Wigan Athletic Supporters Project

In 2020 Wigan Athletic Football Club fell into administration, one of the darkest times in the history of the club.

The fundraising efforts of the supporters and friends of Wigan Athletic were incredible, and over £200,000 was raised in just a few days to ensure that the team completed their remaining fixtures in 2019-20. Without these monies, the club would not have survived. The Supporters Club, as custodians of the fund, were able to work with the administrators to ensure that the monies were used for vital expenses to allow the team to continue to play their fixtures.

With a suitable buyer found in March 2021, and sufficient funds being available, the administrators were able to return some of the monies raised, to the Supporters Club.

It was always the mantra of the “Save our Club” campaign, that any monies leftover would be used for the benefit of Wigan Athletic and its community, through working with the Wigan Athletic Community Trust.

After many months of hard work and planning, we are delighted that The Supporters Project is being launched .  Working with partners across the town, we have been able to add value to the supporters monies to develop projects that will change lives in our town. 

Benefitting Wigan people, both young and old, the three projects will be a lasting legacy of the hard work that supporters put in to save Wigan Athletic.  

Tom Flower                                                                Caroline Molyneux

Head of Community                                                  Chairperson

Wigan Athletic Community Trust                               Wigan Athletic Supporters Club 

Project One – Tackling Social Isolation

This project has been run by the Community Trust successfully for the past two years. Providing social visits, check in phone calls and welfare checks on older people in Wigan, this vital project is being extended and developed using the Supporters Project funding.

In additions to committing to it’s continuation for a further two years, the project aims to engage the most socially isolated people in Wigan, with our beloved football team! Providing a buddy scheme for match visits, player visits to homes and social events held at the stadium. The project will reach the most vulnerable people in Wigan and enhance their lives.  

Project Two – Raising Aspirations

The Covid Pandemic has arguably affected our teenage children in the borough the most.   Months with home-schooling, gaps in learning missed and reduced chances for work experience and careers education due to the restrictions of the pandemic. 

This project is our most ambitious and aims to provide high quality work placements of at least one term to the most disadvantaged students in our Wigan schools.  

Working with our partners from business and Wigan Council we have developed a programme, led by a qualified teacher, to allow these children to access vocational qualifications and gain work experience over their final two years at school.  Many of the partners are offering apprenticeships for students that are successful on their placement with them.   

This project has the potential to change lives for the young people of Wigan.  

Project Three – Supporting Grassroots Football

We are offering grants of £1000 to FA affiliated junior football clubs in Wigan.  The aims of this project are to support the next generation of football players in our town but also to nurture the next generation of Wigan Athletic fans! Each successful grant awardee will get the chance to attend a first team match as Team of the Week!  

Junior football teams are the lifeblood of the sport in our country as well as developing healthy lifestyles through participation in sport and promoting good mental health and wellbeing through teamwork. 

These grants will enhance the provision of the successful clubs, supporting the youngest members of the Wigan community to thrive and enjoy football. 

To become a partner and offer your support to the Supporters Project contact chair@wiganathleticsupportersclub.co.uk