Wigan fans suggest ways to improve atmosphere on matchdays; manager speaks of optimism

Wigan Athletic fans suggest ways to improve the atmosphere on matchdays, something that has been up for debate for many years.

It’s the start of a new season, and the club are on -8 points, so the players will need all the support they can get to push on and get out of the relegation zone of League One.

Nine months ago, Wigan’s then CEO Mal Brannigan, who has since departed, put forwards plans to improve the feel and experience around the ground.

He consulted with the fans group and the supporters in an attempt to boost the noise and feel good factor.

But with the club seeing a number of changes since, and with the season approaching, the atmosphere at Wigan is back on the agenda. Here’s what the Wigan Athletic Official Supporters Club said…

Turn it BLUE & WHITE for a new era at our Football Club!
We are asking all #wafc fans to get behind Shaun and the boys in blue and white for the opening of our 2023-24 campaign!

Lots of ways to get involved in the coming days! https://t.co/abwoWfcYz9

— Official Wigan Athletic Supporters Club (@WiganAthSC) July 30, 2023

STATEMENT:

Turn it Blue and White

Over the past few weeks the Official Supporters Club have been busy preparing for the new season under new owners for the third time in less than 5 years. We have had a record number of members joining us pre-season and with 50% of all membership fees and any coach travel profits being donated to the WAFC Academy we welcome all new members this season.

It has also been an extremely busy time at the Football Club with the new owners assuring us that the first priority has been Shaun and his plans for the new season, as well as lots of hard work behind the scenes to stabilise the business of the football club after very challenging times.

We recently met with Shaun Maloney and Jamie Allen (Head of Media) to share ideas to boost the atmosphere and increase the footfall at home games. Shaun is keen to help with anything that will improve the experience for both fans and players at our games.

The first home game against Northampton on Saturday 12th August will be yet another historic occasion for Wigan Athletic. Back at home for the first time after challenges that we almost didn’t get through. The Official Supporters Club would like to mark the occasion to say thank you to Shaun, the club staff, and of course, our new owner Mike Danson and his team.
We are inviting all fans of Wigan Athletic to TURN IT BLUE & WHITE at the game on 12th August.

The Official Supporters Club have commissioned a special set of blue and white flags to celebrate and say THANK YOU. Three giant waver flags will be in position behind the South Stand goal every home game, waved as the team enters the pitch pre-match and after half time. These flags have been produced by the club design team at Outwork Studio and images of the flags are available for fans to TURN IT BLUE & WHITE on their social media profiles in the run up to the first home game.

In addition, Shaun was keen to remember the legends of Wigan Athletic who have gone before him. We have commissioned a fourth giant “Legends” flag that will be displayed in the seats at every home game. This flag will be revealed on Saturday 12th August. Shaun was not ready to be part of the flag just yet, but hopefully that will come in the future!

With just under two weeks to our first home game, we are asking Wigan Athletic fans to get involved with the campaign. Turn your social media profiles blue and white, use our special edition flag images on your social media, wear colours for the game, invite your friends to come along to the first home game to make some noise for Shaun and the boys.
We will be encouraging local shops and businesses to turn it blue and white, with social media coverage of those that get involved. Get in touch if you think you can help.

The Official Supporters Club works on behalf of fans, club and community and Season 2023-24 is an important one, where we rebuild our Football Club together. In the coming months we will be working with Diane Winnard, the club’s Fan Engagement Officer on a number of exciting projects that will see greater inclusivity and community benefits brought to Wigan Athletic. There will be lots going on for fans to get involved with this season.

The future looks bright, let’s TURN IT BLUE & WHITE!

Visit @WiganAthSC on Twitter or follow Official Wigan Athletic Supporters Club on Facebook to download your social media profile images and look out for updates in the coming days

Latics manager Shaun Maloney says after dark days and fears for the future, having suffered relegation, players and staff going unpaid, a winding-up order, and a transfer embargo, his side can see the light once more.

“A massive relief,” Maloney said, as per the Guardian, on the club being saved. “I was extremely happy that 200 people’s jobs had been saved, basically. The players got paid that night, the taxman was paid and the companies around Wigan were also getting paid for the work they’ve done for us. I was also extremely grateful to Mr Danson and his team, because they had to get through a lot of work in a short period of time. I’ll never forget that day.”

“The summer was extremely difficult, as hard a period of time in football off the pitch as I’ve ever experienced,” Maloney says. “At the start there was the points deduction, players leaving, staff leaving, and that quickly turned to the club actually surviving. It changed from a sporting perspective and what we could build for the following season to: ‘How can we keep this club alive?’

