Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is to revert back to in-house catering after the contract was outsourced for several years.

Since 2011, Centerplate (formerly Lindley Venue Catering) had been the catering partner of the South Yorkshire club.

The catering services range from the concourses around the Hillsborough stadium to the many executive boxes and hospitality suites within the South Stand area of the ground.

The club’s Chief Operating Officer, Joe Palmer, explained that the catering branch of the business is an important part of the matchday and non-matchday experience offered by Sheffield Wednesday to both supporters and clients alike.

Palmer continued: “Although only the front end product as it were is visible, there is a huge amount of organisation and resource required behind the scenes on a daily basis.

“With this is mind, and after an ongoing period of diligence and customer feedback – particularly at the club`s Steering Group meetings – we have taken the decision to bring the catering back in house.”

By taking the catering back in-house, this will give the club full control of the whole catering operation and will make both commercial and logistical sense.

Palmer also explained that he personally oversaw a very similar process during his time spent at Fc Shakhtar Donetsk, where all parties who had an interest in the club’s catering benefitted in both the long term and the short term.

However, the switch back to in-house catering will not be an instant one and the club has asked for supporters and clients to be patient while the transition takes place.

He concluded: “In the meantime, Sheffield Wednesday wish Centerplate nothing but the best for the future.”

Meanwhile, Gillingham Football are currently contesting a legal case with former caterers Centerplate.

At the time the company pulled out the Gills claimed they were owed a “significant amount of money.”