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Wigan Athletic is looking for an ‘enthusiastic’ person to be its new pie mascot

Crusty the Pie is known for engaging with supporters whilst making people smile with "positive energy and passion".

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 30th June 2022

In what is undoubtedly one of the most unique job vacancies out there at the moment, Wigan Athletic is on the lookout for someone to take on the role of its iconic pie mascot.

We all know that the Wigan is famous for its pies, so much so that it’s practically synonymous with the filled pastry cuisine at this point, so it makes perfect sense that the Greater Manchester town’s football team, Wigan Athletic, would have a cartoon pie as its mascot.

There’s some pretty well-known sporting mascots across the UK, but Crusty the Pie is arguably one of the most recognisable to football fans.

And now, there’s “an opportunity for you to be Crusty”.

The Championship team took to Twitter yesterday to advertise the coveted job vacancy, and is calling on “bubbly, enthusiastic, and fun individuals” to get in touch and apply for the opportunity like no other.

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The job description on the Wigan Athletic website reads: “Do you want to be part of our Wigan Athletic journey? Are you a bubbly, enthusiastic and a fun individual?

“If yes, we have an opportunity for you.

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“Crusty the Pie’ is our Club Mascot and the purpose of Crusty is to proactively engage with supporters whilst making people smile with positive energy and passion. Ensuring supporters leave remembering a remarkable day and to help promote the Wigan Athletic Junior supporters club, by engaging with our younger fans at various events located across Wigan and Leigh.”

When it comes to working hours, Wigan Athletic says the role is flexible and will require you to work four-six hours per matchday working home matches – including evening, weekend and bank holidays – as well as some other events that require Crusty’s help.

The role is Fixed Term for the duration of the football season.

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Wigan says the ideal candidates for the role will have experience of working with and managing large groups of children, are confident in performing to a public audience, and are good at engaging with supporters of all ages and backgrounds positively and proactively whilst wearing a costume.

They will also be reliable and committed/able to working all home fixtures, and have the ability to work unsupervised using their own initiative.

Wigan Athletic is on the lookout for someone to take on the role of its iconic mascot Crusty the Pie / Credit: Wigan Athletic

If the bragging rights of being Crusty itself aren’t enough, then some of the other perks that come with the role inlcude:

  • A competitive salary 
  • Complimentary tickets to all home league fixtures
  • Career development opportunities
  • Free onsite parking
  • Discounts at the Wigan Athletic club shop

Fancy it then? You can find out more about the vacancy and stick an application in for the role of Crusty the Pie on the Wigan Athletic website here.

Featured Image – Wigan Athletic

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Tom Aspinall is now the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight champion

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Greater Manchester’s very own UFC icon, Tom Aspinall, has been officially named the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Even more miraculously, he did so without even having to face an official title fight against the previous reigning champ.

With the news that legendary mixed martial artist and UFC veteran Jon Jones has decided to finally retire after more than a decade and a half in the sport, Tom Aspinall has now seen his interim heavyweight status upgraded to a full, undisputed world champion.

CEO and President of the league, Dana White, confirmed the decision this Sunday, 22 June, not long after Jon Jones announced his retirement on social media.

The moment Aspinall was named an undisputed UFC champion. You can literally hear the shock in the room when he delivers the update.

After 32-year-old Aspinall famously said, “I’ll retire Jon Jones without even fighting him” back in August 2024, it looks like the famed Salford-born fighter knew exactly how this story would play out.

Despite having long been admired as a pioneer of the sport and one of the personalities who helped put it on the map, Jones has also been heavily criticised for avoiding the Atherton-based athlete in recent years, having even been set a deadline by White to defend his title.

It got to suck a point that the local lad from Wigan even held up a rubber duck to the camera as he poked fun at Jones to millions watching worldwide while sat ringside at UFC London earlier this year.

Seeing Aspinall’s supremacy grow stronger in recent years, it was the fight every fan wanted to see; however, with Jones revealing his somewhat snap decision this week, it looks like they’ll just have to settle for him taking the crown by default.

The result of him hanging up his four-ounce gloves also means that there are now no American male champions in the UFC across all four active divisions for the first time since 2004.

As for Jones, 37, while it hasn’t come as a total shock to everyone given his hiatus (his last fight coming in November 2024 against Stipe Miocic), there were plenty who hoped they would one day see him come against the Manc MMA star.

Informing the fight world of his withdrawal in a lengthy statement on X, he said: “This decision comes after a lot of reflection, and I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the journey I’ve experienced over the years.

“From the first time I stepped into the Octagon, my goal was to push the boundaries of what was possible in this sport. Becoming the youngest UFC champion in history, defending my title against some of the best fighters in the world, and sharing unforgettable moments with fans across the globe—these are memories I’ll cherish forever.

“I’ve faced incredible highs and some tough lows, but every challenge has taught me something valuable and made me stronger, both as a fighter and as a person.” He went on to thank Dana White, his family, coaches and several others for his career thus far.

He also went on to add: “To my fellow fighters, thank you for bringing out the best in me and for the respect we’ve shared inside and outside the cage. As I close this chapter of my life, I look forward to new opportunities and challenges ahead.

“MMA will always be a part of who I am, and I’m excited to see how I can continue to contribute to the sport and inspire others in new ways. Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey with me. The best is yet to come.”

Between Aspinall’s dominance at the top of the heavy class and Liverpool’s Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett continuing to make waves in the lightweight division, it looks like the time of not just the UK but the North West might be beckoning.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — TNT Sports/Tom Aspinall/DeepCutwithVicBlends (screenshots via YouTube)

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Met Office launches nationwide search for new storm names and wants YOU to pick

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Thunderstorm sky

Is your grandma a force of nature? Does your best friend cause an impact wherever they go? Now you can give them the recognition they deserve…

By naming a storm after them, of course.

We know all the talk is about heatwaves at the moment, especially after weather forecasters have recently predicted that the UK is in for a ‘hotter than average’ summer this year, but let’s turn our eye to the upcoming storm season for a second, shall we?

That’s right – the Met Office is inviting the public to submit their suggestions for storm names for the upcoming 2025/26 season.

Now in its eleventh year, the Met Office works with Met Éireann in Ireland and KNMI in the Netherlands to compile the list every time the season rolls around, and this headline-grabbing naming initiative helps the media and the public communicate about the impacts of severe weather events more easily and effectively.

As part of the naming process, each of the three meteorological organisations will get to name storms using selected letters, with the aim being to reflect the diversity of the three countries, and in-keeping with usual storm naming conventions, names will be picked for every letter of the alphabet except for Q, U, X, Y and Z.

According to the Met Office, a number of factors are considered for a name to be on the list – including how difficult it might be to pronounce, if the name has different meanings in different countries, and if it could be considered controversial in some way.

Once the list of names is decided upon, it will be formally announced by the Met Office in September when storm season begins.

Man walking in rain
The Met Office has launched a nationwide search for new storm names and wants you to pick / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

“The storm naming system has helped us communicate weather to help people stay safe,” commented Will Lang, who is the Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, “and wow we need the UK public to help us compile a new list.

“Whether you want to honour a weather-lover in your family, remember a family pet, or get a friend’s name in the headlines, we welcome submissions from the public to help us pull together next year’s list of storm names.”

People can only submit their names online via the submissions page here, where there’s also the option of adding a reason for the suggestion, and must not be submitted via social media as they will not be counted.

Read more:

You have until 3 July 2025 to make your submissions, and the new list will be revealed in early September.

Featured Image – Johannes Plenio (via Unsplash)

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