Wigan Athletic FC

Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Wigan in Greater Manchester. They currently feature in the English Premier League and have been playing top flight English football since 2005.

Wigan Athletic play their home matches at the JJB Stadium, which can hold a crowd of 25,138. They share their stadium with the rugby league club Wigan Wanderers. Wigan Athletic bear the nickname the Lactics.

Wigan Athletic were formed in 1932, which makes them the youngest club playing in the English Premier League at the moment. They shocked the footballing world in England when they beat Carlisle United 6-1 in the FA Cup in the 1934-1935 in the first round, thereby creating a Cup record for the biggest victory by a non-league club over a league club.

Wigan Athletic were the founding members of the Northern Premier League in 1968 and by late 1970s were playing in the Football League.

Local millionaire David Whelan bought Wigan Athletic in 1995 and two years later Wigan won the Division Three title and gradually rose through the league strata and eventually managed to climb to the English Premier League at the end of the of the 2004-2005 season.

Wigan Athletic have been playing Premiership football since the 2005-2006 season but they usually have to struggle in the lower half of the league table.

• 1 League Cup Final 2005
• Football League Second Division Champions 2003
• Football League Third Division Champions 1997