on it, Wednesday evening’s welcoming of the Canaries offers supporters the chance to put on a show to those eyeing the place up. A full, fierce and fiery Hillsborough can showcase Sheffield Wednesday in the sort of glory rivals ridicule in envy - and deliver an experience that sets it apart as one of the great business opportunities in English football.
The November 23 Sheffield derby will deliver a full stadium of course but looking at the timeline, that may well come a little late in the race for prospective buyers still weighing-up their chips. We gather many, including some of the meatier suitors, are likely to be watching the Norwich game closely, which makes it a potentially seminal evening in the future of Sheffield Wednesday.
Wednesdayites have already marketed their club tremendously in recent weeks simply by doing what they do best. Objective commentators have fallen over themselves to praise the fan base, with many commenting that this is the club with the untapped potential - the one remaining big club yet to taste Premier League riches this century. But it feels like this week is a big one.
Perhaps in a few months time a wealthy and exciting new Sheffield Wednesday owner is sat in a media engagement discussing not only his bold new plans for a fresh infrastructure, but the night Wednesdayites proved that this was the project for them. Maybe they’ll speak of a riotous Jeff Beck rendition, phone lights and a crowd scaling some of Hillsborough’s most famous nights. Maybe, just maybe, that cold November evening with Norwich will prove to have been the night that swung it.
A lot has been asked but the push continues. There’s only a few thousand tickets remaining. See you on Wednesday.