A prominent poker player has been chosen as the preferred person to take over the Sheffield Wednesday soccer club. James Bord has over $4m in live tournament earnings over his career, the highlight being the 2010 WSOPE No Limit Hold’em Championship Event in London that netted him almost $1.3m. His other notable cash was a 4th-place finish in the Big One For One Drop in 2016, which won him $2.3m.
Sheffield Wednesday plays in the second tier of English soccer and entered administration (bankruptcy) in October after the then-owner Dejphon Chansiri struggled to cover debts and losses, which included not paying wages on time and falling in arrears with the tax authorities.
The club received two-point deductions due to these struggles, which have contributed to it being last out of 24 in the league.
runs an AI-driven sports analytics company called Short Circuit Science
In addition to playing poker, James Bord runs an AI-driven sports analytics company called Short Circuit Science. He already has stakes in Scottish side Dunfermline, as well as a Bulgarian and a second-division Spanish club. Bord is reportedly part of a consortium that will take over Sheffield Wednesday.
Supporters have had mixed reactions to the news, as they’d like to know more about the source of the money for the bid and learn about the prospective new owner’s plans for the club.
The bid still needs the green light from the EFL Owners’ and Directors’ Test. Other bidders in the process included David Storch and former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley.
