Re: Latics in administration - Lenagan leading bid : Tue Jan 05, 2021 5:16 pm  

I think one of the reasons this £25m+ stadium is only currently valued at £2m(?) is its a massive white elephant that generates little income outside of football & Rugby match days (a small Italian Restaurant and a few weddings/party nights in the Marquee aside).

The pitch has to be relayed annually and it currently looks tired as hell as no money spent on it (other than a nice large screen in the corner). Needs massive investment and that's just for a spring clean.

Will IL take that Stadium on alone fully? I'm not sure he will.

Re: Latics in administration - Lenagan leading bid : Wed Jan 06, 2021 9:46 am  

MattyB wrote:

I think one of the reasons this £25m+ stadium is only currently valued at £2m(?) is its a massive white elephant that generates little income outside of football & Rugby match days (a small Italian Restaurant and a few weddings/party nights in the Marquee aside).

The pitch has to be relayed annually and it currently looks tired as hell as no money spent on it (other than a nice large screen in the corner). Needs massive investment and that's just for a spring clean.

Will IL take that Stadium on alone fully? I'm not sure he will.

He may have no alternative if we don't want to lose our home-base.

We have a great HQ next door, but it only has a training pitch attached.

I agree that it would be a huge cost, but surely a guy like IL would have the capability to put together a group of ambitious businessmen? You're right, the DW is a massive white elephant, but it's seemed underused for many years to me. It was only Whelan's vanity about his precious pitch - which mostly turned to mud the moment Latics got onto it, anyway - that prevented it being rented out for rock concerts and the like. In addition, I'm sure that a lot more could be done with its corporate facilities.

I'm not pretending, by the way, that Wigan Warriors playing there alone is a potential solution. I don't believe it is. But Latics' fate is no longer in their own hands. I wonder ... are there any NW Premier League clubs whose junior teams would like to share in a great playing facility?

Re: Latics in administration - Lenagan leading bid : Wed Jan 06, 2021 11:47 am  

Cruncher wrote:

He may have no alternative if we don't want to lose our home-base.

We have a great HQ next door, but it only has a training pitch attached.

I agree that it would be a huge cost, but surely a guy like IL would have the capability to put together a group of ambitious businessmen? You're right, the DW is a massive white elephant, but it's seemed underused for many years to me. It was only Whelan's vanity about his precious pitch - which mostly turned to mud the moment Latics got onto it, anyway - that prevented it being rented out for rock concerts and the like. In addition, I'm sure that a lot more could be done with its corporate facilities.

I'm not pretending, by the way, that Wigan Warriors playing there alone is a potential solution. I don't believe it is. But Latics' fate is no longer in their own hands. I wonder ... are there any NW Premier League clubs whose junior teams would like to share in a great playing facility?

Check your PMs

Re: Latics in administration - Lenagan leading bid : Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:39 pm  

Cruncher wrote:

He may have no alternative if we don't want to lose our home-base.

We have a great HQ next door, but it only has a training pitch attached.

I agree that it would be a huge cost, but surely a guy like IL would have the capability to put together a group of ambitious businessmen? You're right, the DW is a massive white elephant, but it's seemed underused for many years to me. It was only Whelan's vanity about his precious pitch - which mostly turned to mud the moment Latics got onto it, anyway - that prevented it being rented out for rock concerts and the like. In addition, I'm sure that a lot more could be done with its corporate facilities.

I'm not pretending, by the way, that Wigan Warriors playing there alone is a potential solution. I don't believe it is. But Latics' fate is no longer in their own hands. I wonder ... are there any NW Premier League clubs whose junior teams would like to share in a great playing facility?

Obviously the current situation makes it incredibly difficult to plan for anything, but like you I think that, should things return to normal, an ambitious business man would see some opportunity there. Conferences, concerts, weddings, parties, charity nights, sportsman's dinners, pantos for the little ones etc.

Re: Latics in administration - Lenagan leading bid : Wed Jan 06, 2021 2:58 pm  

Cruncher wrote:

He may have no alternative if we don't want to lose our home-base.

We have a great HQ next door, but it only has a training pitch attached.

I agree that it would be a huge cost, but surely a guy like IL would have the capability to put together a group of ambitious businessmen? You're right, the DW is a massive white elephant, but it's seemed underused for many years to me. It was only Whelan's vanity about his precious pitch - which mostly turned to mud the moment Latics got onto it, anyway - that prevented it being rented out for rock concerts and the like. In addition, I'm sure that a lot more could be done with its corporate facilities.

I'm not pretending, by the way, that Wigan Warriors playing there alone is a potential solution. I don't believe it is. But Latics' fate is no longer in their own hands. I wonder ... are there any NW Premier League clubs whose junior teams would like to share in a great playing facility?

