In a bold move to revitalize the world's oldest football club, new Sheffield FC chair Jon McClure has introduced free entry for children as part of a comprehensive strategy to boost matchday attendance. The Reverend and the Makers frontman, a lifelong Sheffield resident and Wednesday supporter, has taken a minority ownership stake in the ninth-tier club alongside David Bianchi of Various Artists Management, aiming to transform its fortunes both on and off the pitch.
Creating Noise in the Ninth Tier
"I told them if they bring a drum, I will buy them a pie," McClure declared to young supporters, demonstrating his commitment to building atmosphere at matches. The club recently attracted its record league attendance of 1,172 spectators for a defeat against Tadcaster, with the teams set to meet again in Saturday's playoff semi-final after Sheffield FC finished third in the Northern Counties East League.
McClure acknowledges the challenges facing a club of this size, noting that "it's very difficult for a club of this size to operate effectively and turn a profit." He describes encountering "years of dysfunction" and a "culture shock" among some existing staff, emphasizing the need for careful stabilization before rapid growth. "There's a danger of putting rocket boosters on a three-wheeler," he cautions.
The Global Significance of Sheffield FC
Despite its modest current status, McClure passionately argues for Sheffield FC's historical importance. "It's the club that invented football and I don't think that story has been told adequately or correctly," he states. Founded in 1857, Sheffield FC shares with Real Madrid the distinction of holding FIFA's Order of Merit and pioneered numerous football firsts including the original kit and the first derby rivalry.
"There's an element to which Sheffield FC is arguably the most important club on Earth," McClure asserts. "We invented the global game. The rules were codified in Sheffield. That enables a lot of opportunities to communicate globally."
Bringing Football Home
One significant challenge McClure faces is the club's geographical location. The Home of Football Ground in Dronfield, Derbyshire sits outside Sheffield's city limits, prompting McClure's ambition to "create the conditions politically in the city where we can bring football home."
"I've started singing 'football's coming home'," he reveals. "We need to return this club to a multi-purpose venue in the city centre, ideally, to the place where football started. There's a generational opportunity to do something in the city."
Celebrity Connections and Viral Success
While distancing himself from the high-profile celebrity ownership models at Wrexham and Dagenham & Redbridge, McClure has leveraged Sheffield's cultural connections. He invited local music legend Richard Hawley to a recent match and maintains a close friendship with Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder despite their cross-city rivalry.
Perhaps most remarkably, McClure's brother Chris created the viral sensation Steve Bracknall, the angry assistant manager of fictional team the Royal Oak. When the Royal Oak played its first real match last week, Sheffield FC hosted what was dubbed "the biggest game in Sunday league history," attracting over 2,000 spectators and half a million online viewers including Robbie Williams.
Building for the Future
Beyond immediate attendance initiatives, McClure has ambitious plans to strengthen the club's junior and women's sections, envisioning "an 1857 academy anchored to the world's first football club that could scale globally, if we do it right."
While acknowledging that "becoming heavyweight champions of the world is beyond Sheffield FC," McClure focuses on achievable goals like promotion to the Northern Premier League. With typical self-deprecation, he notes: "I just happen to be the kind of figurehead of it all and a general gobshite." Yet his vision for Sheffield FC combines historical reverence with modern marketing savvy, aiming to secure the club's future while honoring its unparalleled past.
