https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2023/11/ ... ark-arena/

https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2023/11/ ... ark-arena/

Hopefully the first of many.

Great news. Let's hope its successful, can't see it not being (attendance wise), I went to The Verve concert at Haigh Hall in 1998 and he was a massive draw back then.

First of many I hope.

Wonder what the capacity will be. Will need to be decent to make a profit.

I can only assume they are installing temporary stands for seating and then a standing area on the covered pitch.

Yes bringing the cash in for the Wire, thanks very much.

He was decent 20 years ago. Pretty much a pub singer these days

Pretty good supporting the Stones at Old Trafford a couple of years back. Local lad on home territory - sounds good to me.

Well he did go straight in at number 2 in the album charts in November 21,not bad for a pub singer.

Class act. Packs out the Echo Arena in Liverpool when he plays there, 9,000 capacity I think. I would expect there'll be over 10,000 on at Wigan for his homecoming concert. Excellent planning by the club to generate some extra revenue. Get the Lathums booked up next (maybe they are the support act for Dickie Ashcroft?)

Joint venture between Wigan and Wire to crush Saints financially, sounds like a cunning plan to me

You do realise we have held a couple of concerts already? We had "The Who" on last year and Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott the year before. We also had Little MIx booked that was unfortunately cancelled due to Covid and more planned.

I’ve found the whole one-upmanship between Wigan fans and rival fans on social media strange when it comes to this event and events at other clubs. Off the top of my head I know Saints, HKR and now Wigan host concerts and financially it will hopefully be a massive winner. At a time when it feels like the game is on its backside, all should be applauded.

I agree but to be fair when the Ashcroft concert was announced some of the comments from Wigan fans on social media were unbelievable. It was as though they were the trailblazers and no one else had ever done it. Thats what annoyed a lot of Saints fans.

And the Proclaimers

I agree. I love the Saints-Wigan banter as much as the next person, however I want our sport to be much stronger overall as well.

I mean how good would it be if we could crow about having 17k average attendances over Saints with 16k. Or with Wire with 15k.

I've seen us win everything many times domestically

But i'd love for GB/England to beat the Aussies in a test series and/or World Cup Final.

I can't wait for this gig
I wonder what the capacity of the arena is when they they convert it into a temporary concert venue?

just a bit of close season banter Stu, this is the time when boredom really sets in

Aye its definitely a long off season. I am a Utd fan for my sins so the football season isn't going much better



Just renewed my Season Tickets today though for me and my two lads. Credit to Saints they have introduced an U12s pricing change for the 2024 season so for me and my two lads (aged 13 and 11) it has worked out £100 cheaper for next season for the same seats as last season. I am made up with that.

I'm still annoyed at Thompson's comments from yesterday. I get that he wants to curry favour with fans of his new club but the way he is talking you would think he grew up with a cherry & white bedspread and matching wallpaper.

He completely failed to mention that as a kid, he put his Grandma's address down as his home address so that he could play for St Helens schoolboys rather than Wigan.

He'll be a good pantomine villain when we play you at Langtree next season (I can't ever call it The Totally Wicked)

Thompson is the big question mark for us no doubt, if he's fully fit it's a no brainer he improves us.
Signed for four years but if we get two out of him and then sell him back to the NRL it's great business, if he breaks down again we've done another G Burgess and I doubt very much we'll be able to get him off the books, time will tell.

His dad put his grans address as he didnt want him to have anything to do with Wigan (he told me that as they lived opposite me in Appley Bridge)He also said he would never play for Wigan

What did he say?

I think the fact that it was good news about Wigan RL is what annoyed a lot of Saints fans.

Something like “I was brought up in Wigan, went to school in Wigan and I have my house in Wigan”.

I think Stu was hoping it would go something like-

Reporter “so how does it feel to be a Wigan player, considering you used to play for St Helens?”

Thompson “I’m only here coz I forgot put my nans address down, COYS” before breaking out in to when the Saints go marching in and exiting the training ground on a one way trip to the TWS.

Thompson basically said what you’d expect any new player to say when starting at a new club.

Ha ha. I did allude to the fact he was trying to curry favour with fans in my earlier post. I just thought that bearing in mind how long he was at Saints and that he is still best mates with the likes of Makinson etc that he would have referenced something like "I still have some great mates at Saints and enjoyed my time there however I am a professional and now play for Wigan etc etc"

Matty Smith said similar when he signed back for Saints after his spell at Wigan. Even if Welsby went to the NRL and then signed for Wigan I would understand those comments more. He is a Wigan lad and his family are genuinely Wigan fans. I was just a bit surprised.

Having said that to be fair to Thompson he probably would've signed for Wigan and they wanted him but it was his Dad that wouldn't let him. He was best mates with Gildart at the time and wanted to sign with him.