True state of play on Sheffield Wednesday salary payments as October payday approaches
Non-football employees at Sheffield Wednesday are set to receive their salaries on time for the month of October, The Star understands, with any possibility of a partial payment to players due to logistics rather than a lack of revenue.
Administrators were appointed to the club on Friday last week and walked into a club that had failed to fulfil its financial commitments to its workforce on five occasions in five of the last seven paydays. Given a week to re-engage a boycotting supporter base and raise substantial cash, The Star is assured that amid a remarkable show of support from the club’s fans, the revenue has been raised to cover all October salaries.
There are hopes all payments will be satisfied on Friday, the club’s scheduled payday, that all departments will be paid in full. There remains a possibility that football staff will be paid only part of their wages, though it is stressed that this is due to a need to wait for payment from merchants and the payment of other cash owed - not that the club has not raised the money required. The Star understands players are understanding of the situation.
It’s understood that the nature of the move into administration - and the short turnaround time between the appointment and the club’s payday - means there have been further logistical challenges in the re-instatement of payment and banking processes. There is a confidence that these have been overcome.
A boycott of fan spending under previous chairman Dejphon Chansiri saw thousands of fans returned to Hillsborough for Saturday’s Championship match against Oxford United, with queues to the club Megastore having stretched out of the door. Further fundraising efforts have seen the return of the Kitman’s sale and donation buckets were carried at today’s open training session at Hillsborough.
An effort to sell-out next week’s midweek home clash with Norwich City saw reduced prices, with ticket sales starting well.