Wayne Devaney | 1962-2026

17th July 2026

It was with great sadness that, earlier this week, one of the unsung heroes behind the scenes at Molineux on matchdays, Wayne Devaney, passed away at the age of 63.

Wayne was a longstanding figure in the club’s Worldwide Wolves network who tragically died after being struck by a vehicle near the stadium on Monday.

Although never an official volunteer at Wolves, Wayne – who worked full-time as a caretaker at the University of Wolverhampton after spending almost 30 years at Goodyear – unofficially became the face of the Worldwide Wolves Lounge on matchdays and was incredibly active with international supporters online, having been a big part of the Berlin Wolves supporter group.

A familiar face to fans from all over the world, Wayne built countless relationships in the name of Wolves over the years, as he would take photos, greet former players, liaise with supporters and offer advice and help to the club’s international fans when they came to watch matches at Molineux.

He was also hugely influential in the Field of Dreams games which took place every season on the hallowed turf and won the Worldwide Wolves ‘Chairperson of the Year’ award on numerous occasions.

Todd Newton, senior marketing manager at Wolves, became good friends with Wayne through Worldwide Wolves, and in tribute said: “We were all just completely shocked and saddened when the news broke about Wayne’s death.

“He was the friendliest person you could meet. He was one of those people you feel like you knew really well, even after just five minutes of speaking with them. From the moment I first met him, he was really welcoming, really warm, but he was like that with everybody he met. He genuinely cared about other people and was just a really good bloke.

“He’s been involved in the Worldwide Wolves Lounge ever since it was set up. Wayne would always be the first person in on a matchday and would be taking photographs whenever there were new supporter clubs in, or international fans we’ve not seeing for a while.

“He was the guy that would welcome everyone, take all the photos, and would be really active on social media and in the Worldwide Wolves Facebook group. As that community got bigger and bigger, he would greet all the former players who came to the lounge on a matchday, he would be talking to the barman, talking to staff, and just working the room – he was practically the face of the lounge – but he would then just go and watch the match from his seat in the Billy Wright Stand.

Wayne, right, pictured with Todd Newton at the 2026 Worldwide Wolves Field of Dreams match at Molineux in May.

“The number of messages that I’ve had from like fans all over the world since they found out about what happened has been overwhelming because everyone is completely devastated. He was the heartbeat of Worldwide Wolves.

“He would sometimes come with his daughter Sylvie and his wife Sharon, but he was never paid or employed by the football club to do what he did, he would do it because he wanted to do it and he genuinely cared about the community and the club. He was a selfless, lovely person. He would give up a lot of time for Wolves, even outside the lounge, because the friends he made through the club meant everything to him, and he meant everything to Worldwide Wolves too.”

Wayne will be fondly remembered by all who knew him and will always be part of the pack. Everyone at the club and all involved in Worldwide Wolves would like to pass on their condolences to Wayne’s wife, Sharon, and all his family and friends.

Related News