“I’ll sell if the fans want me to sell” -  SWFC press conference on December 19, 2018

To the Sheffield Wednesday community,

We are writing this letter as a group of concerned fans who love this club and want to see it thrive. We are The 1867 Group, named after the year our club was founded.  We aim to represent the voice of loyal supporters who are fed up with the current state of affairs at Hillsborough.

We are deeply worried about the future of our club under the ownership of Mr. Dejphon Chansiri, who has shown a lack of vision, competence, and respect for the fans and the history of Sheffield Wednesday. Under his tenure, we have witnessed a series of poor decisions, mismanagement and controversies, which have brought us to the brink of financial ruin. We are staring relegation in the face yet again. 

Albeit now settled, we have recently seen our club placed under a registration embargo by the EFL for failing to pay an outstanding debt to HMRC. We have seen our owner ask us, the fans, to raise £2m to cover his own obligations and responsibilities. We have seen our owner lash out at us, the fans, for expressing our discontent and frustration with his leadership. We have seen our owner disregard the advice and expertise of former players and staff who know the club inside out. We have seen ticket prices rise to levels that price many loyal fans out of being able to follow the Owls. 

We have had enough. We demand change. We demand accountability. We demand transparency. We demand respect.

We are not asking for miracles. We are not asking for unrealistic achievements. We are asking for a fair chance to compete and succeed in this league and beyond. We are asking for a stable and sustainable model of running the club that puts the long-term interests of Sheffield Wednesday above short-term gains or personal agendas. We are asking for an owner who listens to the fans, who engages with the community and who values the heritage and identity of this club.

We are not alone in this fight. We have the support and solidarity of some former players who have worn the blue and white stripes with pride and passion. They have witnessed first-hand the glory days of Sheffield Wednesday and they share our pain and anger at seeing our club decline and deteriorate under Mr. Chansiri's tenure. We ask that you, also join us in calling for a change of ownership at Sheffield Wednesday, before it is too late.

We ask fellow fans to remain respectful to Mr Chansiri and his family. We don’t believe he has ever had bad intentions for Sheffield Wednesday, we simply believe it would be best for both parties for him to sell our beloved football club. 

We have had some good times under Mr. Chansiri’s custodianship and we must thank him for that but now we urge Mr. Chansiri to do the right thing and sell the club to someone who can restore its dignity and potential. We urge Mr. Chansiri to do it now, while there is still time and hope. We ask the chairman to do it for the sake of Sheffield Wednesday, for the sake of the fans, for the sake of our history.

We are The 1867Group, and we will not give up on our club.

To supporters of Sheffield Wednesday and the wider footballing community who share our views, we invite you to sign this e-petition and join our cause. 

The1867Group