“There was a two- to three-week period where each day there was a big concern we might not be here the following day. That was the hardest part by a distance. It is people’s livelihoods. It was very upsetting and an extremely difficult period. We then had a period where the interim CEO and board had resigned. It became really difficult but there was a group of staff, heads of department, who gathered around and tried our best to gain clarity for somebody taking over.” The Official Wigan Athletic Supporters Club, Lisa Nandy MP, Wigan council and the EFL also worked tirelessly on the takeover.

Maloney gave players the option not to train and play when their wages were not being paid. “Whenever players set foot on a football pitch they are at risk of injury,” he says. “It was up to them whether they wanted to play and train, because I didn’t feel I was in a position to force a player to play when they were not getting paid. I gave them the decision and up until our last game against Rotherham, when we had been relegated before that, there was not one player who said no. I’ll for ever be grateful to every one of them for what they gave me and the club during that period.”

“The EFL have been very fair with us at times but I understand there has to be punishment for the rules we breached,” he says. “We’ll see how the next few weeks go and the appeal over the four points. If we don’t get it overturned we’ll work with what we have. I don’t blame the EFL for this. I arrived in January and from March onwards I really understood the finances of the club and some of the decisions that were made on the financial side. I certainly wouldn’t blame the EFL for anything that has happened in the last three or four months. If anything, they have been really helpful at times.”

Maloney feels about Wigan’s future. “Very,” he replies in a heartbeat. “I’m really optimistic about the next 12 months and the seasons beyond that. Mr Danson has now got full ownership of the rugby [the tech entrepreneur has agreed a deal that will increase his stake in Wigan Warriors to 100% by December] and both teams will collaborate around certain departments. Nothing has been set in stone but there’s a willingness from both parts now we are under the same ownership. We have an elite sporting club sharing the same stadium and town as us so I hope there is collaboration between the two sides, definitely more than there has been.

“I’m really excited about the vision of the club but we have to be very humble because the club has been through so much turmoil. There isn’t going to be any big words or expenditure in the short term; we have to do it our way.” The former Scotland international adds, almost as a throwaway final remark: “It could be pretty special if we get this right.”

Wigan fans suggest ways to improve atmosphere on matchdays…

@NathanSInclai10: They need to stop last season’s decision to suddenly move away fans as far away as possible from the part of the ground that has an atmosphere via netting off large portions of the away stand. The banter between is what creates the atmosphere. Never been needed before since 1999. Also, get rid of the covers at the bottom of the east stand so the atmosphere is closer to the players and pitch.

@jay_tics: The club should look at setting up a junior supporters club again. I was a member of the junior Latics growing up in the 90s and my sister loved JJs club when she was younger in the 00s. We have nothing like that anymore.

@shoveyxxx: In a 25,000 seater stadium we get just over 10,000 in why do we need allocated seats???

@benmartin_95: For as long as there’s 8000 people spread around 20000 seats you may as well not bother

@wigangstarappa: Need winning football. No matter how much support you throw at this idea, if we lose the first three home games, no one will care. Need to remember who gets paid to be there and who pays to be there.

@DanWAFC03: Nice ideas. Do think it’ll provide some improvement, albeit nothing major. Good to see efforts being made. Focus has to be on getting new people through the door. Free tickets in the South Stand, improved fan zones, new initiatives and of course better football should help #wafc

@WorthingtonBaz: I’m old enough to remember the “Larry Lloyd’s Blue ‘n White Army” chant which would go on for an age during games, always got the old place buzzing. Shaun Maloney fits nicely at the start of the chant 👍🔵⚪️

@WAFC_TPC: Decent ale.

@KTics90: You want atmosphere. Close the top and wings of the stands down move everyone in and down closer to the pitch. Open the closed off seats when demand comes for them

@Josh_Beesley03: Free tickets around schools for the South Stand always made a noticeable difference in the games it was offered

@pieatnight_WAFC: Anyone in ES2 that can sort out a massive Italian style TIFO with loads of flares* and that? 🤔 *whilst respecting the law and the terms and conditions of entry to the stadium, obviously. 👀

@Jacko232_: Like the idea of this! But are the club ever going to honour the Leam Richardson Stand naming and properly launch it? Old owners yes, but what he did for our football club, regardless of how it ended, should never be forgotten. #wafc

@mudhutter: Blue and white seats? 👀

@Rob_WAFC: They can start by getting rid of those red seats

@dylannewton1932: Just shut the two sections on the left and right of the south and make everyone sit in the middle right behind the goal

@TicsConnection: What about moving supporters closer to the pitch? Block off the top 4 rows of the stands

@davidnaylor83: I’ve said for a while a fan zone, live music,DJ big screens for early k.o close the top 20 rows of east get fans closer to the pitch. Close the South.