Wigan Warriors

History

1872–1902: Formation, Re-formation and NRFU foundation

On 21 November 1872, Wigan Football Club was founded by members of Wigan Cricket Club following a meeting at the Royal Hotel, Standishgate. The meeting saw around 50 members enroll into the club most of whom were members of the cricket club. The following committee was selected: T. R. Ellis, H. V. Kyrke, J. Sayers, E. R. Walker, J. Smith, J. Souter, H. Wall and R. Procter. The recently re-elected Mayor of Wigan Mr Nathan Eckersley was made club President. Many of the club's founding members were well-to-do; including business owners, solicitors and magistrates. Wigan F.C. played on Folly Field, near Upper Dicconson Street and used the nearby Dicconson Arms Hotel as a HQ.

The first match, a practice match where members played against each other, took place on 30 November at Folly Field and attracted around 2,000 spectators. After a series of trial and practice matches, they travelled to Warrington to play their first competitive match on 18 January 1873. The game ended in a draw. The club played six games in its first season finishing with a record of three wins and three draws.

An inability to recruit enough regular and quality players led to many members of Upholland Football Club joining the club in 1876. This was a significant boost to the playing ranks. The club changed its name on 20 October 1876 and became Wigan & District Football Club to represent the new influx of players which had joined from the outskirts of town. The Upholland club disbanded due to the large number of players who joined Wigan. The club moved and played its home games at the Wigan Cricket Club at Prescott Street just off Frog Lane. The first game at Prescott Street was played against St. Helens on 25 November 1876 which Wigan won comfortably. The club did not fulfil all its fixtures in the 1877/78 season. The club played its last match that season against Liverpool Wanderers on 17 November 1877. There are no current records of the club after 23 November 1877 that year as the club disbanded. Many of the members who joined Wigan from Upholland eventually returned to the Upholland club, which was re-formed following the Wigan club being disbanded.

On 22 September 1879, the club was re-formed as Wigan Wasps Football Club by new members at a meeting in the Dicconson Arms. The main instigators of the re-formation of the club anew were W. L. Baldwin, J. Slevin, J. Underwood, Joe Wardle and others. Mr. Underwood was secretary and Mr. Alfred Hodgkinson was named as the treasurer. Many of the new members involved in the re-establishment of the club had also been involved with the Hare & Hounds running club and were of a more working-class background than the cricketers who had originally founded the club. The club moved back to Folly Field and used the Dicconson Arms Hotel as a HQ again before using the Legs of Man Hotel in the town centre as a HQ a few years later.

1902–1945: Move to Central Park and Wartime Emergency League

On 6 September 1902, Wigan played at Central Park for the first time in the opening match of the newly formed First Division. An estimated crowd of 9,000 spectators saw Wigan beat Batley 14–8.

In the 1905–06 season they won their first cup, in rugby league, the Lancashire County Cup. Between 1906 and 1923 Wigan won the Lancashire League another seven times and the Lancashire Cup another four times. Wigan were the first winners of the Lancashire cup.

Wigan played New Zealand on 9 November 1907 and ran out winners by 12 points to 8 in front of a crowd of around 30,000.

Great Britain, then known as the Northern Union, played their first-ever test against New Zealand on 25 January 1908. James "Jim" Leytham, Bert Jenkins and John "Johnny" Thomas of Wigan were in the home side and Leytham scored a try. Jenkins and Thomas had previously played in the first Welsh game against New Zealand on 1 January 1908.

On Saturday 28 October 1911, Wigan played a match against the Australasian team which visited England on the 1911–12 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and won.

On 12 May 1921, Wigan became a limited company.

In June 1922 Jim Sullivan joined Wigan from Cardiff RFC when he was only 17. His cash value was put at £750, which was a staggering signing-on fee for an adolescent who had not yet played 13-a-side rugby (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £137,700 in 2015). His first game was at home against Widnes on 27 August 1921, and he scored ten points in a 21–0 win. Almost inevitably, Jim Sullivan scored the first points in the first Challenge Cup Final to be played at Wembley Stadium, kicking a penalty after only three minutes of the inaugural Challenge Cup Final against Dewsbury in 1929 in which he led Wigan to a 13–2 victory. Sullivan became player-coach in 1932.

