Wigan Athletic F.C. facts for kids
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Full name | Wigan Athletic Football Club | |||
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Nickname(s) | Latics, Tics | |||
Founded | 1932 | |||
Ground | Brick Community Stadium | |||
Capacity | 25,138 | |||
Owner | Mike Danson | |||
Chairman | Ben Goodburn | |||
Head coach | Ryan Lowe | |||
League | Championship | |||
2018–19 | Championship, 18th of 24 | |||
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Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football team from Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. They are often called the "Latics" or "Tics." The team plays in EFL League One, which is the third level of football in England.
The club was started in 1932. Since 1999, they have played their home games at the Brick Community Stadium, which can hold 25,138 fans. Before that, they played at Springfield Park. Wigan Athletic's team colours are blue and white stripes, but they have also worn all-blue shirts many times throughout their history. Their main rival is Bolton Wanderers.
Wigan Athletic has won many league titles and cups over the years. They won the FA Cup in 2013, which was a huge achievement, beating Manchester City in the final! This win also allowed them to play in the UEFA Europa League for the first time.
Contents
History of Wigan Athletic
Early Days: 1932–1978
Wigan Athletic was formed in 1932. This happened after the previous football club in the town, Wigan Borough, closed down. People in Wigan really wanted a football team, so they worked hard to create Wigan Athletic. They bought Springfield Park, the old stadium, for £2,850.
Wigan Athletic joined the Cheshire County League in 1932. On August 27, 1932, they played their first league game against Port Vale Reserves. The team wore red and white shirts with black shorts back then.
The club quickly found success, winning their first league title in the 1933–34 season. They won the Cheshire League again in the next two seasons. In 1935, they played in the FA Cup for the first time and beat Carlisle United 6–1, which was a record win for a non-League team against a League team.
After World War II, Wigan Athletic changed their colours to the blue and white they wear today. They joined the Lancashire Combination league and won it in their first season there. In 1950, they almost joined the Football League but just missed out.
In 1954, Wigan played an FA Cup match against Hereford United in front of a record crowd of 27,526 fans. This was the biggest crowd ever for a game between two non-League teams at a non-League stadium. They even drew 2–2 with top-tier team Newcastle United in the next round, but lost the replay.
In 1968, Wigan Athletic became a founding member of the Northern Premier League. They won this league in 1971. In 1973, they played at Wembley Stadium for the first time in the 1973 FA Trophy final, but lost to Scarborough. After trying for 34 years, Wigan Athletic was finally voted into the Football League in 1978.
Joining the Football League: 1978–1995
In 1978, Wigan Athletic finished second in the Northern Premier League. Because the winners, Boston United, did not have a stadium that met the Football League's rules, Wigan Athletic was chosen to try and join. At that time, a team had to be voted into the Football League. Southport, a team in the lowest division, was voted out, and Wigan Athletic took their place on June 2, 1978.
In their first season in the Football League, Wigan Athletic finished sixth, just missing out on promotion. They were promoted to the third division in 1981–82 under manager Larry Lloyd. This started a 10-year period in the third tier of English football.
Wigan Athletic won their first major trophy as a Football League club in 1985, the Freight Rover Trophy. In the 1985–86 season, they finished fourth in the league, which was their highest position at the time. The next season, 1986–87, they finished fourth again and got to play in the new play-off system for promotion, but they lost in the semi-finals.
After these strong seasons, Wigan Athletic spent several years in the middle of the table. In 1992–93, they were relegated for the first time in their Football League history, dropping back to the fourth tier. In 1995, their average attendance for home games was only 1,845 fans, the lowest ever for the club in the League.
Rising Through the Ranks: 1995–2005
In February 1995, Dave Whelan, a local millionaire and owner of JJB Sports, bought the club. He had big plans to take Wigan Athletic all the way to the Premier League. He brought in three Spanish players – Roberto Martínez, Isidro Díaz, and Jesus Seba – who became known as the "Three Amigos."
In the 1996–97 season, Wigan Athletic became champions of Division Three. They won the Football League Trophy again in 1999, beating Millwall 1–0 at Wembley. They also reached the Division Two play-offs but lost to Manchester City.
