Sheffield Wednesday was founded on the evening of Wednesday 4 September 1867, at a meeting in Sheffield's Adelphi Hotel. On 4 September 2027 it turns 160. It is one of the oldest football clubs in the world, and it has one of the strangest names.

A cricket club and a free Wednesday

The club began as an offshoot of The Wednesday Cricket Club. Its members wanted to stay together in winter, when there was no cricket, so they set up a football section. The first president was a Mr Chatterton.

The name came from the Wednesday half-day off that the founders had at work. The cricket club is usually said to date from 1820, but there is no contemporary evidence for it. An 1842 article even gives 1816.

Why "Owls"?

Many link the nickname The Owls to the 1899 move to Owlerton, where Hillsborough stands. In fact the name only took hold in 1912, when player George Robertson gave the club an owl mascot.

From 1973-74 the stylised owl appeared on the shirt, except between 1995 and 1999. The first crest, from 1956, showed an owl on a branch with the White Rose of Yorkshire. In 2026 the club decided to bring back the minimalist owl, with EFL approval.

Blue and white stripes

Since its founding Wednesday has played in blue and white, usually in vertical stripes. At first players wore whatever they had, with blue caps or sashes, and in 1872 the club registered blue and white hoops. In the 1890 FA Cup final the pale blue shirts carried an embroidered white rose.

From 1965 to 1972 the team wore a blue shirt with white sleeves, which returned in 2017-18 for the 150th anniversary. The all-blue shirt of 2016-17 was not popular with fans. And a superstitious detail: supporters want a blue stripe in the centre, because they think a white one is unlucky.

Titles and legends

Its first trophy was the 1868 Cromwell Cup. Four English league titles followed, in 1903, 1904, 1929 and 1930, plus three FA Cups, in 1896, 1907 and 1935. Wednesday produced Charles Clegg, who played in the first ever international match in 1872, and James Lang, regarded as the first professional footballer.

In 1991, while in the second tier, it won the League Cup 1-0 against Manchester United, with a goal by John Sheridan. In 1993 it reached both cup finals and lost both to Arsenal. That year Chris Waddle was named Footballer of the Year by the football writers, while David Hirst shone up front.

The hardest year

The 2025-26 season was a nightmare. In October 2025 the club went into administration and lost 12 points, and in December another six. In February 2026, after a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United, it was relegated from the Championship earlier than any other club in EFL history.

In May 2026, though, new owners arrived, the American firm Arise Capital Partners, and the EFL waived the 15-point penalty that threatened the new season. So Wednesday starts in League One with a clean slate.

Celebrate with us

From a cricket club in a Sheffield hotel to the blue and white stripes of Hillsborough, the Owls have written 160 years of history. Happy birthday, Wednesday, and here's to the comeback!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Hillsborough, home of Sheffield Wednesday – Arne Müseler, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 DE.