Wigan won their first Challenge Cup in the 1923–24 season when they beat Oldham 21–4 in Rochdale.

1945–1980: Post war era

Jim Sullivan's last game, as a player, for Wigan was at Mount Pleasant, Batley, on 23 February 1946. He remained at Central Park for another six seasons as coach.

In 1948 Wigan took part in the first televised rugby league match when their 8–3 Challenge Cup Final victory over Bradford Northern was broadcast to the Midlands. In another first this was the first rugby league match to be attended by the reigning monarch, King George VI, who presented the trophy.

On Saturday 27 October 1951, 33,230 spectators saw Wigan beat Leigh 14–6 in the final of the Lancashire Cup at Station Road, Swinton. In 1952 Wigan won their sixth consecutive Lancashire Cup.

Wigan were also featured in the first league match to be broadcast, a clash with Wakefield Trinity at Central Park on 12 January 1952.

In 1953 Wigan signed Billy Boston for £150. 8,000 fans saw Billy Boston début for Wigan in the 'A' team. He later became one of the most successful and famous Wigan players of all time. Eric Ashton signed for Wigan for £150 in 1955. Wigan went to Wembley six times in the Boston / Ashton era and won three times.

The visit of St. Helens on 27 March 1959 produced Central Park's all-time record attendance of 47,747 which is still a record for any rugby league game in Lancashire. Wigan went on to win the game 19–14 after holding off a Saints comeback. Mick Sullivan moved to Wigan for a then-record £9,500 fee in 1957.

Joe Egan returned to coach Wigan and during his time they won the Championship play-off final in 1960 defeating Wakefield Trinity 21–5, the Challenge Cup in 1958, 1959, 13–9 against Workington Town and 30–13 against Hull F.C. respectively before losing in 12–6 to St. Helens in 1961 which was to be his last game in charge.

Wigan continued to have regular success in both league and cup competitions until 1974, when the club went eight seasons without winning any leagues or cups.

1980–1996: Relegation, subsequent promotion, and most successful period

In 1980, Wigan were relegated from the top flight for the first time in their history and Coslett was replaced by George Fairbairn as player-coach. During the second division season they recorded a record average attendance for the division of 8,198. Wigan won promotion back to the top flight the following season but Fairbairn lasted no longer than May 1981 before moving to Hull Kingston Rovers. Maurice Bamford took over as coach of Wigan before being sacked in May 1982 and was replaced by Alex Murphy.

Maurice Lindsay came to Wigan in the early 1980s to join directors Jack Robinson, Tom Rathbone and ex-player Jack Hilton. Wigan became one of the first teams to go full-time professional in the league, leading to an upsurge in the fortunes of the club.

Between February and October 1987, under new coach, former New Zealand coach Graham Lowe, Wigan won a record 29 games in a row as follows: 20 Division One matches, 3 Premiership Trophy matches, 4 Lancashire Cup matches, 1 Charity Shield final, 1 World Club Challenge Final. Wigan defeated Australian club Manly-Warringah 8–2 in front of a crowd of 36,895 at Central Park for an unofficial World Club Championship (though many who were at Central Park still claim the attendance was closer to 50,000). It was the first time an English club side had beaten a team of Australians at rugby league since the 1978 Kangaroo tour. After Lowe left in 1989, Australian John Monie, a former premiership winning coach with the Parramatta Eels, continued the success at Central Park. From 1988 to 1995 Wigan won the Challenge Cup 8 seasons in a row including their 27–0 win over St Helens in 1989, the first time any team had been held scoreless in a Cup Final at Wembley; this period was Wigan's most successful period to date. They also won the Championship seven times, League Cup four times, Premiership Trophy three times, Charity Shield twice and three World Club Championships.

In February 1990, Wigan announced a record £280,000 profit but by 1993 this had become a loss of £300,000 on a turnover of £3 million, attributed in part to the cost of the Whitbread Stand that had been built at the clubhouse end of Central Park in 1991–92 at an estimated cost of £1.3 million. By March 1994, Wigan's wage bill topped £2 million a year.

