Challenge cup.

True, Leeds have done something remarkable, no taking it away but my point is, Wigan is synonymous with Rugby League in the minds of British people outside the heartland.

We have a 50 year lease until 2059, the only way we could leave is if we were given 25million to build a new stadium, in 50 uears time this stadium will be past its life anyway




The difference for us is we are competing at the top of our sport, latics are an embarrassment to the town, the dregs of the premier league

Despite the best efforts of DW Wigan remains firmly a Rugby League Town!
Even the attraction of Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool & Chelsea can't break WRLFCs grip on the hearts and minds of the Wigan public.

At some point, as in Hull, the universe will return to it's normal state and Wigan Athletic will slip back down the league structure. When that happens the DW Stadium will rely on the Warriors popularity to remain solvent as an SMC.

I agree with the poster who says that the PL is unsustainable in the long term and without the billionaires bailing them out they would be struggling already. There's a limited number of trillionaires (if any) so the escalating cost of participation in the premier league will eventually cause an implosion.

Quote ="Moomin"orly? www.tribalfootball.com/wigan-cha ... lub-251525'" Whats said and whats actually done are 2 different things. Latics are losing barrow loads of dosh. Mr Whelan isn't really known for his altruistic nature, especially when it comes to money. So work this supposed move out for yourself.

Quote ="Moomin"orly? www.tribalfootball.com/wigan-cha ... lub-251525'" Whats said and whats actually done are 2 different things. Latics are losing barrow loads of dosh. Mr Whelan isn't really known for his altruistic nature, especially when it comes to money. So work this supposed move out for yourself.

You asked in this last 10 years and the CC was within the last 10 years. Not sure what they teach over there but 2002 would make it within the last 10 years as you asked. Whats with this bitterness anyway??? You seriously want rid of Wigan then? Regardless of success Wigan is still one of the biggest names in rugby league and are still one of the best supported teams.

To go right back to the start of this thread and the original link to the article based on (presumably) a press release (see original link on page one), I'm surprised that so far no-one seems to have read this very pertinent bit in the first few paragraphs... Quote The pitch at the DW has been badly affected this winter by the treacherous weather conditions that were confounded when the undersoil heating system broke and left the stadium looking like a quagmire. Following the visit of Everton to the DW Stadium on 30th January an official complaint was received by the Premier League over the state of the pitch and subsequently it was re-laid at the end of February, this being the earliest opportunity. There is quite a bit of publicity surrounding the playing surface at the DW Stadium and the media tend to put this down to both football and rugby being played there at the same time but it isn`t quite that simple. In the time between July 25th 2009 and 5th February 2010 Wigan Warriors played just 3 games at the DW Stadium with the last game being 20th September 2009, hardly a hammering of the pitch by any stretch of the imagination. Read more: www.wigan.vitalfootball.co.uk/ar ... z0xKVxgzGK'" In other words, and to summarise succinctly, the state of the pitch has buggar-all to do with Wigan Warriors.

To go right back to the start of this thread and the original link to the article based on (presumably) a press release (see original link on page one), I'm surprised that so far no-one seems to have read this very pertinent bit in the first few paragraphs... Quote The pitch at the DW has been badly affected this winter by the treacherous weather conditions that were confounded when the undersoil heating system broke and left the stadium looking like a quagmire. Following the visit of Everton to the DW Stadium on 30th January an official complaint was received by the Premier League over the state of the pitch and subsequently it was re-laid at the end of February, this being the earliest opportunity. There is quite a bit of publicity surrounding the playing surface at the DW Stadium and the media tend to put this down to both football and rugby being played there at the same time but it isn`t quite that simple. In the time between July 25th 2009 and 5th February 2010 Wigan Warriors played just 3 games at the DW Stadium with the last game being 20th September 2009, hardly a hammering of the pitch by any stretch of the imagination. Read more: www.wigan.vitalfootball.co.uk/ar ... z0xKVxgzGK'" In other words, and to summarise succinctly, the state of the pitch has buggar-all to do with Wigan Warriors.

Eventually Mo & Rons Ball game, at the top level will change in Europe and it's not so far away.

Why do SKY put so much emphasis on the Euro competitions?

Why did they bend over backwards to get the rights?

Euro Soccer league is just around the corner

Take the top teams from the countries involved as a televisual spectacle and away you go. Global/European companies queueing for the advertising space which is what Sky are after and don't think that the EU or any other government will stop them esp if it has a right wing bias!!!

There are no clubs in SL whose ground will be involved in the Euro league and the ONLY time there might be a "problem" ( which I doubt) is using Old Trafford for the SLGF!

The "premier" league will eventually become a secondary competition to the Euro League.

It will happen.

[uLatics v Blackpool[/u

Attendance: 16,152 (Blackpool Fans 4,500) = 11,600 Home Fans



[uLatics v Chelsea[/u

Attendance: 14,476 (Chelsea Fans 3,500) = 11,000 Home Fans


Turning Blue my ar$e...........

You are either stupid or have a really poor memory.
You said, in the last 10 years,
first of all as it was the last 10 years, i'd include 2000 when we won the league.
'9 years ago' would still be within the 10 you stated.
not clutching straws, just proving a clearly bitter 'fan' wrong.

As much as I see where you are coming from

the way the latics are currently playing they wont remain in the Prem so shoulddn't be a problem for the Pies.



