When Lee Strafford formally took over as Chairman of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club in January 2009 things were not in great shape to say the least.
Prior to his appointment the club had been described by some sections of the media and the support as a rudderless ship as there had not been a Chairman in place for over a year, since the departure of Dave Allen.
The club had also lost the backing of some supporters for various reasons and in the summer of 2008 they were heavily criticised for announcing rises in season ticket prices shortly before the end of the 2007/08 season when there was still a good possibility that the Owls would suffer relegation.
Upon Strafford’s arrival the focus was placed firmly on restoring the positive identity of the club and enhancing the image of SWFC on a global scale as well as locally.
In order to get the fans back on side match day prices for the remainder of the 2008/09 season were reduced and season ticket holders were given extra discounts on club merchandise.
The club also vowed to become more open in terms of its operations and relay news to the supporters wherever possible. This move immediately enhanced the feeling amongst the support and there was talk of a feel-good factor returning to Hillsborough with a tag line of ‘we’ve got our Wednesday back’.
During the course of his time at the club Strafford developed countless links within the community, including the acclaimed partnership with the Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity. Interaction with schools was improved and there was generally a feeling of trust and respect between fans and club to a degree that had not been evident for some time previously.
Numerous improvements were made to facilities inside the ground, including catering and merchandising aspects. The decision to link up with PUMA as official kit suppliers proved immensely popular with fans as the new 2009/10 replica home shirts achieved record sales early on and ticketing also underwent a major overhaul with a strong focus placed on online sales.
Plans for the redevelopment of Hillsborough proved to be well-received and the Stadium has been shortlisted as part of the nations bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
One of the key elements that Strafford had to deal with during his time as Chairman was the ongoing issue of potential investment. On his arrival he deemed that the club was in no shape to seek financial backing effectively but with the off-field developments and the creation of detailed budgeted business plans he has stated that the club is now investor-ready.
On the subject of investment he will however be judged by many based upon the end result of his time at the club and to date, despite many potentially promising interested parties no external financial input has been secured.
Furthermore, there is a well-used saying in the sport that if you take care of what happens on the pitch what happens off the field will take care of itself. The 2008/09 season ended fairly well with a respectable 12th place achieved and over 14,000 fans committed to a season ticket during that summer. Despite keeping the large bulk of the squad and adding a few new faces 2009/10 turned out to be a disaster on the field as the Owls were relegated. During the course of this season Wednesday introduced a policy of selling season tickets early in order to get an early idea of what the budget would be for the season ahead. The first deadline for renewals was originally planned to be in January but the poor form of the team resulted in a low uptake and so the deadline ended up being in April.
With the team not taking care of business on the field this has been reflected off it. Despite all the improvements in terms of supporter relations and facilities inside the ground the feeling of ‘having our Wednesday back’ does not appear to have extended beyond the hardcore group of supporters in the long term as to date, with the significant initial renewal deadline having passed, less than 10,000 season tickets have been sold.
There are certainly mixed feeling with regards to the short-lived Strafford era as many recognise the developments that have taken place since January 2009. He departs following relegation but that is something that Owls fans are becoming sadly accustomed to, having suffered this fate three times in the past decade. With this in mind serious questions are again being raised in relation to other members of the board, some of whom have been at the club throughout this period of on field disappointment.