1996–present: Summer era rugby

Wigan played in a special 2 match challenge series against Bath RFC in 1996, with one game played under league rules, and the other under union rules. Wigan won the league game 82–6 at Maine Road, but lost the return union game 44–19 at Twickenham.

In July 1996 Andy Farrell was named the Wigan club's captain. Farrell enjoyed a fantastic 1996 and was rewarded with the Man of Steel Award.

Eric Hughes became coach of Wigan Warriors, replacing Graeme West in February 1997 following an early exit from the Challenge Cup in 2 consecutive years. In 1997 the club was renamed as the Wigan Warriors. Wigan's dominance came under threat with the new league now fully professional and the introduction of the salary cap and the 20/20 rule. After going out of the Challenge Cup to Salford in 1996 and St Helens in 1997, they returned to Wembley for the final time in 1998. Wigan were still undefeated in the league and coach John Monie—in his second spell at Wigan—had never lost a cup tie meant Wigan were huge favourites in their 2 May 1998 match against the Sheffield Eagles. However, in one the biggest upsets in rugby league history, the Eagles pulled off a 17–8 win.

Wigan won the Minor Premiership and the first Super League Grand Final in 1998 with a 10–4 victory over Leeds at Old Trafford, Manchester.

In November 1999, coach Andy Goodway was sacked by Wigan chairman Maurice Lindsay after the Warriors' failure to win a trophy for the first time in 15 years. After a buy-out by Dave Whelan, both the Warriors and the town's football team, Wigan Athletic, moved to the JJB Stadium. As part of the rugby league's "on the road" scheme, Wigan met Gateshead Thunder at Tynecastle, Edinburgh. Maurice Lindsay also returned as director. On an emotional day of high drama Wigan's final game at Central Park was against arch rivals St Helens on Sunday 5 September 1999. Wigan legend Ellery Hanley returned as St Helens coach but a Jason Robinson virtuoso try meant the game was won by Wigan 28–20. The first game at the new stadium was a defeat in a Super League play-off match against Castleford on 19 September 1999.

Frank Endacott joined Wigan as head coach after the 1999 season and in 2000 Wigan finished top of the Super League and reached the Grand Final for the second time but were beaten 29–16 by St Helens. Endacott was sacked in 2001 following a string of poor results and was replaced by Australian Stuart Raper. Raper guided Wigan to the 2001 Super League Grand Final but were well beaten by Bradford Bulls, 37–6. That year Andy Farrell also set a new club record for points in a season with 429.

Name

The club started out life as Wigan Football Club (stylised as Wigan FC) in 1872. When the club was re-formed in 1879, the club's name was Wigan Wasps Football Club. "Wasps" was dropped from the club's name in 1881 and the club's name was again Wigan Football Club (stylised as Wigan FC). As Northern Union evolved into Rugby League, Wigan would officially become Wigan Rugby League Football Club (stylised as Wigan RLFC) or officially written as Wigan Rugby League (stylised as Wigan RL) this being a shorter written version of the former rather than a name change.

Following a number of Super League clubs, such as Bradford Bulls and Warrington Wolves, who changed their names to be marketable to new audiences, Wigan added Warriors to their name for the start of the 1997 season. The club was and still is commonly referred to simply as Wigan.

Colours

The colours cherry and white are the most synonymous with the club. The home kits have mostly consisted of the colours cherry and white since 1888 in different variations, usually hoops, but not always. The Wigan team first played in cherry and white jerseys on 19 September 1885 in a match against Bury. The club did not settle on the colours until 22 December 1888 when after this time there is no mention of Wigan deviating from these colours as the primary colours. It is known that the team did wear a variety of different-coloured jerseys at different times before 19 September 1885 and in-between that date and 22 December 1888. These included; blue and white hooped jerseys, black jerseys with white shorts and black socks, white jerseys, white-and-coral hooped jerseys and a chocolate-and-coral hooped jersey with black socks. The white Maltese cross was added to the club's jerseys for the start of the 1884–85 season but how long this remained as a feature on the jersey is unknown. The white jerseys were worn on several occasions during the 1885 season and were also worn at least once during 1887. The chocolate-and-coral hooped jerseys were worn during the 1886–1887 season with black socks, however, the colour of the shorts which were worn is unknown. It is also unknown how many times Wigan turned out in the chocolate-and-coral jersey that year.

