David Storch says his first 49 days as Sheffield Wednesday owner have been “the experience of a lifetime” as he outlined the scale of the rebuild now underway at Hillsborough.
Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield, Storch reflected on a whirlwind opening period at the club, describing the job as “far more exciting” and “far more work” than he had first imagined.
But his message was clear. Wednesday are not simply trying to patch things up after a painful period. They are trying to rebuild the club properly.
Storch said the team being assembled behind the scenes is “phenomenal”, with David Bruce leading the executive rebuild and Simon Wilson now in place as sporting director. In a follow-up social post, Storch also pointed to the arrival of Oscar Chamberlain, alongside new consultant partners including Arup, General Sports and James O’Hara.
He said Bruce had presented the club’s “future state” to more than 500 supporters on Monday, with 35 club legends welcomed back to Hillsborough later in the week.
For Storch, that connection between the future and the past appears central to what comes next.
“This is the fans’ club”
One of the clearest themes from the interview was Storch’s view of ownership. He may now own Sheffield Wednesday, but he repeatedly stressed that the club belongs to the people who have carried it for generations.
“This is the fans’ club,” he said. “You’ve heard me say the fans own this club. They really do.”
He pointed to Wednesday’s 159-year history, contrasting that with the fact his ownership group has only been in place for less than two months.
“For us to come in and pretend like this is our club in that context just doesn’t pass muster,” he said.
That message was echoed at the end of the interview, when Storch addressed supporters directly.
“Please know this is your club and we’re doing everything we can to restore the glory,” he said.
It is exactly the kind of line Wednesday fans will want to hear after years of frustration, disconnection and decline. The challenge now is turning that sentiment into sustained progress.
History is now part of the rebuild
Storch also spoke at length about the importance of Wednesday’s history.
After arriving in the UK, he went straight to Sheffield to attend the unveiling of a new headstone for Ambrose Langley, the former Wednesday player and first captain at Hillsborough when the ground opened in 1899.
He said the club’s history was one of the things that first drew him towards Wednesday, alongside the supporters and the atmosphere he experienced when he and his son Michael first attended a game in November.
Storch described the fanbase as “incredible”, even at a time when the club was struggling badly.
“The history is the other ingredient that is so critical to this club,” he said.
He was also clear that former players and club figures will be brought closer to the club again, describing it as a “sin” if previous stars had been taken for granted.
“This is a very important part of our rebuild,” Storch said, “connecting with the past and connecting with the stars of the past.”
That has already begun, with around 40 former Wednesday players invited back to Hillsborough this week. Howard Wilkinson was among those present, with Storch describing him as “quite a fellow” after spending time with him.
David Bruce and Simon Wilson central to the plan
Storch was full of praise for David Bruce, describing him as a “perfect partner” for himself and the ownership group.
“If you were to have a job description and try to find somebody who meets the criteria, this is almost like a perfect match,” he said.
He said Bruce is already tackling both the urgent operational issues and the more positive building blocks required for the future.
Simon Wilson’s appointment as sporting director was also described as hugely significant, with Storch saying the club had spent considerable time discussing the shape of the squad and the type of players Wednesday want to attract.
He also referenced head coach Henrik Pedersen, saying Wilson has been working well with him and that Pedersen will be given leadership support and resources.
“I think Henrik’s going to do a great job,” Storch said.
For supporters, the important part is that the football structure now appears to have defined leadership. Bruce is driving the executive side, Wilson is leading the sporting strategy, and Pedersen is being positioned as the coach tasked with making it work on the pitch.
Transfers are moving quickly
Storch also confirmed that Wednesday are now actively building the squad, with the start of pre-season fast approaching.
“We’re signing players pretty much every day now,” he said.
That line will understandably catch the attention of supporters, particularly after the club ended the previous campaign with a thin contracted squad and major work required.
Storch said the club knew it needed players quickly, but insisted recruitment would not be rushed for the sake of it.
“We’re not going to rush,” he said. “We’re going to do it intelligently.”
He said Wednesday are trying to build “greatness over time” while instilling “excellence right from the start”.
The philosophy, according to Storch, is to find the right blend of youth and experience. Experienced players need to provide the right leadership, while younger players need to be hungry to improve.
He said Wilson’s view of that balance is “spot on”.
Promotion ambition, but no reckless promises
Storch did not make bold promises about immediate promotion, but he did make it clear that Wednesday should be competitive.
“This is a search for excellence,” he said. “There’s no timetable for excellence. Excellence is a process and we’re on that journey now.”
He added that he wants a team capable of competing and said he would like Wednesday to be “at least in the mix for promotion”.
That is probably the right message at this stage. Supporters will want ambition, but after everything the club has been through, empty guarantees would be the wrong tone.
Storch framed Wednesday as a long-term project, not a short-term punt.
“I’m not looking at this as a one-year investment,” he said. “We’re looking at this as maybe even a multi-generational investment.”
Training ground investment is coming
One of the most important practical points from the interview was Storch’s assessment of the club’s infrastructure.
He said the training ground requires “significant investment” and admitted the current facilities are “not up to my standards”.
That will resonate with supporters who have long felt Wednesday have fallen behind modern football standards off the pitch.
Storch said the club has already invested in creating a proper gym environment, drawing on his own experience of owning a high-performance training gym in South Florida.
He said the aim is to give players the best possible environment to succeed.
“We’ve got to bring the right players in,” he said, “but we also have to give the players the right environment in which they can succeed and be the best they can be.”
Storch also confirmed Wednesday are actively looking at wider infrastructure options, including academy and training ground possibilities. He said there are not as many opportunities as the club might have hoped for, but those that do exist are being looked at “very aggressively”.
The -15 point deduction negotiation
Storch also reflected on the deal to buy the club and, crucially, the work done to remove the threat of a 15-point deduction for the start of the new season.
He described that negotiation as “probably the toughest negotiation of my career”, despite having previously run a multi-billion-dollar business with people around the world.
Storch said the ownership group had focused heavily on removing the deduction because supporters had already been through enough.
“We just felt that the fans had been beat up enough,” he said. “The fans didn’t need another kick in the shin.”
The moment the points deduction was shown ticking down to zero before the West Brom game was, by his own admission, deeply emotional.
“When I actually saw the countdown and the reality that this actually had happened, it was a very emotional experience for me,” he said.
Supporters Trust praised after ticket fundraiser
Storch also praised the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust after its recent fundraising campaign to help supporters who could not otherwise afford season tickets.
He said the original target was around £35,000, but the effort eventually reached more than £83,000, helping to provide approximately 240 tickets.
“The fact that others could think of others before they thought of themselves is pretty amazing,” he said.
For Storch, it was another example of the strength of the Wednesday community.
That community theme was also present in his social post, where he said the club is striving to be “the place to be for all… fans, players and community.”
A club trying to reconnect
There is still a huge amount of work to do at Sheffield Wednesday.
The squad needs building. The training ground needs investment. The academy needs attention. The club’s internal structure is still being rebuilt. Supporters will need actions, not just words.
But Storch’s interview and follow-up message both pointed in the same direction.
Wednesday are trying to reconnect with their past, rebuild their leadership structure, invest in the football operation and make supporters feel part of the club again.
After years of uncertainty, that alone feels like a significant shift.
The message from Storch was simple.
“This is your club,” he said.
Now the work begins to prove it.