Wigan Athletic FC have officially launched their ‘Future Fund’ scheme for next season, giving fans the chance to contribute and impact the club’s youth academy system from the ground up.
The initiative, which looks to raise direct funding and support for the next generation of Latics players, has proved to be an invaluable part of the club’s infrastructure, especially given their all too recent financial problems.
It was only back in 2020 that the Greater Manchester side fell into administration; fast forward four years, and not only is the club back on its feet and trying to establish a stronger foothold in the EFL, but they are now continuing to build that bridge from grassroots all the way into senior professional football.
With memberships for the 2025/26 campaign now open, supporters are once again being encouraged to invest in homegrown talent and the future of their club.
Following the Future Fund‘s debut this time last year, more than 500 fans are said to have joined the scheme in its inaugural season, with more than £75,000 in voluntary donations through the membership and approximately £65k of that money pumped back into various academy services.
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Be it sports science and data analytics or trips and tours, the recruitment of rising stars and so on, the lion’s share of the first kitty went straight back into supporting the junior ranks.
Now known as the ‘Heatable Wigan Athletic Academy’, with the local outfit securing sponsorship for their youth setup back in February 2024 (again, more pragmatic business-minded thinking from the Latics), they’re looking to build from within as much as possible.
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Case and point: 38% of all minutes this season have also come from academy graduates. These are the kind of stats we love to hear.
You can hear Academy Manager Jake Campbell explaining the importance of the Future Fund when first launched in more detail down below:
Speaking on the renewal of the Future Fund for next season, the Latics’ managing director, Sarah Guilfoyle, wrote as part of a club statement: “The Future Fund has made a significant difference to the Heatable Wigan Athletic Academy over the last 12 months, with the funds allowing us to develop and strengthen various areas within the Academy, including those not covered by regular funding provisions.
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“The Board and I are extremely grateful to our Future Fund members for their support of the Academy and the fantastic work undertaken by the Academy staff. We know our supporters are very proud of the calibre of players we have produced and will continue to produce through our Academy.
“We’ve been fully open and transparent with supporters regarding how the generated funds have been used, and we’re really excited to see how the Future Fund continues to aid and enhance our Academy.
“Our priority is making sure all Members feel part of the journey. Nothing gives us more pleasure than seeing one of our own on the pitch, and we hope our supporters experience the same pride, especially knowing they have helped make a resounding impact.”
The Latis may only be 17th in League One right now, but they’ve come a long way from the brink of disaster just a few short years ago and investing not only in their own talented prospects but the next generation of young footballers is an idea we can all get behind.
They take on Shrewsbury Town on the road this Good Friday, 18 April at 3pm and the initial away allocation was snapped up in a heartbeat. Times may change but the support never goes anywhere.
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If you’re a Wigan fan interested in getting involved, you can find out plenty more information, including pricing options as well as additional season ticket benefits, right HERE.
Bolton’s bid for the Ryder Cup has received a big boost
Danny Jones
Bolton’s much-anticipated bid for the Ryder Cup has received an added boost of positivity and optimism, which could prove key in bringing the competition to the town.
It also starts with an improvement to local infrastructure, which it appears that the borough will benefit from, regardless of whether or not they win the bid.
Talk of Bolton throwing their hat in the ring to hopefully host the Ryder Cup first began rumbling around during the pandemic, before ramping up even further in 2023, and is now gathering a little more speed.
And a lot of it could come down to upgraded travel links in the form of an even longer-rumoured new road connecting the M61-M6 junctions, which would need to be completed in time for the tournament – along with a fresh big golf course, too.
A bid is being prepared for Bolton to host the Ryder Cup in 2035. Previously, there was an option to hold it in 2031. The golf course would be built on the Hulton Park estate near Westhoughton. This is what the ancient parkland looks like now ..https://t.co/Bie8ikyEkppic.twitter.com/Y3Dq8MFfLk
While the plans to transform the land around Hulton Park have been in the pipeline for some time, the case for creating easier routes between Bolton, Wigan and the surrounding area was pitched as far back as the post-WWII period.