With some brief interludes, the club spent the majority of the 20th century wearing regular cherry and white hooped jerseys with white shorts.

From the late 1980s onwards shirt designs became more varied, but remained largely variations on cherry and white hoops. However, the club started to experiment with wearing red shorts as opposed to white.

From roughly 2015-onwards, the version of 'cherry' red featured on Warriors home shirts has been a much darker shade of red. From the late 1980s to the late 1990s, Wigan's away kit was usually royal blue and white hoops, with the template often being the exact same as the home kit, but in alternative colours. In the 21st century, royal blue and white away jerseys have made brief returns, notably in 2005 and 2016.

From 2022-onwards, Wigan's third kit was a design inspired by their charity partners and a percentage of proceeds from sales would be donated to the respective charity. They have partnered with charities like The Brick and Wigan And Leigh Hospice.

Club crest

Wigan have used a variation of the coat of arms (which was granted to the Borough of Wigan on 8 April 1922) as the club crest for a large part of the club's history. The club first used the crest on the playing jerseys for the 1948 Challenge Cup Final against Bradford. The crest appeared on the jersey in other future cup finals but would not become a permanent feature on the playing jerseys until 1984.

Below are further details on the Club Crest:

Excerpts from an Article, by Mr. Arthur J. Hawkes, Chief Librarian.

Possessing a series of town seals from the twelfth century onwards, Wigan, at the opening of the twentieth century still remained without "ensigns proper to its order."

Wigan is one of the oldest boroughs in England (third oldest in Lancashire after Liverpool and Salford). Town liberties or borough rights existed in England in Anglo-Saxon times, several centuries before the Norman Conquest. Places like London, York, Winchester, Norwich, etc., are known from records to have exercised these privileges, and it may properly be inferred that Wigan also enjoyed them. Finally, we have the report of the Norry King of Arms in 1613 that "the towne and bourrough of Wiggin was antiently Incorporated by the most noble Kinge, Kinge Hen, the first in the first yeare of his raygne" (i.e., 1100)—a certified copy of which document is now in the Public Library. Under William the Conqueror, the borough privileges were restricted, but on the accession of Henry I they were largely restored by virtue of his great coronation charter of liberties. The liberties of individual towns were restored or confirmed by special charter, some of which are extant. If we can rely upon the report of the Herald in 1613, Wigan was one of the first boroughs to be so restored. Following this we have a long series of royal charters, mostly still extant, some containing special marks of royal favour, which charters will be detailed in the next number.

J. Paul Rylands describes the coat above as "perhaps the very best of all Lancashire town arms, for it might, heraldically, belong to the Middle Ages, and is indeed symbolic of antiquity and loyalty." It is certainly a very privileged coat of arms, as few if any coats bear so many symbols of royal favour. Indeed, the incorporation of royal insignia into armorial bearings is jealously guarded and usually proscribed by the court officials. In Wigan's new grant there are (1) A king's Head, crowned, (2) the Royal "Leopard" (or "lion couchant guardant"), (3) a mediaeval royal crown, and (4) the supporting lions. The king's head in the crest officially represents no particular king, in the words of the Rouge Croix herald (in whose hands the design took shape) it is intended "to be a conventional likeness to an early English Monarch." It is actually modelled on the portrait of King Edward III, but from the point of view of the town it symbolises especially King Henry I. On Wigan's earliest town seal—probably the 12th century—there appears to be a towered or castellated gateway over the centre of which is depicted what seems to be the crowned head of Henry I. These devices therefore, are taken as the chief symbols of the new bearings, the towered gateway becomes a Norman castle and the king's head becomes a crest—indicating Wigan as a town of consequence and royal patronage at the opening of the twelfth century. The royal lion, again, marks another important period in Wigan history. Edward III, by a charter of 1350, granted Wigan the right (with several other towns) to use a royal seal known as the "King's Recognisance Seal," on which was figured the king's head and the royal lion. The Somerset Herald expressed the opinion that as none of the other towns had made use of the king's permission by adopting the figures in their arms, Wigan could with propriety include them, and his view prevailed with the Chapter of Heralds.

