Why is Sheffield Wednesday called Wednesday? Name explained, why did club lose points - takeover rumours

Sheffield Wednesday are a club steeped in history. But origins of this team lie in a different sport - cricket.

In 1820, six tradesmen in Sheffield found themselves in the fortunate position of working half-days on a Wednesday. They wanted to fill their spare time with some sport, and first up was cricket. The Wednesday Cricket Club was born.

So where does football come in? During the winter months conditions weren’t ideal for cricket, so the team took up playing football as a way to keep their fitness up, of course sticking to their preferred day of the week, Wednesday.

Eventually, The Wednesday Football Club played their first match in 1867 and went from strength to strength. The team adopted their current name Sheffield Wednesday in 1929 - just 62 years, or approximately 3,236 Wednesdays after their first appearance.

The club nowadays is struggling after filing for administration. The EFL recently confirmed that Sheffield Wednesday have been deducted 12 points after filing for administration.

The notice to enter administration was filed at 10.01am on Friday at a specialist companies court. The EFL had previously charged the club with multiple breaches of regulations after they failed to pay players' wages on time.

The club's financial issues under former owner Dejphon Chansiri have been well-documented, with reports that a winding-up order from HMRC was imminent. Now, a notice to appoint an administrator has been filed at the Insolvency and Companies Court, which is a specialist court within the High Court.

Wednesday are understood to owe in the region of £1m to HMRC in unpaid tax. This is believed to be the catalyst for finally applying for administration.

The race to buy the Owls has been hotting up over the past few weeks. Ahead of Friday's deadline, The i Paper reported that former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley and US billionaire John McEvoy were set to be among those who made formal offers for the Owls, but a Middle Eastern group are believed to have pulled out of the running after being put off by the expected competitiveness of the takeover process, as well as the high costs it would take the run the club over the coming years.

It is unclear exactly how many parties have made official bids, but it seems that a number of offers have been lodged with the club's administrators. A preferred bidder is expected to be chosen by Friday 5th December.