David Storch

Wanted to take some time to reflect on a day I’ve been dreaming of for months. Saturday was perfect. Will never be able to express how grateful I am for the warm welcome the @SWFC fans gave my family and me. The sun shone down on our wonderful club on Saturday. It was the experience of a lifetime to enjoy the moment with you all…. To share our new crest designed by the incredible local agency Peter and Paul…. To share the news that after an incredible collaborative effort between my team, the @EFL and BTG we will start next season on zero points!…. To introduce you to our incredible new CEO, David Bruce…. And to witness over 30,000 of my newest friends singing for 99 minutes straight as our Owls closed out such a difficult season with a win. I’d like to further highlight how grateful I am to the @EFL for their diligence and approach in working with us to ratify all issues and achieve our target of closing by 1 May. It takes a village; but without the commitment and tenacity of Asher Simons, Clive Betts MP and James Silverwood in particular, we would not be where we are today. It’s been an extremely emotional 48 hours for me after a long process, but now the focus is already completely on action. We are proceeding ahead immediately on all fronts and we will update you, the fans, as we go. You are the reason Michael and I are here, the reason we have fallen in love with this city and this club. We will do everything in our power to ensure we don’t let you down. David #wawaw #uto #swfc

Apologies in advance - this is a long one. Now that the transaction is complete, I wanted to take a moment to thank the people who made what many thought was impossible… possible. This has been one of the most complex, demanding and important processes I’ve ever been involved in. It simply does not get done without a huge number of people going above and beyond. A few key aspects defined whether this club had a future: 1. Bringing S3 Limited into Administration alongside the Club - This allowed us to market and sell the Club and stadium together. Without it, the outcome could have been terminal. Thank you to New Avenue Projects for working with us to make this happen. 2. Funding the Club through the process Cash was critical. To the fans - thank you. You backed the Club when it mattered most, buying tickets and merchandise in huge numbers. To the individual who loaned £1 million - incredible support at a critical time. And to Henrik Pedersen - for his understanding and leadership when difficult football decisions had to be made. 3. Securing the outcome with the EFL A huge amount of work went into finding a solution that worked for all parties and protected the Club’s future. I want to thank a colleague (who would absolutely want to remain anonymous) for the creativity, technical expertise and, quite frankly, one of the most effective pieces of work I’ve ever seen in delivering a solution everyone could get behind. A number of advisers were outstanding: Wiggin LLP — David Hinchliffe and team. Relentless, often working through the night. Freeths (Sheffield Insolvency Team) - led by Oliver Jackson, assisting throughout but crucial in the final weeks. MD Law - Matthew Dixon (despite his football allegiances…), stepping in to solve a late-stage issue. BTG Eddisons, BTG Insurance Services & BTG Forensics - supporting throughout. Shorts Accountants - Scott Burkinshaw and team on tax. ⸻ My BTG team - quite simply exceptional. Jo Hammond, Mark Weekes, Paul Stanley, Julian Pitts, Phil Stone, Karis Cordery, Ben, Aidan, Niamh, Harry and many others. And the wider Sheffield office who picked up the slack while we lived and breathed Hillsborough for six months. ⸻ The Sheffield Wednesday staff have been nothing short of incredible. Henrik Pedersen - one of the best leaders and people I’ve worked with. We were competitive throughout - that’s down to him. Lindsey - “Mrs Sheffield Wednesday”. Tireless. ‘Stan’ - Mr Safety. Outstanding. Rob, Louise, James and so many more behind the scenes. I also want to mention Trevor Braithwaite and Alastair Wilson. Both have taken unfair criticism. They did their jobs professionally in extremely difficult circumstances, and the Club would not have functioned without them. James Wheelhouse - for answering our SOS when appointed and keeping the IT infrastructure together under real pressure. ⸻ A few others who played important roles: Lee Strafford - trusted counsel throughout. Alex Miller and Rob Staton - responsible journalism when it mattered. Lee Wildgoose, Matt Bruce, Chris Cotterill and many more. From the Trust - James Silverwood, Rob Brooke, Steven Chu. And finally, Asher Simons - he was on the other side of the deal but was a huge driving force and without a Wednesday fan either side, I’m not sure it would have got done.I’m proud to now call him a friend. ⸻ This has been a collective effort - but one driven by a clear objective from day one: to protect Sheffield Wednesday and give it a future. There is still a lot of work ahead (thankfully not for me 😀) But today, the Club has stability, a new owner, and a real platform to move forward. WAWAW

