Jon McClure reveals plans to transform the world’s oldest football club, Sheffield FC, after becoming their new chairman.
A consortium led by McClure (via IAV Holdings) secured a significant minority stake, with other board members including David Bianchi (McClure’s manager, music exec), Local businessman Andrew Ford, Alexis Krachai (communications firm MD) plus existing owner Jeremy Levine and son Jack.
McClure previously tried to buy the club in 2018, and more recently, venture capital firm Yorkshire AI Labs claimed they had two bids rejected.
Sheffield FC, founded in 1857, currently sit 7th in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division (9th tier of English football, 5th tier of non league), with 53 points from 29 games played, and are 3 points from the playoff places.
Last season, they finished bottom of the Northern Premier League – East Division, with 29 points from 42 games played, 17 points from safety.
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McClure spoke of always having an interest in the club… “as a Sheffield native with a lot of us schooled in the idea that we invented football in this city”, as per BBC Sport.
“It’s a frustration for many of us that it’s not more widely celebrated.
“There’s still a lot of people in the city who don’t know that. And nationally and globally, people are completely unaware.”
On his attempt to buy Sheffield FC back in 2018, alongside his manager David Bianchi, co-founder of Various Artists Management: “We were quoted a price that seemed silly to us at the time, so we walked away and thought that was that.
“Fast forward to now and we’ve managed to do a deal to get involved and to purchase a chunk of the club with a bunch of other people.
“This is not Wrexham. I’m not Ryan Reynolds. Let’s get it clear, I’m in an indie band. I know my place in this world.
“I’m not anywhere near that famous, right? I’m well known nationally in the music world.
“I’ve taken a lot of advice from football people. I’m not a football person, and I won’t be involved in football stuff.
“The Wrexham thing is not how it’s really going to work. I think it’s a slightly different model. And also Wrexham is not the first club in the world. The club, in some ways, is the superstar.
“You see people bandying ideas about like we’re going to build a 15,000-seater stadium or we’re going to do a Wrexham and that suggests to me that you don’t know what you’re talking about.
“That’s not what we’re trying to do here. We’re trying to do something a little bit different, number one, and secondly, there is a limit to how big you can grow its fan base.
“I think it should live within its means and be sustainable, where it becomes a second club for everyone in the South Yorkshire region, firstly, then maybe nationally.
“There’s a limit for Sheffield FC. It’s a non-league club. This is not me talking now. This is Chris Wilder, Vill Powell and others.
“These are people who care about the club. They’re saying to me, it can’t ever compete with Wednesday or United. That’s not what it’s there to do.
“And one day, who knows? But right about now, I think there’s a limit, and that’s good.
“Non-league, it’s difficult when you’re at this level. And so that’s why I assembled a team of people who could help me do it, because I am conscious of the fact that ‘rock star comes in and does football club’ could be conceived as a car crash waiting to happen.”
“On the women’s side, I think there’s less of a ceiling. I think the women could be very successful, and we want to prioritise that, but it has to be done by engaging actual football people.”
On potential new stadium locations, and a potential move to the former Sheffield Transport Sports Club site at Meadowhead: “The planning application is still live and we’re undertaking a review.
“We don’t want to take anything off the table. It’s about engaging constructively with the people in charge in this city, the council and the mayoral authority.
“I think everybody wants the club back in the city, but there’s only Sheffield that could invent football and build a B&Q car park on it.”
On scepticism of a local musician becoming the club’s chairman: “Judge it in a year. If it’s not tangibly in a better place than it is now, come and see me at a match and discuss why you think that’s not the case.
“But give me a year to just do some stuff, because I think we’re going to move the dial on this considerably.
“We’re trying to build a community here, and we’re trying to do something for the city, because this city is amazing.
“For far too long now this city has not shouted about itself. It’s enough now.
“Now’s our time to stand up and say this city’s brilliant.
“We invented this game, and this club invented this game, and we’re going to celebrate that.
“We’re saying, these are our aims and ambitions, and we’re tempered with the reality that there is a ceiling, especially for the men’s team.
“There’s a limit to what can be achieved. And I think whilst we’re all mindful of that, we can’t go too far wrong.
“I’ve seen KSI be like ‘Premier League in five years’ and all this. What if you don’t do it, you’re going to look like a right wally, aren’t you?
“So I think just be realistic and be humble, right? Because we’re Sheffield people, Yorkshire people. Be humble.”
McClure on a collaboration with Robbie Williams: “Rob lives in Miami, right? And he’s a very, very famous lad. He is very busy, and does he want to get involved in Sheffield FC? I don’t know. I’ve never asked him.
“I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do. I don’t know. Will I bring him here? 100 per cent yes, and if he likes it, let’s see.”
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