Update to OWASC Members

As we head into the First Round of the FA Cup this weekend, we would like to provide an update to all Supporters’ Club members on what has been a busy start to the season.

Positive Work for our Club and Community

In readiness for the first home game, we invested in audio-visual equipment for the South Stand Bar that is used on WAFC home matchdays for guest interviews and announcements. We have plans to invest further in this going forward. We are also now able to produce team sheets at home games in the South Stand Bar for fans who require these. The technical equipment is stored in-between games to ensure that our investment of membership funds is kept is good working order.

We have once again put our support into our club with the sponsorship of two first team players. Reggie Walsh and Charlie Gray were pulled out of the hat for the Supporters Club at the Player Sponsor Draw. Both players will be coming along to meet members later this season, and all benefits of the player sponsorship package e.g. signed balls, hospitality match tickets, are passed on to members through our draws and raffles.

The Supporters Club have had two season tickets in the Tomaco Lounge now for over ten years, and at every home game, one lucky member enjoys the hospitality experience, through our matchday raffle.

We continue to support Latics Women in their ambition to move up the footballing tiers each season. We are sponsoring Captain Abbie Moore and Hannah Forster, and in October we supported the girls to travel to Penrith for one of the longest away trips in their league history so far.

Our Charity of the Season is Derian House, which is a local charity that does so much for bereaved families in our area. After the very sad loss of young Tics fan Tilly Worthington, we wanted to support the charity in her honour. We have sponsored a Christmas Tree for Tilly in the Derian House “Lights of Love Trees 2026” on behalf of our members.

In October we linked up with the fantastic initiative “Laticafe” to provide a coach to take the group to Blackpool for an illuminations and chippy tea trip. Laticafe is a vital resource for Latics fans to connect and enjoy social interactions every week. Some members are vulnerable or socially isolated, and it is a great opportunity to boost positive mental health and enjoy a chat about all things WAFC!

For the Huddersfield game we funded the travel to take Crusty’s Crew to the Accu Stadium, where the young fans enjoyed a fun-packed away experience thanks to Diane Winnard and her team who arranged free match tickets and pre-match activities.

Our Supporters’ Club Secretary Adam Conroy is also the editor of the Wigan Athletic Heritage Programme, which is now in its second year of publication and is a sell-out every game. All proceeds from the programme go directly back into the work of the WAFC Heritage Project, developing the museum, and the heritage website.

 

Committee Member Adam Pendlebury sits on the EFL Network of the Football Supporters Association (FSA) and is proactive in ensuring that the voice of EFL Clubs is heard, particularly regarding the work of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and the role of Fan Advisory Boards at Football Clubs. We were delighted that WAFC commissioned the FSA to independently oversee the selection process for the FAB this season at Wigan ensuring that the board is truly representative of the fanbase.

Our Chair Caroline Molyneux continues to volunteer as a Trustee of the Wigan Athletic Community Trust, our own charity that does so much good work in the local community, and we were very proud when they won Charity of the Year at the recent Wigan Business Awards.

And of course, for every home game we provide pre-match entertainment in the South Stand Bar including Player Interviews, Live Music and Quizzes to entertain fans.

Travel to Away Games

So far this season we have taken over 1000 fans to the 8 away matches played. Today we take 3 coaches to Boreham Wood, including an early coach with a stopover at St Albans, a fully VIP coach and an executive option.

We continue to work hard to make our travel prices as competitive and low as we can, to ensure that as many fans as possible can make the trips to watch Latics away.

Communication with the Football Club

A core aim of our organisation is to support the work of the staff at the Football Club, and as such we regularly liaise with Brenda Spencer, our Football Club Chairperson, to find out where that support is needed. Through our work with Brenda, we have been able to assist with the delivery of many activities this season, as detailed above.

 

After a challenging start to the season, concerns have regularly been raised by fans about matters both on and off the pitch, and we continue to voice those concerns to Lucas Danson as often as we can. The information that fans were given at the Fans Forum in September reflects the same information that has been shared with the Supporters Club, to date.

It is still the case that the club remains up for sale, or open to additional investment. We have recently requested more information regarding the valuation placed on the club, and we were informed that there is an openness to discuss any potential structure. However, a suitable buyer/investor has not yet been found.

We have also requested ongoing updates regarding the CEO vacancy at the club. Having someone to steer the club through its current challenges is something that we have stressed is an urgent requirement. We have been advised that the search for a CEO is currently in hand, and that an appointment is expected to be announced within the next few weeks. We have been told that the next steps for the growth of the off-pitch business of Wigan Athletic will be driven by that new incumbent. 

Once the new CEO is appointed, we will make it our priority to meet with them at the earliest opportunity, in order to gain clarity on how they intend to improve revenue at the club, to secure more investment in our team, and to understand how Wigan Athletic fans can support this.

 

Coming up next

As we head towards Christmas, we have lots coming up for members to get involved with.

On 19^th December we are delighted that our Honorary President Roberto Martinez will be joining us in the Supporters Club pre-match. Following his retirement from the Portugal National team after the World Cup this summer, Bobby will meet and greet fans prior to the game.

Our Members Festive Free Pie and Peas fixture will be announced shortly and we will be running our annual chocolate selection box collection, for young people in the borough who may not receive a gift this Christmas.

We currently have a vacancy for an OWASC committee member. So, if think you can volunteer your time to support our club then get in touch.

Today we face Boreham Wood FC in the first round of the FA Cup, and a tie like this reminds us that it was not so long ago that Latics would go into the first round, dreaming of a giant killing victory. We never dreamed that years later we would go on to actually win the Cup!

No matter what happens at Wigan, the fans are the ones who remain. We have faced many challenges over the years, and we are always a stronger force when we work together.

Up the FA Cup Tics