Time to party!! Up the Owls!! See you all in a few hours..... Can't wait... #wawaw #uto #swfc

On my way up to Sheffield ... the only place I'd rather be than Honolulu. @MayorRickHNL we should do it together sometime #WAWAW #honoluluwednesday #swfc

Newest addition to our family in Chicago #swfc

Please see my statement attached #FairDealForWednesday

Thank you all for the kind messages of support and interaction. Now that I have accidentally dragged the Lagos Ministry of Health into the Sheffield Wednesday Takeover, I am going to go back to being 73 for the rest of the day #wawaw

@harvey_walters_ 😂 Thanks for pointing this out Harvey! a mistake, but on the plus side, I've now started researching football players from Lagos!

i would love to know why he’s tagged the lagos state ministry of health

Everyone around me knows we are working it very hard. It’s a lot to do in a short period of time but we are putting pressure on ourselves and the other side so we can get in and make a positive impact on the upcoming ‘26-27.

We’ve always known it’s about the fans @LSMOH … we’ve been blessed with so many Wednesday friends to show us the way. You will see fan engagement, player engagement and community engagement. And we are in search of excellence on and off the pitch!

Hopefully later this month ! 🇬🇧

It sure does @YesWeCrann. Your bones, under your skin and into your blood. It’s a beautiful thing to see / experience ! Loving every minute. Lots of hard work in front of us but we do see the light … the uniqueness of this “ village “ and its people .

Had an amazing day, an amazing week. Can’t wait to get back ! 👍💪😊⚽️🇬🇧

Unreal… this is all you need to see ! Wish I was there adding to the volume! Wow! Love you guys!

Another amazing week in Sheffield with so many special moments. Every time I come here, I fall more in love with this city and its people, who have been so warm and welcoming. Great interactive Q&A with the @swfc staff at Hillsborough; their loyalty is admirable. We will restore joy and pride to the offices as we create a culture of excellence. I've been impressed with the strong civic leadership I've seen from Mayor @olivercoppard and @katejosephs. I have further enjoyed building a great relationship with Clive Betts. Also loved my time with Sheffield Wednesday Legend, @HirstyD9 who still has so much passion for the Owls. My team and I are working on so many important initiatives so that we can hit the ground running once we take over this wonderful club. Most notably; improvements to Hillsborough and the design of our kit and crest (stay tuned!😉). Had the opportunity to host a lunch at the outstanding new restaurant in the City Centre; Maria. You guys have to try it! We were joined by @LordBlunkett who enlightened us with his many stories spanning 75 years of genuine love for the club through the good times and not so. I finished my visit, stopping in at the Broomhill Tavern, relaxing over a pint with some new friends watching our match against Stoke City. I'd like to wish everybody a very Happy Easter weekend as we continue into next week heads down on this journey to rebuild this incredible football club. See you soon, David PS. was also lucky enough to find 2 vintage shirts @RagParade ... Love it! #wawaw #uto #swfc

I'm pleased that we cleared a major hurdle yesterday as we move towards our goal of taking ownership of this wonderful club by the end of the season. I'm grateful to the EFL and the administrators for such productive conversations this last week. I want you all to know that my team and I are working tirelessly, and are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to fight for the best possible outcome for Sheffield Wednesday and our incredible fans. Tomorrow, I fly back to the UK for a week of meetings with a wide range of experts to ensure we hit the ground running and deliver on our promises both on and off the pitch. I look forward to seeing many of you in Sheffield. Please do come over and say hi if you see me around town. David @swfc #swfc #wawaw #uto

@GarethBale11 Thanks mate !

@storchyowl Best of Luck, Storchy!

Back in the States now, reflecting on an unbelievable week in Sheffield…. on behalf of Michael, Tom and myself, I want to thank the wonderful city of Sheffield, the local members of the community we met, the Supporters’ Trust and the Sheffield Wednesday fans for making us feel so incredibly welcome. We are listening to and collaborating with talented Wednesdayites across the city to ensure we deliver a best in class fan experience. Whilst we continue to work diligently to become stewards of this unique and historic club, please know that we will be doing everything we can in the interest of a “Better Wednesday” and a brighter future for everyone associated with Sheffield Wednesday. See you soon! David #swfc #wawaw #uto @swfc @swfctrust