What is SOO?

Forty years ago, Sheffield Wednesday FC were embarking on a period in the club's history that saw them struggle in the third tier of English football for the first time in their history. The Star newspaper's "Save Our Owls" campaign not only provided material benefit to the club in its hour of need, but helped to unite the Wednesday fans and call them to action.


In 2010, the club's need is arguably even greater.


At a meeting of fans at Hillsborough on Thursday 28 October, considerable concern was expressed about the impending Winding Up Petition issued by HMRC against SWFC.

With such a short time before the hearing, and with little sign of any agreement on investment from outside, a coalition of fan groups involving Wednesdayite, Wednesday Till I Die (WTID), the Shareholders Association (SA) and Time To Go (TTG) has been agreed and an outline campaign has been put forward.

The campaign is intended to gather investment from Owls fans, and offer Owls Chairman Howard Wilkinson support for what he is trying to do and to provide an alternative source of funds. At this late hour, it is vital that the whole Owls fan base come together in the hope that Administration can be avoided in the first instance and then a funding plan developed to secure the future of the club.


For the first time, the plan is to coordinate and unite the many valid groups and ideas that have tried to make a difference to Sheffield Wednesday FC. These ideas have been grouped into four main strategies:

• FUNDING
• PROTEST
• FORMAL ACTION
• PUBLICITY

Of these, funding is obviously the most pressing - but without aspects of all the other three, either funding will not be adequately provided, or could possibly be rejected. SOO is a campaign that embraces both this short time before the club's HMRC hearing and the time after - whether in administration or not.


The overall aim of the campaign is to be able to present to the Club and/or Bank a comprehensive, credible package that deals with the issues facing SWFC in the immediate, medium and long terms.

The coalition have convened a 'war cabinet' to help execute against the outline plan - the cabinet will contain representation from all the above groups in addition to unaligned Owls fans.

The outline plan is available to download as an MS Word document here. 


This campaign stands and falls on the will of the Wednesday fans to come together and do their bit. There is a role for everybody to play their part - whether they can offer considerable funds to SWFC or whether they can tell all their friends and workmates about what needs to be achieved and how people can help.


SAVE OUR OWLS 2010 - TOGETHER WE CAN RESCUE OUR CLUB.