Wigan Athletic's 4 most famous celebrity supporters ft Richard Ashcroft | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at some of the famous faces who follow Wigan Athletic

Key Takeaways

Since winning promotion to the Premier League in 2005, Wigan Athletic have endured a wide range of ups and downs – from reaching the 2006 League Cup final to facing administration in 2020.

The Latics' unique rollercoaster is perhaps epitomised by the fact that the Greater Manchester outfit won the FA Cup in 2013, the same year they were relegated back to the Championship following an eight-year stint in the top flight.

Arguably, for a club of their size surrounded by neighbouring Premier League behemoths such as Manchester United and Liverpool, the club has outperformed expectations over the years by residing in the top tier for almost a decade and winning the footballing world's oldest domestic cup competition in 2013.

Despite relegation to the Championship, the Tics were rewarded for their cup-winning efforts by competing in the 2013/14 Europa League campaign, while seeing their club participate in such a prestigious competition was beyond the wildest dreams of many supporters.

Meanwhile, Football League World takes a look at some of the famous faces who have followed the Latics' journey over the years.

Richard Ashcroft

Britpop legend Richard Ashcroft, best known for being the frontman of The Verve, wrote and sung hits such as Bittersweet Symphony, Lucky Man and Love is Noise.

Born in Wigan, Ashcroft is known to be a Latics fan, while in July 2024 he performed his first gig in his hometown for 26 years at Robin Park, just a stone's throw away from the football club's Brick Community Stadium.

During his youth, the famous songwriter was even on the Latics' books as a junior footballer before focusing on his music, and an illustrious career was born.

The Lathums

Sticking with the music theme for now, fellow Wigan band The Lathums have risen to relative prominence on the UK music scene, as their debut album How Beautiful Life Can Be reached number one on the UK albums chart back in 2021.

The Lathums have displayed their support for the Latics in recent years, and ahead of the release of their first album, the football club and band collaborated to release a limited edition clothing range, including a Great Escape tee, which cleverly linked one of the band's song titles to the Tics' unlikely relegation evading exploits in 2020/21.

Stuart Maconie

Stuart Maconie is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music, alongside Mark Radcliffe.

Maconie is known to support both the Latics and their Rugby League counterpart, Wigan Warriors, while his written journalism has appeared in publications such as The Guardian.

He has written a series of books, including The Pie at Night: In Search of the North at Play.

Paul Rowley

Maconie is not the only famous radio personality with an affinity for the Latics, as former BBC Political Correspondent Paul Rowley is also a fan of the Greater Manchester outfit.

Rowley regularly posts about the club on his X account, and now works as a Wigan Athletic reporter for BBC Radio Manchester, a dream vocation for a supporter of the club.

Previously, Rowley has worked for the likes of Liverpool-based Radio City, as well as national radio station LBC.