Kit manufacturers and sponsors

Current kit

The current kit and teamwear as of the 2026 season will be manufacturer by Kappa, following the end of contract with Hummel who manufactured the kits and teamwear from 2020 until the end of the 2023 season. The main shirt sponsor is The Tote, and their logo appears on the front of the home and away jerseys. Greenmount Project, who were on the home and away shirts in 2024 and 2025, are on the front of the charity third shirt.

Teams

As well as the men's team the club for 2024 also encompasses 11 other teams:

Reserves

Academy (under 18s)

Scholarship (under 16s)

College development squad (men and women aged 16–18)

Women's first

Women's academy (under 19s)

Physical disability

Learning disability

Wheelchair

Wheelchair A (wheelchair reserve team)

Touch Rugby

Stadiums

Pre–1902

Wigan Football Club played on Folly Field, Upper Dicconson Street. The club played its first match at Folly Field on 30 November 1872 and remained at the ground for four years. Wigan Football Club went on to become Wigan & District Football Club, the newly named Wigan & District Football Club played its matches at Prescott Street (The West End Grounds). The club played at Prescott Street until the club disbanded. With the re-formation of the club as Wigan Wasps Football Club, the club returned to Folly Field from 1879 to 1886 when it moved its matches back to Prescott Street.

Wigan played their home games at Wigan Cricket Club on Prescott Street until 1901 when they moved to Springfield Park which they shared with the town's association soccer club Wigan United A.F.C. The first rugby match at Springfield Park was played on 14 September 1901 and was between Wigan and Morecambe in front of 4,000 spectators. The record rugby attendance for the ground was 10,000 achieved on 19 March 1902 when Wigan beat Widnes. Forty days later Wigan played their last game at Springfield Park when they defeated the Rest of Lancashire Senior Competition.

1902–1999: Central Park

In 1902 Wigan moved to their purpose-built rugby ground called Central Park. Wigan played their first game at Central Park against Batley on 6 September 1902, which Wigan won 14–8. The area was originally farm land called Central Field, with a row of houses already built along both north and south ends of the land (Hilton St and Colin St). By the end of the 1990s, the area had begun to suffer from its location next to the River Douglas as well as disused coal mines directly underneath, resulting in occasional drainage problems which affected the pitch.

Central Park would be the home of Wigan Rugby League until 1999, when they moved to the newly built JJB Stadium. The last match at Central Park was against St Helens on 5 September 1999, a game which Wigan won 28–20 in front of 18,179 supporters. As Wigan developed into one of the most famous rugby league clubs in the world, Central Park also became one of the most famous grounds.

Wigan won the 1987 World Club Challenge match against 1987 Sydney (New South Wales Rugby League) Premiers Manly-Warringah at Central Park played on 7 October. The try-less game, won 8–2, was played in front of a reported crowd of 36,895, though many of those in attendance believed the attendance was actually closer to 50,000.

The record attendance for a game at Central Park was 47,747 set on 27 March 1959 against St Helens.

1999–present: The Brick Community Stadium

Towards the end of the 1999 season Wigan Warriors moved to the newly built JJB Stadium (Renamed in 2024 to the Brick Community Stadium) which they currently share with the Wigan football club Wigan Athletic. The stadium is owned by Mike Danson, who is the majority shareholder. Warriors' first game at the then JJB Stadium was a Super League play-off match against the Castleford Tigers which Wigan lost 14–10.

The stadium has had numerous names since being built in 2007 dependant on its sponsorship.

Wigan used to have a state-of-the-art training facility at the small stadium Edge Hall Road in Orrell (now named the Co-Operative Community Stadium) where the first team, reserve team & academy team prepared, trained and rehabilitated ahead of and after matches. It is also where the Reserve & Academy sides used to play their home games.

