A hidden Sheffield Wednesday project has quietly emerged this summer | OneFootball

The early stages of the Arise era at Sheffield Wednesday are being filmed by an independent crew

Sheffield Wednesday are heading into the 2026/27 campaign with plenty of newfound optimism under the new Arise ownership.

David Storch and co have only been officially in the building for a little over two months, but they've put down plenty of groundwork at Hillsborough, and the future looks unrecognisable from what it was just 12 months ago.

The final few months of the Dejphon Chansiri reign were difficult to endure for Wednesday fans. The club's demise gained mainstream attention from fans across the football pyramid, and Owls supporters were backed by other clubs when organising boycots at the beginning of last season.

Therefore, it wasn't just those connected with Sheffield Wednesday who were happy to see Chansiri relinquish control and new owners come in; fans across the country were glad to see them close to being back on their feet, too.

And, given their situation as a sleeping giant, there's plenty of intrigue to see how Wednesday do back in League One under fresh direction.

Early days of new Sheffield Wednesday era being filmed by a documentary crew

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The intrigue to see Sheffield Wednesday reborn under new ownership is easily shared by those who work in TV and fans alike.

According to the Sheffield Star, alongside the club's media, an independent film crew were filming the Owls' recent pre-season trip to St George's Park, capturing behind-the-scenes footage and their friendly defeat against West Brom.

Documentaries following football teams are no longer a novelty, but still offer an interesting way to show fans how a football club is run. 'Welcome to Wrexham' has been renewed until 2029 at least, while the likes of Sunderland, Arsenal, and Manchester City have all had successful documentaries following them.

With how different the Arise ownership seems to be compared to the decade-long reign of Dejphon Chansiri, it will be intriguing to see what's going on off the field to help build the club from the ashes.

The Star does state that no deal with a streaming service has been struck as yet, but among the people involved are major award winners. If no deal is made, it could well be produced on Wednesday's behalf.

Sheffield Wednesday will hope for a storybook campaign under new ownership

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Already, the Arise ownership have built a board with roles that Dejphon Chansiri didn't utilise at all during his 10 years at Hillsborough, such as the new sporting director, Simon Wilson.

Wilson, along with CEO David Bruce and co, have a tough task on their hands to build a squad to compete on the field while also improving and modernising things off-field, too, which would definitely be of interest to sport documentary fans.

With the sheer number of new players arriving throughout the summer and the returning Barry Bannan, too, there are plenty of storylines surrounding Sheffield Wednesday heading into their League One return.

Henrik Pedersen will be hoping that, on the field, the Owls can provide entertainment in front of the cameras, perhaps a little less drama than ideally required and, overall, success at the end of the campaign.

Wednesday are back home to continue their next leg of pre-season, before playing Preston North End this weekend in a behind-closed-doors friendly as preparations ramp up ahead of the EFL Cup first round matchup with Bolton Wanderers at Hillsborough on August 8.