Wigan Athletic Football Club are a football team based in Wigan, England. They are known as the "Latics". In 2003 they were promoted to the Football League Championship for the first time, and in 2005 came second in the Coca Cola Championship to gain promotion to the Premiership.

Wigan Athletic were formed in 1932 following the demise of Wigan Borough the previous year. Wigan Athletic were the fifth attempt to stabilise a football club in the town following the demise of Wigan County, Wigan United, Wigan Town A.F.C and the aforementioned Wigan Borough.

Wigan Athletic played at Wigan Borough's Springfield Park ground until 1999 when the 25,000-seat JJB Stadium was built at Robin Park. Wigan was elected to the Football League as Northern League champions in 1978 in place of Southport who had finished bottom of the Fourth Division. It spent the next 25 years bouncing between the bottom two divisions of the Football League before winning the Division Two championship under Paul Jewell in 2002–03. Wigan finished seventh in the 2003–04 Division One campaign – just one place short of the promotion playoffs. In the following season the Latics earned promotion to the Premier League by finishing second in the Coca Cola Championship behind Sunderland A.F.C.. The club's success has to a large extent been made possible by the financial support of chairman Dave Whelan, the owner of the sporting goods store chain JJB Sports.

In recent times, Wigan's top players have been Nathan Ellington, Jason Roberts, Andrew Liddel (Now at Sheffield United), Roy Carroll (Manchester United), Lee McCulloch and Leighton Baines (Wigan's first player to earn an Under 21 England Cap) In 2005–06, top division football could well be played in Wigan for the first time ever.

The Big Day (8th May 2005)

8th May 2005 will probably go down in history as the biggest day in the history of Wigan Athletic football club. On the final day of the 2004–05 Coca-Cola Football League Championship campaign, the Latics beat Reading 3–1 at home to secure runners-up spot in the final table and a place in the Premiership for 2005–06. It will be the first time that top division football has ever been played in Wigan.

Honours

• 2004–05 – Coca-Cola Football League Championship runners-up
• 2002–03 – Second Division Champions
• 2002–03 – Football League Cup Best Performance: 5th Round
• 1998–99 – Auto Windscreens Shield Winners
• 1996–97 – Third Division Champions
• 1986–87 – FA Cup Best Performance: 6th Round
• 1984–85 – Freight Rover Trophy Winners
• 1981–82 – Promoted to Third Division
• 1978 – Elected to Football League
• 1975–76 – Northern Premier Shield Winners
• 1974–75 – Northern Premier League Champions
• 1973–74 – Northern Premier Shield Winners
• 1972–73 – Northern Premier Shield Winners
• 1971–72 – Northern Premier Cup Winners
• 1970–71 – Northern Premier League Champions
• 1964–65 – Cheshire League Champions
• 1953–54 – Lancashire Combination Champions
• 1952–53 – Lancashire Combination Champions
• 1950–51 – Lancashire Combination Champions
• 1947–48 – Lancashire Combination Champions
• 1935–36 – Cheshire League Champions
• 1934–35 – Cheshire League Champions
• 1933–34 – Cheshire League Champions