As I am probably not alone in this, I’ve had a lot of downtime recently and it’s made me think. Of course, that’s not always a good thing, and eventually when this quarantine is over, I hope I still have my sanity. But, one thing that I have been thinking about is what make’s Sheffield Untied so special.
What sets Sheffield apart, what really makes Sheffield special, is the small town feel the whole club has to it. At one point, Sheffield was a powerhouse in soccer, with a booming economy in Sheffield backing it up. But as the wealth spread out, and demand changed and the wealthy clubs along with it.
With that came tough time for the blades, but since 2016, a lot has changed. Billy Sharp, a local boy who’s support Sheffield since the was a kid, was the top goal scorer for the club. A true dream come true for him. With the hiring of Chris Wilder, a former player for Sheffield among other teams and also childhood fan of the club, Sharp was appointed Captain of the club. With this, they started to assemble a team that the city could really get behind.
Looking up and down the roster, there are 21 players from the United Kingdom. Major players for the club including George Baldock, Dean Henderson, Oliver Mcburnie, and of course many more, airing from England specifically. The home grown club is inspiring, and their success is contagious.
Under Wilder’s management and Sharp’s play, the club was able to gain two promotions in just three years. The club won League One, and finished second in the Championship League. The home grown club was moving up and playing on England’s biggest stage.
The team means so much to the city. The fan’s are passionate and supportive, always rocking Bramall Field. In an interview with Baldock for Sheffield United’s website, he talked about the fans presence, “The United fans are so passionate, so loud, home and away they are different class and to be able to get them back to where the club belongs is the most important thing and long may it continue.” It’s always nice to hear a player talk so highly of his club and his supporters.
But the club isn’t just important to the players, stories of the fan’s passion are often. Baldock added a story from a previous year in the interview, “It’s been a great journey, when we got promoted to the Premier League, we were in a local bar as a team and we had fans coming up to us almost in tears, grown men saying with the amount of heartache they’ve had to endure over the years and to be back in the top-flight is something really special.”
Little minow clubs like Sheffield in a big pond like the Premier league are special. The fan’s are different then the rest and the passion attaches deeper to the soul. It’s unlike any other sport where small clubs can face, and beat multibillion dollar clubs. The aspect of promotions and relegations enhances the game dramatically and it allows for teams like Sheffield to hope. Hope that maybe one day, they’ll be top of the table.
Sam's Blog 