As stated elsewhere, the stadium isn't as much a white elephant as made out IMO. £1.5 million loss appears stark, but when you look into it, approx.500k of those loses are accounting rather than real losses - depreciation on an asset valued at 22m in the accounts. So real, tangible losses are circa £1m. Not bad when you think a) its been hugely underutilised and poorly run and b) has not sold any naming rights since 2018. Still the DW, whelan last paid for it in 2018.

Most stadium naming rights sell for around half a mil per year, so do that, run it properly with a couple of concerts and business events like Warrington and Leeds do, a loss making facility soon becomes an additional source of income.

Im sure a NW premier league club would be interested in sharing - don't widnes have liverpool reserves for example and united at Leigh etc. Theres lots of options, but keeping latics going is beneficial for all parties. If a deal could be done which secured the stadium AND finds a third party to keep the football club in business, that is what it really needs. If leneghan paid 3mil for the stadium, the football club could probably be bought for a pound, all you need is someone who'll take on the losses - has to be the way forward IMO.

DW is probably too costly for us or latics to run alone.

Re: Latics in administration - Lenagan leading bid : Wed Jan 06, 2021 9:59 pm  

I think that we should go down the Barcelona route and create a multisports club with Football and Rugby League sections. Then we can invite on board all the other local sports and before you know it we will be a sporting world leader who are the envy of the cash rich Jonny come latelies. Nurse the frog pills please.

Re: Latics in administration - Lenagan leading bid : Thu Jan 07, 2021 9:37 am  

Levrier wrote:

I think that we should go down the Barcelona route and create a multisports club with Football and Rugby League sections. Then we can invite on board all the other local sports and before you know it we will be a sporting world leader who are the envy of the cash rich Jonny come latelies. Nurse the frog pills please.

Personally I think its a great idea! Buy them and rename them 'AFC Wigan Warriors' Can you imagine how the ticheads would foam at the mouth!!! Got to be worth 3m of anyone's money......the days when you wish you were rich!

Re: Latics in administration - Lenagan leading bid : Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:38 pm  

A mess created by a pipe dream of Whelan with support of the Council that Wigan could become a big football town instead of Rugby League.

The capacity of the stadium should never have been more that 20,000 as the vast majoriy of attendances of both clubs since it was built have never been above that figure. Only games against St Helens, World Club Challenge and Internationals in Rugby and some Latic's games when they were in the Premiership have exceeded that figure.

And where is the creator of the mess and the white elephant now, just enjoying a life of leisure in Barbados off his ill gotten gains.

You would think that our elected Councillors would have had more sense!

Re: Latics in administration - Lenagan leading bid : Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:49 pm  

afootingmiracle21-12 wrote:

As stated elsewhere, the stadium isn't as much a white elephant as made out IMO. £1.5 million loss appears stark, but when you look into it, approx.500k of those loses are accounting rather than real losses - depreciation on an asset valued at 22m in the accounts. So real, tangible losses are circa £1m. Not bad when you think a) its been hugely underutilised and poorly run and b) has not sold any naming rights since 2018. Still the DW, whelan last paid for it in 2018.

Most stadium naming rights sell for around half a mil per year, so do that, run it properly with a couple of concerts and business events like Warrington and Leeds do, a loss making facility soon becomes an additional source of income.

Im sure a NW premier league club would be interested in sharing - don't widnes have liverpool reserves for example and united at Leigh etc. Theres lots of options, but keeping latics going is beneficial for all parties. If a deal could be done which secured the stadium AND finds a third party to keep the football club in business, that is what it really needs. If leneghan paid 3mil for the stadium, the football club could probably be bought for a pound, all you need is someone who'll take on the losses - has to be the way forward IMO.

DW is probably too costly for us or latics to run alone.

Not sure why everyone seems to think the DW can be turned into some sort of Madison Square Garden style venue at the flick of a switch. Why would anyone want to come to an open air stadium in sunny Wigan? I can only think of 3 concerts in local stadiums to us in the last 5 years and the two stadiums (Bolton and Leigh) have better links to motorways/major roads than us.

Re: Latics in administration - Lenagan leading bid : Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:59 pm  

Suzy Banyon wrote:

Not sure why everyone seems to think the DW can be turned into some sort of Madison Square Garden style venue at the flick of a switch. Why would anyone want to come to an open air stadium in sunny Wigan? I can only think of 3 concerts in local stadiums to us in the last 5 years and the two stadiums (Bolton and Leigh) have better links to motorways/major roads than us.

Granted they're a city and more of a famous venue but the weather issue comes into play. The Etihad holds regular concerts as does Old Trafford cricket ground and now Anfield holds them after getting a licence.

I also believe St Helens has hosted one or was scheduled to.