SWSheffield Wednesday

Club history

Sheffield Wednesday's origins lie in 1867, when members of The Wednesday Cricket Club -- so named because its players, mostly tradesmen, had Wednesday afternoons free -- formed a football team to stay fit over winter. The football section eventually outgrew its parent club, and the team played as The Wednesday Football Club until officially renaming itself Sheffield Wednesday in 1929. After early years at Bramall Lane and other grounds, the club settled at Olive Grove from 1887 before moving in 1899 to Owlerton, where their Hillsborough ground remains today.

The Owls nickname is generally traced to the club's move to the Owlerton district, with the identity cemented around 1912 when a player presented the club with an owl mascot. Wednesday were among English football's early powers, winning four League Championships, the last in 1928-29, and three FA Cups, most famously in 1935. In 1991 they beat Manchester United to win the League Cup while playing in the second tier, a distinction -- the last major trophy won by a team outside the top flight -- that still stands.

Since the 1990s the club has experienced sustained financial difficulty and repeated relegations, dropping out of the Premier League in 2000 and spending long spells in the second and third tiers under a succession of owners, including Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri from 2015. The instability culminated in the club entering administration in October 2025, incurring a league points deduction and suffering relegation from the Championship in early 2026. Wednesday's fiercest rivalry remains the Steel City derby against Sheffield United.

Sources

• Wikipedia - Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
• BBC Sport - Why are Sheffield Wednesday called Wednesday?

English Top-Flight Champions won (4)

• 1902-03
• 1903-04
• 1928-29
• 1929-30

Runner-up finishes (1)

• 1960-61

See the full english top-flight champions list for the winner each of these years.