In 2001, former Wigan player Paul Jewell became manager. His second season, 2002–03, was very successful. Wigan Athletic won the Division Two championship with 100 points, losing only four games all season. This meant they were promoted to the second tier of English football for the first time ever!
In the 2004–05 season, Wigan Athletic continued their amazing rise. They stayed unbeaten for the first 17 games. On the very last day of the season, they needed at least a draw against Reading to get the last automatic promotion spot. They won 3–1 at the JJB Stadium, earning promotion to the top division of English football, the Premier League, for the first time in their 73-year history!
Premier League Years and FA Cup Glory: 2005–2013
Wigan Athletic's first Premier League game was a sold-out match against champions Chelsea at the JJB Stadium. They lost 1–0 after a late goal. However, Wigan had a great start to the season and were second in the league by November. They also reached their first major cup final, the League Cup final in 2006, but lost 4–0 to Manchester United. Wigan Athletic finished their first Premier League season in 10th place, which is still their highest league finish ever.
The next few seasons were tough, but Wigan managed to stay in the Premier League. In 2007, Steve Bruce returned as manager and helped the club avoid relegation. In 2009, Roberto Martínez, a former Wigan player, became manager. Under him, Wigan had some memorable wins against top teams like Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal.
In 2013, Wigan Athletic made history by reaching the FA Cup final for the first time. In the final at Wembley Stadium, Wigan beat Manchester City 1–0 with a goal from Ben Watson in injury time! This was Wigan's first ever major trophy.

However, just three days later, Wigan Athletic lost to Arsenal and were relegated from the Premier League. They became the first team to win the FA Cup and be relegated in the same season. The FA Cup win did mean they got to play in the UEFA Europa League group stage the following season.
Changes and Challenges: 2013–2018
After Roberto Martínez left for Everton, Owen Coyle became the new manager. Wigan played in the 2013 FA Community Shield but lost to Manchester United. Coyle left later that year, and Uwe Rösler took over. Wigan was knocked out of the Europa League group stage in December 2013. In 2014, they reached the FA Cup semi-finals again, beating Manchester City, but lost to Arsenal on penalties.
In 2015, Dave Whelan stepped down as chairman, and his grandson David Sharpe took over. The team was relegated to League One. However, under new manager Gary Caldwell, Wigan quickly bounced back. They won the League One title in the 2015–16 season, with Will Grigg scoring 25 goals.

After a tough season, Wigan was relegated back to League One in 2017. Paul Cook became manager in June 2017. In the 2017–18 season, Wigan won the League One title again, earning promotion back to the Championship. They also beat Manchester City in the FA Cup for a second time in 2018! At the end of that season, the Whelan family sold the club after 23 years of ownership.
Recent Times: Since 2020
In July 2020, the club faced serious financial problems and went into "administration." This meant they were given a 12-point deduction, which caused them to be relegated from the Championship. Many people, including local politicians and fans, called for an investigation into what happened.
Wigan supporters started a fundraising effort to help save the club, raising a lot of money. By March 2021, a new group of owners, Phoenix 2021 Ltd, led by Bahraini businessmen, took over the club.
In the 2021–22 season, Wigan Athletic won the League One title for the fourth time, getting promoted back to the Championship. However, in March 2023, the club faced more financial issues and was docked three points for not paying players. They were relegated from the Championship again at the end of the 2022–23 season.
In May 2023, Wigan was given two more points deductions, meaning they started the 2023–24 League One season with minus eight points. On June 14, 2023, Mike Danson, a billionaire from Wigan, bought the club and immediately paid all the money owed.
Stadium

Wigan Athletic plays its home games at The Brick Community Stadium. This stadium can hold 25,138 people and is part of the Robin Park area in Wigan. Wigan Athletic owns the stadium, but they also let the rugby league team Wigan Warriors use it. The stadium cost £30 million to build.
Before this stadium, Wigan Athletic played at Springfield Park. That stadium was taken down in 1999, and houses were built there instead. The biggest crowd ever at The Brick Community Stadium for a Wigan Athletic game was 25,133 fans, for a match against Manchester United in May 2008.
The stadium was first called the JJB Stadium because of a sponsorship deal. In 2009, it was renamed The DW Stadium after chairman Dave Whelan's sports company, DW Sports Fitness. For European games, it was sometimes called The Wigan Athletic Stadium. Since May 13, 2024, the stadium has been called The Brick Community Stadium. This name comes from a local charity called The Brick, which helps people in need. This name will be used until the end of 2025 while the club looks for a new long-term sponsor.