Recently this site was sold for development after the Warriors moved all team operations to the newly renovated Robin Park Arena next door to the Brick Community Stadium in a deal with Wigan Council. The redevelopment included new training facilities for the club, while facilities for other local sporting clubs and the general public were retained.

Brick Community Stadium has an official capacity of 25,133. The Warriors' record attendance at the Brick is 25,004 set against St Helens on 25 March 2005.

Training ground

Wigan’s training ground is the Robin Park Arena, situated next door to the Brick Community Stadium.

2026 transfers

2027 transfers

Coaches

Current coaching staff

Matt Peet is the current head coach, with former Wigan players Sean O'Loughlin, and Tommy Leuluai as his assistant coaches.

Coaching history

Note *only Championship/Super League, Super League League Leaders Shield, Challenge Cup and World Club Challenge honours shown.

Honours

Source:

World Club Challenge

Winners (5): 1987, 1991, 1994, 2017, 2024.

Runners-Up (4): 1992, 2011, 2014, 2019.

Super League:

Winners (7): 1998, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2024.

Runners-Up (8): 1996, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2025.

First Division:

Winners (17): 1908–09, 1921–22, 1925–26, 1933–34, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1959–60, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96.

Runners-Up (10): 1909–10, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1923–24, 1963–64, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2025.

Challenge Cup

Winners (22): 1923–24, 1928–29, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1964–65, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2002, 2011, 2013, 2022, 2024, 2026

Runners-Up (12): 1910–11, 1919–20, 1943–44, 1945–46, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1983–84, 1998, 2004, 2017.

League Leaders' Shield:

Winners (6): 2010, 2012, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2026

League Leader's Trophy:

Winners (1): 1970–71

Lancashire Cup

Club records

Individual

Most goals in a match: 22 by Jim Sullivan vs Flimby & Fothergill, 14 February 1925

Most tries in a match: 10 by:

Martin Offiah vs Leeds, 10 May 1992

Shaun Edwards vs Swinton, 29 September 1992

Most points in a match: 44 by Jim Sullivan vs Flimby & Fothergill, 14 February 1925

Most goals in a season: 186 by Frano Botica, 1994–95

Most tries in a season: 63 by Ellery Hanley, 1986–87

Most tries in a Super League regular season: 31 by Josh Charnley and Bevan French, 2012 and 2022

Most points in a season: 462 by Pat Richards 2010

Most career goals: 2,317 by Jim Sullivan

Most career tries: 478 by Billy Boston

Most career points: 4,883 by Jim Sullivan

Most career appearances: 774 by Jim Sullivan

Most International Test caps: 36 by Shaun Edwards (Great Britain)

Most decorated player: Shaun Edwards; 8 Championships, 9 Challenge Cups, 3 World Club Challenges.

Team

Biggest victory (All Time): 116–0 vs Flimby & Fothergill, 14 February 1925

Biggest victory (Super League Era): 84–6 vs Hull Kingston Rovers, 1 April 2013 & 84–6 vs Bradford Bulls, 21 April 2014.

Highest attendance (Central Park): 47,747 vs St. Helens, 27 March 1959

Highest attendance (DW Stadium): 25,004 (Good Friday 2005 vs St Helens)

Highest attendance (all-time): 99,801 vs Hull F.C., 4 May 1985 (1985 Challenge Cup Final) at Wembley Stadium

Highest attendance vs an international touring team: 30,622 vs Australia, 12 October 1986 (1986 Kangaroo Tour)

Heaviest Defeat (Super League): 0–70 vs Leeds Rhinos, 18 June 2005

Heaviest Defeat (All Time): 0–75 vs St Helens, 26 June 2005

Most trophies in one season: 4, 2024 (SL, LLS, CC, WCC)

Academy

The Wigan academy and youth development system produces players for professional Rugby League. The club's first-team squad historically includes a significant number of homegrown players. Furthermore, numerous graduates from the youth system who leave Wigan go on play for other clubs across the Super League and Championship.

Supporters

Wigan is one of the most well supported British rugby league clubs.