As far as I aware the Wire do own the ground albeit on a 100 year lease. Not sure who owns the lease whether it be Warrington RLFC or the sports holding company.

cant wait to see latics relegated.

PL soccer clubs are so arrogant.

Latics supporters may well say the same about Wigan RL, no relegation in SL though.

Latics and Warriors fans seem to have some odd dislike for each others teams

Strange being from the same town you would think it would be good for Wigan to have two successful sporting clubs.

Why would latics say the same, when we've just won the league? and they're probabaly going to finish bottom 3 this season.
not being from Wigan i sort of understand it but in other ways don't, i wouldn't exactly call latics successful either

Too many association clubs make too much money from using their grounds for other sports, especially GFs and the like. Even Birmingham City would struggle with the loss of revenue (from concerts, which must be worse for the pitch).

In a time when Prem clubs are going bust, I don't see them accepting a loss in revenue.

(As to the specific case of Hull FC, there are more FC fans in Hull than Tigers fans and the ground is owned by the council, not the Tigers. The council is more likely to block the Association club from the Prem than FC from the SLeague).

we have nothing to worry about then

You may have misunderstood my comment. I suppose Latics may class being in the Premiership a success. I don't know why there is ill feeling between the 2 sets of supporters, I am not saying all of course. Maybe a born and bred Wigan RL or Latics fan could enlighten us.

I have friends/work colleagues that are warriors and Latics fans and when talking about the other team they are very critical and this critiscism was there well before Latics were in the Prem.

You only have to read wigan RL and Latics fans forums to get the feeling of mutual dislike when the other team is being discussed.

latics are a pretend side who without their owners millions would be in Division 3 and have minimal fans from wigan

wigan warriors are what the good people of wigan support

Latics are a dave wheelan heart attack away from playing before crowds of hundreds

Reading the respective fans forums over the last couple of seasons this would also seem to be case regards Hull City and Hull FC who share the KC stadium.

However, for the time being at least, the chances of the Tigers regaining PL status seems quite remote.

On reflection it appears Hull FC also have a dislike towards their neighbours Hull KR....so at least they appear consistent.

Jesus you all live in fairy land.

Much as I love league it is a small regional sport that cowers in front of the juggernaut of the premier league.

Premier league clubs turn over 100s of millions, attract big crowds to towns and are regularly on tv. League clubs - 4 million turn over max? Watched on tv by people living up north?


Get real. If its premier league or rugby league there can only be one winner.


This talk of premier league going pop is crazy too. Too many people have too much money invested in it to allow that to happen. I work for a premier league club - believe me its only gonna get bigger.

There may be some clubs looking for new stadia but, as we have seen, don't worry about it. Stadia are completely irrelevant when it comes to licences, it just depends on whether the face fits and you can't do much about that

Im sure thats what people at Pompey thought. Far short of you being a Chairman or a Chief Executive then I dont believe you thats its only going to get bigger. The money and wages arent sustainable long term, thats shown by the amount of teams going into administration. Its just a joke how they always get away with it.



Hardly, leases are contracts, (I know that means nothing in the soccer world but they count in the real world). And ours is 50 years, so to get us out of there will cost someone alot of money, so I dont see how we would be a loser in that one.

Do you honestly think we would just have to walk simply because the premier league says we have to. If so then your the one living in fairly land, along with the rest of the arrogant muppets in soccer.

when i was in wigan i couldnt find many actual latics supporters

all the people i talked to were only wigan RL fans.

when you look at the latics crowd average and take away the away support you can see what im getting at

Once the premier league obsession goes, you'll see the average crowds at the Warriors consistantly higher than the soccer. Go back over the years and its only the premier league years which has seen the soccer have higher average crowds. Although quite often this is helped by 4,000+ away fans. Something we are lucky to get twice a year. The average away crowd for us must be around 1,000

Bondi, you really are a sad misguided league fan living in a bubble.

You question whether premier league will get bigger.

Here's your answer. Look at where the premier league teams go on pre season tour, (excluding this world cup year). All are territories without a premier league tv deal of any substance. I know from going on some of these tours you're talking USA, china, africa, middle east, australia and russia.

Imagine tv deals for the premier league in just the USA and then the ones the individual clubs can have overseas. Limitless. You put the hours in it happens.

I'm not a "soccer muppet", I just speak from an informed position. As I say, you think the premier league generates money now! Any lease for a ground can be paid up if that's what the premier league wants and the RFL can't compete now or in the future is all I'm saying.

Where did wigan go on pre season tour?

Well said Bondi, the Premier League is starting to get worried. Thats why they're attempting to introduce things like overseas quota's and the "fit & proper person" test, and secretly I think they'd love to be able to introduce a salary cap. It's just in football there are plenty of clubs who will happily take them to court without thinking twice and anything like a salary cap has to be brought in worldwide by FIFA for it to be effective.
Also as you said, the Premier League doesn't own the entire sporting nation, just because they say so doesn't mean its going to happen. For instance at Wigan, the Warriors have a legal agreement that cant just be ripped up which Im sure is the same at other multi-use stadia that contain Premier League clubs.

They aren't going to go through the mess and extremely high cost of kicking other sports clubs out, simply to stop the pitch getting messed up a couple of games per season. Especially as most of the time its the football club at fault for playing too many games anyway.