Supporters
The Wigan Athletic Official Supporters Club is a group run by volunteers for fans of the team. They meet before home games in the South Stand Bar.
The most enthusiastic Wigan Athletic fans usually sit in the East Stand of The Brick Community Stadium. This stand can hold over 8,000 fans. The South Stand is known as the family stand.
Fans often sing "You Are My Sunshine" at games. Other popular songs that Wigan supporters have changed to fit the club include "I'm a Believer", the Hokey cokey, "We Built This City", and "Gold".
There is also an unofficial fan magazine called The Mudhutter, which comes out several times during the season.
The club has reminded fans about safety rules, especially regarding things like smoke bombs, which are not allowed at matches. It's important for everyone to follow the rules to keep games safe and fun.
Wigan fans often travel in large numbers to away games. In 2013, they sold out all 25,000 tickets for the FA Cup final and 20,000 tickets for the FA Cup semi-final.
On Boxing Day, many fans like to dress up in funny costumes for Wigan Athletic's away matches. They are sometimes called the 'Banana Army'.
The club has a Fan Advisory Board (FAB) where supporters can share their ideas and concerns. This board meets regularly to discuss issues important to the fans.
Mascot
In August 2019, Wigan Athletic introduced a new mascot: a giant pie named Crusty! The idea for Crusty came from a competition where over 90 primary schools submitted their ideas, and many of them suggested a pie.
Rivalries
Since joining the Football League in 1978, Wigan Athletic has developed rivalries with other teams. Their biggest rival is Bolton Wanderers.
Wigan also has local rivalries with teams like Blackburn Rovers, Oldham Athletic, Blackpool, and Rochdale.
A long-standing, but less common, rivalry is with Chorley. These two clubs haven't played a league game against each other since 1971. The last time they played was in the FA Cup in 2020, when Chorley beat Wigan 3–2.
European Football Experience
Wigan Athletic's FA Cup victory in 2013 meant they qualified for European football for the first and only time in their history. They earned a spot in the group stage of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.
Season | Competition | Round | Opponents | Home | Away | Group position |
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2013–14 | UEFA Europa League | Group stage | ![]() |
3–1 | 1–2 | 4th |
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1–1 | 0–1 | ||||
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1–2 | 0–0 |
Club Information
Current Players
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Club Officials
- Owner: Mike Danson
- Chairman: Ben Goodburn
- Head Coach: Ryan Lowe
- Assistant Head Coach: Glenn Whelan
- Club Ambassador: Graham Barrow
Club Records

- Highest League Position: 10th in the Premier League (2005–06)
- Biggest League Win: 8–0 against Hull City (Championship, July 14, 2020)
- Record Attendance at The Brick Community Stadium: 25,133 vs Manchester United (Premier League, May 11, 2008)
- Record Attendance at Springfield Park: 27,526 vs Hereford United F.C. (FA Cup, 1953)
- Most League Appearances: 317 by Kevin Langley (1981–1986, 1990–1994)
- Most League Goals Scored (Total): 70 by Andy Liddell (1998–2003)
- Most League Goals Scored (Season): 31 by Graeme Jones (1996–97)
- Record Player Sale: £15 million for Antonio Valencia to Manchester United (June 2009)
Honours and Trophies
Wigan Athletic has won many titles and cups throughout its history:
League Titles
- Championship (Second Tier)
- Runners-up: 2004–05
- Second Division / League One (Third Tier)
- Champions: 2002–03, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2021–22
- Fourth Division / Third Division (Fourth Tier)
- Champions: 1996–97
- Northern Premier League
- Champions: 1970–71, 1974–75
- Lancashire Combination
- Champions: 1947–48, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54
- Cheshire League
- Champions: 1933–34, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1964–65
Cup Wins
- FA Cup
- Winners: 2012–13
- League Cup
- Runners-up: 2005–06
- Associate Members' Cup / Football League Trophy
- Winners: 1984–85, 1998–99
- FA Trophy
- Runners-up: 1972–73
See also
In Spanish: Wigan Athletic Football Club para niños