Home matches during the 1880s saw Wigan regularly attracted over 7,000 supporters. The rugby code often dwarfed those seen on the same weekend at Association Football matches around the country. Up until 1895, Wigan had 18 matches that attracted over 8,000 supporters on home soil whilst matches against Warrington, Swinton and Oldham were a big draw on away days. The highest recorded home attendance was for the 1886 Wigan Union Charity Cup Final between Wigan and Aspull which attracted 18,000 spectators.

During the 1880s, Wigan fans often took advantage of local train companies offering cheap rail fares for big matches. The local train companies took advantage of Wigan supporters who travelled in numbers to away matches. The most popular matches of that era included trips to Warrington and Swinton where between 2,000 and 3,000 supporters travelled regularly.

During the 2006 season, in which the team was struggling to avoid relegation, home attendances increased as fans came to support the club and offer vocal support, many of whom may have not attended on a regular basis previously.

The club averaged 16,016 per home game in 2007. In 2010 Wigan were officially the best-supported club in Super League with a higher average attendance than nearest rivals Leeds Rhinos. The club have now been confirmed as the best-supported club for the last three seasons of 2010, 2011 and 2012.

As a gesture of thanks, the 2008 season saw the Wigan fans have the squad number 18 dedicated to them, a practice which has since continued each season. Joe Lydon commented "This is a new practice for clubs who recognise the extra special support which loyal fans can provide to their team in both good and bad times. It is particularly apt for Wigan fans".

From early 2008, the Wigan fans have often chanted to the tune of "The Entertainer". One of the beginning lines of this particular chant is "We're the Greatest Club in the World".

Rivalries

St Helens

The club's strongest and fiercest rivalry is with St Helens.

Matches between the two teams are played traditionally on Good Friday and Boxing Day, though the latter fixture has stopped following the move to summer rugby in 1996. The first meeting between the two sides took place in November 1895, where the two sides played out a 0–0 stalemate in front of 3,000 spectators at Knowsley Road.

The two clubs are two of the most successful clubs in world Rugby League and regularly compete against one another for silverware.

Wigan boast of having beaten the Saints in the last meetings at Central Park and Knowsley Road and the first meeting at Langtree Park. Saints did, however, defeat the Warriors in the first meeting at the JJB Stadium. The sides have met in the Challenge Cup Final a total of six times, both sides having been successful three times. However, the Saints boast a better record in Super League Grand Finals, having defeated Wigan three times in four meetings.

Overall, Wigan have a superior record over their rivals, having won 210 of the contests to St Helens' 139.

As of July 2026, the last meeting between the two sides resulted in a 38-16 win to Wigan at the Brick Community Stadium.

Leigh Leopards

The Leigh Leopards are traditional rivals of the club due to both being located within the Borough of Wigan. Matches between the two clubs are, therefore, local derbies. The derby is also referred to as the "Bus Stop Derby" with Wigan fans occasionally chanting that Leigh are "just a bus stop in Wigan".

The rivalry between these two clubs, however, has been muted due to the fact that the two clubs have regularly competed in different competitions and, therefore, have not played each other consistently (during the Super League era, Wigan and Leigh have only been together in Super League for seven seasons, in 2005, 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026).

The 2023 season saw heightened attention being given toward the rivalry as both clubs enjoyed successful seasons, the branding of the rivalry as "The Battle of The Borough" gained notoriety because of this.

As of July 2025, Wigan have won 157 meetings to Leigh's 57.

On 1 October 2025 it was announced by both Wigan and the BBC that Leigh owner Derek Beaumont had emailed Wigan to state that his club would not take part in their 2025 Super League season semi-final match due to ticket allocation issues. Beaumont claimed that Wigan's offer of 5,400 tickets for Leigh fans (22% of Wigan's Brick Community Stadium capacity) was not acceptable. Wigan stated that the "allocation had been determined by the independent Safety Advisory Group and the club's Ground Safety Officer, following consultation with the police" and added "[the] Super League had "sought separate safety advice" and had "fully endorsed this approach". Leigh went on to lose the semi-final against Wigan 18–6.

The most recent meeting between the two clubs came on 31 July 2026, when Wigan defeated Leigh 8-20.