As for the Ryder Cup itself, it hasn’t been hosted in England for decades; the last time an associated event was held was in 2002 at Warwickshire, and it goes without saying that it would be a huge win not just for Greater Manchester but the North in general.
In fact, the wider masterplan that makes up part of the bid doesn’t just include the new £70 million link road, but also feeds into GM’s overall Good Growth Fund, which looks set to almost double thanks to more investment in the National Wealth Fund.
Put simply, the sum of around £2bn set aside for grants and funding across the country – including Bolton’s 2035 Ryder Cup bid – could see huge revenues brought in.
Regarding Bolton, were they to clinch from competitors like the London Golf Club in Sevenoaks, over in Kent and Luton Hoo Hotel and Spa in Bedfordshire, it’s estimated that it could generate more than £1.2bn for the local economy.
Besides a new premium golfing venue, the M61-M6 link road and the recently announced Metrolink expansion into Bolton, the regional funding allocation already factors in various bits of future property development, including more housing and subsequent job creation.
Put simply, it could be transformational for Bolton and beyond. However, it still requires them to win the bid on the basis of the GMCA, Bolton Council, developers, and other partners delivering everything promised, not to mention on time for the biennial Ryder Cup slot up for grabs.
Despite initial rejection and still plenty of pushback, Peel Land are promising three things for the land: “Restoration. Sustainability. World-class golf.”
Mayor Andy Burnham has insisted it is an opportunity not only to improve life, leisure and business in the old Lancashire stronghold, but “as well as the new jobs and tourist spend the Ryder Cup would deliver, there’s also a chance to deliver a lasting legacy.”
What do you make of the grand vision thus far, and for Boltonians, is this something you’re fully behind? Speaking of big sporting events, another one is coming up in Manchester city centre this weekend.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures/CGIs (via Peel Land)
Sport
The 2026 World Breaking Finals of the UK B-Boy Championships are coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s official: the UK B-Boy Championships are returning to Manchester this year for the 2026 World Breaking Finals, in what is a special anniversary for the annual tournament.
Celebrating three decades since the inaugural event this summer, the UK B-Boy Champs will once again remind fans why they still remain among the gold standard for competitive breakdancing.
With elite breakers and dance battlers from more than 20 different countries in attendance – and plenty of contestants from each, at that – it’s going to be a real global showcase of talent.
Returning to Manchester once again, we can’t wait to see breakdancing take over the Factory International concourse and wider campus.
Anyone in the world will know that the city also hosted another big European equivalent back in 2022 on behalf of the 2022 World DanceSport Federation, but the UK B-Boy Championships have a passionate following of their own.
This also happens to be the 30th anniversary of the event, so it’s a momentous occasion on many levels.
With live music from not only classic artists and legendary MCs, but artists for the future too, there’ll be plenty of tunes and impressive moves from start to finish.
Coming to Aviva Studios this summer, they’ve billed it quite short and sweet: “The sickest breakers on the planet will battle in a once-in-a-generation celebration of Hip-Hop culture.”
They’re promising “High-stakes rivalries. Gravity-defying moves”, and “Unforgettable performances”, adding, “This isn’t just another battle – this is the Champs legacy in motion.”
Credit: Supplied
The World Breaking Finals get underway in Manchester on 16 August at Aviva Studios, and it’s all set up to be arguably the biggest yet.
General admission went on sale this past Friday, 13 March, with adult tickets starting from only £20 and kids from just a tenner.
As we mentioned before, this isn’t the only big sporting date coming to Manchester this year, with the likes of the British basketball’s annual Cup Finals concluding at AO Arena and another big Super League set to for a grandstand finish at our other big indoor entertainment venue…
Danny Jones -
17th April 2025 
