OWL ABOARD!
There’s something incredibly alluring about how Sheffield Wednesday Ladies Chairman, Dave Higgins, speaks about the club he’s shepherded for over a decade. Arguably, this is partly driven by his lifelong support for the men’s team, yet there is this sense that Ladies are built into his very fabric and vice versa.
As much as he might want it to be the case, the Ladies’ team isn’t officially linked with the side that plays at Hillsborough. The Championship side is managed by German gaffer Danny Rohl and bankrolled (to various degrees) by Thai businessman, Dejphon Chansiri. This fact seems to weigh heavily on Dave’s mind. “We’re the official ladies’ section, but we’re not under the club’s wing. We use their badge, kit, and facilities- but we pay for it all. People don’t realise we’re separate.
An outsider might look at this as a shocking fact and a disappointing reality of non-league women’s football. They would be right. Despite not taking a penny from the club for his role, Dave is fully immersed in the financial realities of running a club of the magnitude of Wednesday Ladies.
“People assume we’re looked after by Sheffield Wednesday, but we’re self-sufficient. Nobody gives us money except what we generate through player subscriptions. It costs around £40,000 to £50,000 a year to run the club. Kit alone can cost us £15,000 to £20,000 every two years, and pitch fees are about £15,000 annually. And we do it all as volunteers.
“I’ve had meetings with every Sheffield Wednesday chairman in the last 15 years. We’ve always been willing to come under their wing, but the logistics- like who handles payments or subs get in the way.”
Like most women’s clubs in the country, Wednesday Ladies are battling against the elements to try and stay afloat whilst meeting expectations, which are more exorbitant than most in their league. Playing in the North East Regional Women’s Football League (sixth tier) may not be quite what you’d expect for a side who wears the emblem of such a historical Yorkshire football outfit, but Dave has stark ambitions for the future. “Short-term, our goal is to make the National League. But getting there is tough. It’s not just about talent—it’s about money, facilities, and time.”
Talking to me in his living room, Dave’s rather comfortable-looking sofa and busy wallpaper give the impression of him being just an average bloke in an average house- yet there is more than what meets the eye. In the two-up-two-down that is his Sheffield abode resides arguably one of the other most important people in the Sheffield and Hallamshire grassroots scene, his wife, Julie Higgins.
As well as tying the knot of marriage, Dave and Julie are a union that represents the strength of grassroots football for thousands of people in Yorkshire. Along with being a councillor for the Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA for women and girls football, Julie acts as one of the largest cogs in the Wednesday Ladies’ engine- the Club Secretary.
“Without Julie, we’d be absolutely knackered. She’s not just the club secretary; she’s the gaffer. Welfare, pitches, fixtures- she does it all. Everyone in South Yorkshire grassroots football knows Julie Higgins.
Julie’s responsible for about 4,000 players. That’s from under-sevens right through to the four divisions at Sheffield and Hallamshire. She does this with just a small committee.”
The super-team of Dave and Julie Higgins doesn’t have a traditional hero origin story, but a football genesis born out of necessity and a need to save their beloved club…
FOOTBALL FACTIONS
The opportunity to become Sheffield Wednesday Ladies Chairman can’t necessarily be described as a gracious step, more as a move to right an increasingly unstable ship. Over a decade ago, the original Wednesday Ladies first team split from it’s junior sides and the men’s club, trying to assert themselves as an independent side. Not only did this not work, but it became an incredibly complex situation to resolve. At the time, Dave had been involved at the club through his daughter and her junior playing career for the Owls.
“When she was eight years old, she wanted to play football. I’m a Sheffield Wednesday fan—I used to take her to matches. A good friend of mine, Kevin Pressman, who was the goalkeeper back in the old Premiership days, used to get us tickets for the players’ lounge. My daughter grew up around footballers, and by the time she was nine, she decided she wanted to be a footballer herself.”
At Sheffield Rangers, there were only about 20 clubs in South Yorkshire at the time. They used to meet once every three weeks at designated grounds- there was no real structure. That’s how far things have come.”
I started as a parent on the sidelines. By the time my daughter was 14 and joined Sheffield Wednesday Ladies, I got more involved.”
Certainly involved, Dave watched from the sidelines as the breakaway Wednesday Ladies ran up debt. Meanwhile, managing one of the younger sides still a part of the original set up, he was then called into a meeting that would prove pivotal to the future of the club.
“They told us: ‘We want Sheffield Wednesday Ladies, your team, to take on the mantle.’ That was a pivotal moment. We had six or seven junior teams then, and it felt like the foundation for something bigger.
“My wife and I stepped in as vice chairman and vice secretary and then took over as chairman and secretary when the previous leadership retired. It was a huge responsibility, but we’ve never looked back.
“I went from being ‘another body’ helping out with fitness to assistant manager, then manager, and eventually chairman.”
In the years since, It’s not all been a fairytale for his beloved club, as they continue to develop and face adversity. Recent exponential growth in women’s football, partly due to the success of the Lionesses’ and their Euros victory in 2022, has given the national setup a boost and drawn eyes to what will surely be a burgeoning industry over the coming decades. “Women’s football has come so far in 20 years. It’s gone from girls finding a group of mates to play with to players aiming for the Super League. The opportunities now are unbelievable.”
For now though, there is money, but virtually none below the Women’s National League setup (tier four).
“Money is the biggest factor. Why shouldn’t women’s football get more support from the FA, Sky, or even the men’s game? It’s like a dam with a tiny hole, and by the time money trickles down to grassroots, there’s nothing left.”
Where the club lacks money, they are overflowing with heart and soul. One of the more salient points of passion from Dave was the fact that the club offers opportunities to women and girls at all ages. With a ginormous smile on his face after a sip from his mug of hot beverage, Dave walked me through what could be described as his bottom-line for the club.
“We’ve got something special here. We don’t just talk the talk- we walk the walk. From pathways for players to inclusivity for fans, we’re building something that matters.
“We pride ourselves on having a genuine pathway. Players go from under-eights to the first team. Our 16-year-old goalkeeper Skye, for instance, has already been player of the match for the first team.”
The player he’s referring to, Skye Webster, is a product of the Sheffield Wednesday Ladies youth system. She made her debut for the first team in the 2023/24 season against Brunsmeer Athletic after stepping up from the under-eighteens, which has led to a consistent spot playing for the seniors.
Promotion was won last season under manager Kieron Lee, who departed the club shortly after. Just as is the case with the history of the club, recent times have been a rollercoaster in their newly entered league. On the 2024/25 season, Dave is optimistic: “This season we’re mid-table, comfortably looking upwards rather than downwards. For us, success was simply staying up, and we’ve achieved that.
“We’re hoping to expand to 13 or 14 teams with a new development squad. The club is going from strength to strength.”
It became fairly obvious that Dave had an anthology of stories from his time at the helm of Wednesday Ladies. So what I’m saying is- Mundial, GOAL or BBC Sports where are are you? It felt as though I’d only scratched the surface of a man who is not only at the heart of Sheffield Wednesday but is also a central pillar in the machine that is South Yorkshire grassroots football.
The idea of there one day being a Steel City Derby in the women’s game is a tantalising one, but one that may still be a way off if we’re talking a league fixture. However, with the way that the club is being guided, I’d still mark your calendar.
Viva la Wednesday Ladies!
