Feel-good factor back at Hillsborough

Togetherness has not always been a word associated with Sheffield Wednesday over the past decade.

It never felt like former owner Dejphon Chansiri was particularly interested in bringing everyone together, but these are different times.

The club's Supporters Trust, external launched a fundraising campaign last week. The aim was to raise money for three key causes - to purchase season tickets for deserving supporters who can not afford one, to create match ticket initiatives throughout the season (including for first-time attendees and young supporters), and to provide mascot experiences and replica shirts for children who might otherwise miss out.

At the time of writing, the fund has reached well over £26,000 in just three days.

It is a major effort from supporters, including a significant contribution of £1,867 from Tom Costin, part of the group who have just bought the club (1867 is the year Wednesday were founded).

The feel-good factor is very much back at Hillsborough, a stark contrast to where the club was a year ago, when most of our days were spent reporting on whether staff had been paid and whether Wednesday would even survive.

"The speed of the response tells you everything about this fanbase," said the trust's Jake Lee.

"We've come through some incredibly difficult years but supporters still look after one another. That's what makes Sheffield Wednesday special."

One of the big benefits of the fundraising will be the prospect of new fans being introduced to the club. There has not been enough of that at Hillsborough.

Plenty of fans contacted us during the Chansiri era to say their families had been priced out of attending games. Some took the hard decision to stay away as his ownership became increasingly toxic.

Getting new fans into the ground, and encouraging others to return, is a big aim for the summer.

"Potentially dozens of memories will be created for supporters and young people who otherwise wouldn't have had those opportunities," Jake Lee added.

"That's what this is really about."

It also marks a crucial shift for the Supporters Trust. Having been pushed into leading the protests that ultimately led to Chansiri's exit, then playing a key role in helping to find a solution in the form of David Storch's Aspire Capital, they are determined to transition to a new focus.

"Fans felt they had no voice but a Supporters Trust should ultimately be about much more than that. It should be about protecting the interests of supporters, strengthening the club's connection with its community, and delivering positive projects that make a difference" Lee said.

"We've spoken about moving from protest to purpose. Raising this money to help supporters and young people access Sheffield Wednesday is the sort of work a modern supporters trust should be doing."

A new target of £35,000 has been set and you would not bet against Wednesday's energized fanbase getting them there.