Wednesdayite

nd well-being of our club. As Sheffield Wednesday supporters, we want to do our bit to help the club regain and thereafter maintain its rightful position amongst the elite clubs of the English game. We believe that Sheffield Wednesday deserves its place amongst the top teams in the country in terms of potential, supporter numbers, loyalty and passion. Our aim is to develop and maintain a democratic organisation for all Sheffield Wednesday supporters, dedicated to helping to realise the club's potential. Players come and go; Managers come and go; Chairmen and Boards come and go. But we fans are the one constant and we believe that fact alone makes us a huge resource for the club to use in its drive to progress both on and off the pitch. This doesn’t mean that all the fans are going to agree on all of the issues all of the time. But with an effective, open and democratic supporters’ organization it does mean that there is a channel through which the democratic views of the membership can be conveyed to the club. And with greater membership numbers comes a louder, more representative voice of the fans - which is all the more valuable an asset to SWFC. We at Wednesdayite are driven by the same fanaticism as you and our fellow Owls - fanaticism that sees us spending hundreds of pounds and traveling thousands of miles a season in support of the team. We see clearly that individual supporters are keen and able to do even more in support of their club and we believe that they should be encouraged and given the opportunity to do so! Wednesdayite seeks to represent its members’ views in an open and democratic fashion. We are a members’ organization and we represent and articulate the democratic view of our members on the issues which are important to them. Membership

Sheffield Wednesday fans join Wednesdayite for a variety of reasons. The Wednesdayite car park, Lounge and away coach service are all examples of fans helping to make it better for other fans to be fans! And the only criteria for membership of Wednesdayite is that you support Sheffield Wednesday. As a member, you have a voice. As a membership, we have a louder voice. And as an organized group of committed and passionate Wednesday fans, we have the desire and ability to mobilise efforts towards lending added advantage to Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and its community. Democracy

Every Wednesday fan wants footballing success for Sheffield Wednesday. We may have different ideas as to how best that is achieved and indeed as to what level of input and influence the fans, both individually and collectively, can have in the process. Wednesdayite policy is determined by its members. We undertake regular surveys seeking members’ views on a wide variety of matters affecting the club and encourage members to get involved in our Events and Policy groups. Whilst the Wednesdayite board of directors is elected to run the organisation’s affairs on behalf of its members, no material decisions affecting the organisation will be taken without the democratic mandate of the members. Relationship with SWFC

There's no getting away from the fact that - for a large portion of the previous decade - Wednesdayite were not a welcome organisation in the halls of Hillsborough. But equally true is that those dark days are behind us all. The landscape at S6 has changed beyond recognition, and so has Wednesdayite and our aims and remit. We are honoured and privileged to have a positive and mutual working relationship with the Club - from chairman Milan Mandaric down, and have developed close links with all SWFC's departments, which enable the club to better access our services and help where needed, and allow us to enjoy fantastic access to the manager and first team squad for events, support from the communications department such as having our own page in the matchday programme, and a mutually-beneficial relationship with both the SWFC Community programme and the SWFC Academy. After the struggles of the past, we are finally what and where we want to be - as a supporters club that SWFC can call upon to help where needed, and that the fans can use to get closer to the club we all love. Communication

Effective communication of our core values, our policies and our activities is absolutely key if we are to retain existing members and enthuse and gain new members. We produce not only weekly email newsletters to members, but have a cutting-edge, constantly-updated website allowing all fans to access our services, join Wednesdayite and even make their voices heard through blogs and articles. We also communicate with over 11,000 followers on Twitter and 6,000 on Facebook. Financial & Marketing

Our core values and objectives centre around furthering the club’s on-field progress and the part that the fans can play in helping achieve this. All of our fundraising efforts ultimately benefit the club whether directly (for example through Smile Tickets or events) or indirectly through the SWFC community (such as sponsoring The Wednesday Cricket Club or our free school coaching programme). The very size of the fan base enjoyed by Sheffield Wednesday should in itself bring financial advantage to the club and even more so if that fan base is capable of mobilising to generate further funds over and above that which it spends on official club products and services. With everybody pulling in the same direction, it is our belief that the fans can get a real momentum going both on and off the pitch - and we see Wednesdayite as key to pulling those fans together. In addition to promoting the club’s own products and services, Wednesdayite has successfully developed its own income streams to further its aim of greater fan enjoyment in supporting the club. Our successful matchday car park and away coach services continue to generate funds that we plough into doing what we do bigger, better and to bring even more benefit to Owls fans and our community. Community

Our Wednesdayite community initiatives take the Sheffield Wednesday brand into the heart of the community. Smile Tickets enable deserving children and adults to attend matches at Hillsborough where they might not otherwise be able to do so - with the club benefiting from the full ticket income. The Primary Schools Coaching Scheme reaches literally thousands of the city’s youngsters at an age when football allegiances can be determined for life. And aside from promoting the use of sport – football in particular – as an integral part of a healthy lifestyle, who knows - we may even uncover the next David Hirst! Wednesdayite will continue to champion the cause for all SWFC fans to be able to attend home matches, presenting ideas and initiatives to the club to attract all identified fan concessionary groups, i.e. families, university students, OAP’s, children and those on social benefits. We will continue to play an active part in the Owls Against Racism (OAR) Steering Group and provide practical support, wherever possible, to the aims of Sheffield Owls Disabled Association (SODA). Fundraising

We need to be able to raise a healthy level of funding to be able to fund all of our activities. Our community initiatives all rely on a regular source of funding and if we are to help the club, then we need to empower Wednesday fans to do their bit. We are grateful for the donations we often receive from members - none of the money we receive is used for admin costs as we are all volunteers. Through a range of new and dynamic ideas, opportunities and events we believe that - thanks in no small part to our positive relationship and support from the club, we can increase enormously the levels of funds raised by a supporters organisation of a club with such a large and loyal fanbase. Some Promises you can hold us to

As Directors of Wednesdayite we promise to be accountable to our members and transparent in our dealings. Our board minutes are published on the website for all to see and contact numbers or e-mail addresses of all Directors are made available so communication at all levels is not only possible but encouraged. As Directors of Wednesdayite,we promise to consult and communicate with our members through regular meetings on all matters relevant to Wednesdayite, our policies and our relationship with the Club. As Directors,we promise that on key issues Wednesdayite will always be run in a democratic fashion with the democratic vote both absolute and final. As Directors of Wednesdayite we promise to encourage the Club to take proper account of the interests of its supporters and of the community it serves in its decisions, so protecting the Club for future generations. As Directors, we aim to encourage and promote the passion and enjoyment of being a Wednesdayite through encouraging inclusivity. We work tirelessly to help the club spirit, that sense of belonging, the sense of being valued grow and is experienced by every one of the loyal supporters of Sheffield Wednesday.