How James Bord made his millions as Sheffield Wednesday takeover edges closer | OneFootball

The takeover of Sheffield Wednesday is nearing completion

Sheffield Wednesday are nearing the completion of the takeover of the club led by James Bord.

The consortium led by the American was named as the preferred bidder to purchase the Championship side on 24 December, two months after they went into administration.

Supporters will be keen for this to mark a new era for the Yorkshire outfit, who endured significant financial issues under their previous owner Dejphon Chansiri.

A number of offers were placed to buy Sheffield Wednesday, but Bord’s bid is now just waiting for ratification from the EFL in order to complete his takeover.

Here we look at how the 45-year-old made his money ahead of his purchase of the Owls, which could be ratified in the coming weeks…

How James Bord made his millions

Bord’s career was in Wall Street, working with global bank Citigroup, where he worked as a regular member of staff before he pursued his dreams of competing professionally as a poker player.

The Briton quit his job in his mid-20s after earning an impressive £836,000 as part of his winnings for claiming the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Championship.

The impending Sheffield Wednesday owner opened up on his decision to compete in the event, despite it not being suited to his typical style of play at the the time, claiming that its proximity to his hometown was significant.

"I never thought I would win a bracelet," said Bord, via Casino City Times in 2010.

"Being so close, you just never know when it's going to come again.

"And it's even more special to win it in my hometown. It's just something very special."

In the years since then, he has continued to excel as a poker player, and it has been reported that he has earned a total winnings of $4.3 (£3.2) million.

He has played in high-stakes games across Las Vegas throughout the years, although he is no longer active in the poker scene, with his focus now turned to his investment portfolio that could now include Sheffield Wednesday.

Bord co-founded Short Circuit Science, who have previously worked with Sheffield United with player and coaching recruitment, and who are also involved with Cordoba FC and Dunfermline.

James Bord's Sheffield Wednesday in-tray

Bord will have to oversee the turnaround in finances at Sheffield Wednesday when his consortium completes their purchase of the Championship side.

The Owls are all but guaranteed to suffer relegation to League One this season, which will hurt their books.

If the takeover is completed before 2 February, then decisions may need to be made regarding player sales, with a number of first team stars currently being linked with exits.

The future of the club’s stadium, Hillsborough, will also need to be considered, along with their other piece of infrastructure, such as the training ground.

Henrik Pedersen will also be keen to see some additions made, if possible, with the squad looking quite thin at this stage, with injuries not helping the situation.