Nearly 90 per cent of Sheffield Wednesday season ticket holders will not renew while Dejphon Chansiri remains as owner of the club, according to a survey carried out by The Star.
In just a few days the online survey received close to 5,000 responses – 4,812 in total – and posed a range of questions to gauge supporter feeling on matters ranging from supporter spending boycotts to pitch invasion protests and where confidence sits on the power of the Independent Football Regulator.
The club finds itself in the clutches of crisis at current with major concerns over its future while progress on any sale of the club by Chansiri is understood to be limited. September was the fifth month in seven that Wednesday was unable to fulfil its financial obligations to its payroll on time, with news emerging that payments are expected to be made no later than Tuesday, which would present a two-week delay.
On the pitch, Wednesday’s battling players and backroom staff have offered a defiant effort in the face of dire working circumstances and in spite of the decimation of their squad over the summer. After nine matches they sit second-bottom, just a point shy of the safety spots.
Supporters have responded to the crisis of Chansiri’s ownership with a spending boycott led in no small part by the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust. Some 95% of all survey respondents indicated that they supported the ongoing boycott, with 83% of season ticket holders suggesting they will choose to stay away from next weekend’s home clash with Middlesbrough in response to the Trust’s latest protest action.
Last Saturday saw a few dozen supporters take to the pitch in protest during the defeat to Coventry City. A little over four-fifths (81%) of supporters taking the survey said were in support of the demonstration.
Season tickets and where things go from here
Of those who indicated they were season ticket holders, the survey showed that 88% would not renew their tickets while Chansiri remains owner of the club. Confidence in any sales process is low, with 87% of respondents indicating the end of his reign will come via enforcement rather than his selling of the club. Nearly two-thirds of supporters believe he will still own the club in six months time, a figure that drops to 39% by the start of the 2026/27 season.
Reports suggest Chansiri has been seeking investment into the club, though it’s understood that has been hard to come by. The idea of the Thai retaining a minority share in the club alongside new ownership is not a popular one, with only 11% of those who took the survey answering that they would accept that eventuality. Some 77% answered with an outright ‘no’, while nearly 12% indicated they weren’t sure.
The Independent Football Regulator
Key figures appointed into the incoming Independent Football Regulator have suggested evidence will be collected around Chansiri’s conduct as Sheffield Wednesday owner as their powers come into effect and chair David Kogan made clear that if the evidence deems it appropriate, the body will have the power to remove owners from crisis clubs.
Amid a media drive by chairperson Kogan this week, survey respondents seem unsure, with just under half answering they ‘don’t know’ whether they have confidence in the IFR’s ability to do so in the case of Chansiri. Some 32% indicated they do not have confidence in the IFR’s ultimate power to remove Chansiri, while 18% suggested they did.
Much of the future remains unknown around Sheffield Wednesday and Chansiri’s ownership – and what is still to play out. Fan support of the team this season has been noted by senior figures within the changing room and seems in little doubt, though survey respondents appear to be realistic in terms of their expectations with current circumstances and with a points deduction looming.
Just over 93% of respondents ultimately do not believe the side can stay in the Championship this season. Rather more concerningly, 71% of respondents answered that they were concerned for the ultimate existence of the club.
Leave a Reply