Warrington Wolves

Wigan also have a rivalry with neighbours Warrington Wolves. This rivalry has become particularly fierce from the late 2000s onwards, owing to the Wolves' emergence as a club that contends for silverware. The Warriors also failed to claim victory at Warrington's Halliwell Jones Stadium for seven years following its opening in 2003. Furthermore, the two clubs compete annually for the Locker Cup.

The clubs have met in two Challenge Cup Finals and three Super League Grand Finals, Wigan having won all five. Wigan supporters enjoying mocking Wolves fans for their club's failure to win the Championship since 1955.

Wigan also boast the superior record in head-to-head meetings, claiming 192 wins to Warrington's 127.

The last meeting between the two sides was on 10 July 2026 with Wigan defeating the Wolves 30-18, despite missing several first team regulars.

In July 2024, it was announced that Wigan and Warrington would play each other in Las Vegas on 1 March 2025, in the first Super League game to take place in the United States. The Warriors won the contest 48–24 with 8 different Wigan players scoring tries.

Leeds Rhinos

A more notable rivalry is one with Leeds Rhinos, given the two clubs' respective status as two of the most successful and best-supported clubs in British rugby league.

Between 2007 and 2018, the only season either Leeds or Wigan did not win the Super League Grand Final was in 2014. The sides only met once in that period at Old Trafford, with the Rhinos winning 22–20 in 2015. However, that is the only time the Rhinos have defeated the Warriors in a major final – Wigan having beaten Leeds in three Challenge Cup Finals, and the 1998 Super League Grand Final.

In head-to-head meetings between the two sides since 1896, Wigan have claimed victory 158 times whilst Leeds have won 107.

At the time of writing, the last match between the two clubs was on 5th September 2026. In a match billed as a shoot-out for the League Leaders Shield, the Warriors thumped the Rhinos 8-40 to leapfrog Leeds into top spot going into the final round of the regular season.

Hull Kingston Rovers

A more recent rivalry that has emerged since around 2023 is with Hull Kingston Rovers following the Robins' emergence as a club challenging for major honours.

The sides met in the 2023 and 2024 Challenge Cup semi-finals, the 2023 Super League play-off semi-final, and in the 2024 and 2025 Super League Grand Finals. The sides most recently met in the 2026 Challenge Cup Final on 30 May, with Wigan securing a dominant 40-10 win to claim a record-extending 22nd Challenge Cup title.

The Warriors completed an historic 'quadruple' in 2024, whilst the Robins completed the treble in 2025.

As of August 2026, the last meeting between the two sides occurred on 27th August 2026, with the Warriors defeating the Robins 46-0 in atrocious conditions.

The sides have met 163 times, with winning winning 103 to Hull KR's 54. However, the record since 2023 is more even, with Wigan winning 9 contests to the Robins' 6.

In the community

Wigan confirmed via the official website that they had been granted charitable status on Wednesday 29 April 2009 via the "charitable arm" of the club the Wigan Warriors Community Foundation. Wigan Warriors carry out community work that stretches from Amateur Rugby League Football clubs to Schools as well as running successful community training camps for young people. A part of the community work is visiting primary schools to deliver a programme specifically designed for young people entitled 'Lessons for Life'. The programme is delivered via a geographic family of schools approach and results in each school receiving two hours of Rugby League coaching per week for a six-week period. Additionally every school is offered the opportunity to start an extra curricular club and take part in a "Warriors Tag Festival". The club will now be able to deliver an extensive community programme via the Wigan Warriors Community Foundation.

Wigan became the first club in the country to receive Sport England's Clubmark Gold Award. The Gold award, only available from 1 April 2009, shows the clubs commitment to Duty of Care and Child Protection, Coaching and Competition, Sports Equity and Ethics and Club Management. The Gold award not only meets the minimum standards in all areas, but surpasses them and meets additional criteria too.

Combined with education provider ProCo, Wigan have established a work based learning academy in the town to provide opportunities to young people whilst also providing a permanent base for its scholarship and academy squads. The Work Academy has been given the name "Central Park" in reference to Wigan's former home and also makes reference to the education provider.