Sheffield Wednesday FC administrators named a consortium led by a former poker pro as the preferred buyer for the English soccer club.
The group is led by James Bord, an English poker player who cashed for $3.8 million throughout his tournament poker career. His biggest win came in 2010 when he won the World Series of Poker Europe main event and its $1.3 million prize. Three years later, he finished fourth in the €1 million Big One for One Drop Invitational, pocketing $2.3 million.
Sheffield is under administrative management after failing to pay employees on time for five of the last six months and not paying more than $1 million in taxes.
The club was formed in in 1867, making it the second-oldest soccer franchise in England. Additionally, Sheffield Wednesday was one of the founding members of the English Premier League in 1992.
But in the 1999-2000 season, the Owls finished in 19th place out of 20 Premier League clubs. Consequently, the league relegated Sheffield to the English Football League Championship division. Additionally, the recent struggles have the club in last place.
Bord Owns Other Clubs
Bord founded Short Circuit Science consulting firm in 2016 and also owns Scottish soccer club Dunfermline Athletic. In 2024, he was part of a group that acquired a share in the Spanish second-tier team Cordoba and later bought a 25% stake in Bulgarian club Septemvri Sofia.
“I bought Dunfermline because I love the underdog,” Bord told The Athletic earlier in 2025. “The ambition is to bring back some of their history but also to change the atmosphere at the club. Optimism. They are a very passionate fanbase that has suffered enough pain, and we’d like to bring them some joy.”
James Bord at the 2011 NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship
The businessman sees potential in Sheffield and hopes to revive the team, which has never won an English Premier League title. If the club stays on its current course and finishes in the bottom three teams of the Championship division, the league would relegate it to the third tier league, EFL League One.
The EFL has final say, needing to approve Bord, but he is the clear front runner for acquiring the club.
“From a financial perspective, the proposed financial offer from the preferred bidder provides certainty for the club,” joint administrator Paul Stanley noted in a statement about the bidding process. “The consortium we intend to progress with has submitted the strongest overall proposal for the club.
“This includes: A fully funded offer, clear financial assurances to s
upport the club’s trading requirements, a structure that allows all creditor obligations to be dealt with in accordance with EFL rules, meaning no further sporting sanctions are anticipated as part of the transaction.”
Life After Poker
Bord is not the only former professional poker player to own a professional sports team.
Tony Bloom, a former pro poker player who operates the Starlizard sports betting syndicate, owns the EPL club Brighton & Hove Albion. The 55-year-old Englishman also has ownership stakes in some other European clubs as well. He told Card Player in 2011 that it’s important for successful poker players to invest their winnings wisely.
Daniel Negreanu was a part of the group that got the ball rolling for the Vegas Golden Knights when the expansion franchise was first considered in 2016.
