JJB Stadium

Infobox Stadium

stadium_name = JJB Stadium


caption = View of the JJB from the South Stand during a game between Wigan Athletic and Gillingham in 2004
nickname = The JJB
fullname = JJB Stadium
location = Robin Park, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England
built = 1999
opened = 1999
owner = Whelco Holdings
seating_capacity = 25,135
tenants = Wigan Athletic F.C. (1999-present)
Wigan Warriors (1999-present)
Orrell R.U.F.C. (2002-2003)
dimensions = 114 x 74 yards
The JJB Stadium (often referred to as The JJB) is a sports stadium located within the Robin Park Complex in Newtown, Wigan, Lancashire. It is the home ground of both Wigan Athletic F.C. and Wigan RLFC. The stadium is named after its principal sponsor, the sporting goods retailer JJB Sports (whose former chairman, David Whelan, owns Wigan Athletic).

The stadium

The stadium design is based on cantilevered prefabricated steel roof and terrace structuring. It is an all-seater arena with a seating capacity of 25,135.

The stands are rectangular and both ends have the supporting steel girders suspended from beneath the roof. The four stands are of roughly the same height, the stadium is not totally enclosed, all corners being open.

At both Wigan Athletic and Wigan RLFC matches away supporters are situated in the North Stand behind the goal. This stand holds 5,418 spectators.

The pitch uses a sand-based matrix which contains an irrigation and under-soil heating system. The pitch is natural grass with a 2% synthetic fibre infusion which helps to stabilise the pitch profiles.

tand Seating Capacity

*East Stand: 8,205
*West Stand: 6,100
*South Stand: 5,412
*North Stand: 5,418

History

Wigan Athletic had spent the previous 102 years playing at Springfield Park, before 1932 as Wigan Borough.

The stadium was built by Alfred McAlpine [ [http://www.jjbstadium.co.uk/facts/ JJB Stadium Facts & figures] ] and completed in August 1999. Wigan Athletic's first match at the JJB Stadium was actually a friendly against Morecambe, just before the stadium's official opening.

The stadium's inauguration was marked with a friendly between Wigan Athletic and neighbours Manchester United, who were then reigning European Champions, with Sir Alex Ferguson officially opening the stadium. The first competitive football match there took place on 7 August 1999, with Wigan Athletic facing Scunthorpe United in a Division Two match. Simon Haworth scored twice, including the first competitive goal at the new stadium, as Athletic triumphed 3-0.

The first away team to win a competitive football match at the JJB stadium was Wigan Athletic. A first round FA Cup tie against non-league Cambridge City was played there due to City's ground being deemed unsuitable to host the tie. Wigan played in their change strip and used the away dressing room since it was technically a 'home' game for Cambridge City. A Stuart Barlow brace secured the win for Wigan.

Wigan RLFC lost their first game at the stadium on 19 September, 1999, which was a play-off match against Castleford. In 2001 Wigan never lost a competitive match at the JJB Stadium.

On 7 March 2005 Greater Manchester police announced that they would stop policing Wigan Athletic matches at the stadium from 2 April. This move would almost certainly have resulted in the stadium's safety certificate being revoked, effectively forcing the team to play behind closed doors. The move was part of an ongoing dispute between the police force and David Whelan surrounding £300,000 in unpaid policing costs. The police's decision would not have affected Wigan RLFC, whose games are stewarded instead of policed. The situation was temporarily resolved on 8 March with both sides reaching an agreement that would allow Athletic to play at the ground until the end of the season. Four months later, Wigan, facing the prospect of playing their home games in the FA Premier League in an empty stadium, grudgingly paid the money they owed to the police. However, the club are now appealing against the payments in court.

Further problems emerged when on 7 September, 2008 Wigan RLFC announced plans to move to a neutral venue (Eventually announced as the Widnes home ground, the Stobart Stadium) for the club's upcoming Super League play-off against Bradford Northern after it was announced that the JJB Stadium would be unavailable to the rugby league club due to a football match between Wigan Athletic and Sunderland taking place less than 24 hours later. [ [http://www.wiganwarriors.com/news_full.asp?newsid=4179 Change of Venue for Wigan Play-Off Game] ] . The decision to move venues has had a hostile response with many of the town's rugby league supporters [ [http://forums.rlfans.com/viewtopic.php?t=376422&start=0 Playoff fixture change fury here 2] ] [ [http://www.wigantoday.net/warriors/Fans39-fury-over-venue-switch.4471941.jp Fans' fury over venue switch] ] with a majority of fans finding the JJB Stadium owner and Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan at fault for the controversy, something picked up upon by the national press. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_league/article4710185.ece Wigan Wariors must pitch in at Widnes] ] [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyleague/2706578/Wigan-Warriors-forced-to-change-venue-for-home-draw---Rugby-League.html Wigan Warriors forced to change venue for home draw] ]

Average attendances

Wigan (Rugby League):
* 2000 Average Crowd = 10,536 in Super League (Europe)
* 2001 Average Crowd = 11,334 in Super League (Europe)
* 2002 Average Crowd = 10,436 in Super League (Europe)
* 2003 Average Crowd = 10,387 in Super League (Europe)
* 2004 Average Crowd = 12,434 in Super League (Europe)
* 2005 Average Crowd = 13,894 in Super League (Europe)
* 2006 Average Crowd = 14,464 in Super League (Europe)
* 2007 Average Crowd = 16,039 in Super League (Europe)cite news
title = Warriors Set New Attendance Record
url = http://www.wiganwarriors.com/news_full.asp?newsid=3262
publisher = Wigan Warriors Official Website
date = 2007-09-15
accessdate = 2007-10-31]
* 2008 Average Crowd = 14,505 in Super League (Europe)

Wigan Athletic (Football):
* 2000/2001 Average Crowd = 6,774 in Football League Second Division
* 2001/2002 Average Crowd = 5,771 in Football League Second Division
* 2002/2003 Average Crowd = 7,283 in Football League Second Division
* 2003/2004 Average Crowd = 9,530 in Football League First Division
* 2004/2005 Average Crowd = 11,155 in Football League Championship
* 2005/2006 Average Crowd = 20,904 in F.A. Premier League
* 2006/2007 Average Crowd = 18,159 in F.A. Premier League
* 2007/2008 Average Crowd = 19,046 in Premier Leaguecite news
title = Premier League 2007/2008 » Attendance
url = http://www.worldfootball.net/zuschauer/eng-premier-league-2007-2008/1/
publisher = World Football.net
date = 2008-08-02
accessdate = 2008-08-02]

Records (Football and Rugby League)

Record Attendance (Football): 25,133 v Manchester United, 11 May 2008 (Premier League)

Record Attendance (Football): 25,023 v Liverpool F.C., 11 February 2006 (FA Premier League)

Record Attendance (Football): 25,017 v Manchester City F.C., 26 December 2005 (FA Premier League)

Record Attendance (Football): 25,004 v Arsenal F.C., 19 November 2005 (FA Premier League)

Record Attendance (Rugby League): 25,004, Great Britain vs. Australia, 13 November 2004

Record Attendance (Rugby League): 25,004, vs. St Helens , 25 March 2005

Record Attendance (Overall): 25,133 Wigan Athletic v Manchester United 11 May 2008 (Premier League)

References

External links

* [http://www.jjbstadium.co.uk JJB Stadium official site]
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=WN5+0UH&ll=53.547575,-2.653241&spn=0.010505,0.042915&t=k JJB Stadium] at Google Maps