Wigan Athletic reveals new mascot - and it's a giant pie!

Crusty was designed by two local children, Cayden, eight, and Neve, nine, as part of a competition ran by the club as part of the Premier League Primary Stars programme and with the Wigan Athletic Community Trust.

The Primary Stars programme provides PE, PSHE Support, competitions and a number of other activities for over 90 Primary Schools a year across Wigan.

More than 50 per cent of entries were a pie.

Cayden and Neve presented the new mascot to the world live on Sky Sports on Friday alongside Peter Reid, the former England international who currently works as part of Latics’ coaching staff.

They will both lead Latics out as mascots for the Championship opener with Cardiff City on Saturday, along with Crusty.

Speaking about the design and how pleased they were with the final product, Cayden and Neve said:

“We designed Crusty like this because everyone in Wigan loves pies.

“It took us about 30 minutes or an hour to design – it took a long time to choose the exact colours.

“We can’t wait for the new season to start; it is really exciting to be mascots tomorrow and walk out with the team and Crusty at the DW Stadium.”

Wigan Athletic’s Head of Business Development and Customer Experience, Jonty Castle, added: “Crusty is an invention by two local children – Cayden and Neve – as part of a competition we ran this summer as part of the Premier League Primary Stars Programme.

“We didn’t have a mascot last season and we thought it would be a great idea to go into Primary Schools and get the creativity and initiative flowing for local children.

“There was a huge response and the local schools thought it was a great idea and a great way to connect with local children to develop the next generation of fans.

“It should put a smile on people’s faces, it is a bit of light-hearted fun and a great opportunity for the children involved.

“And what a way to go live with the signing – Peter Reid legend of the game and great behind the scenes with us – live on Sky Sports with Neve and Cayden.”