New Wigan Athletic CEO pens open letter to the fans after being cleared to begin role
Anthony Cole-Johnson received clearance to begin his duties as Wigan Athletic CEO on Friday evening, after being appointed last month following the departure of Sarah Guilfoyle as managing director.
He has been in attendance at Latics' games so far, and has already met some of the fanbase ahead of officially starting his role.
Ahead of Saturday's visit of Stockport County, he penned an open letter to the fanbase to outline his hopes and aspirations for the weeks, months and hopefully years ahead.
"I am writing to you after the Independent Football Regulator approved my appointment in role here at Wigan Athletic, and I am now in a position to take up my formal duties as CEO," he wrote.
"Though it has been a few weeks since I arrived in Wigan, the wait has given me the opportunity to meet staff, sponsors and fans alike, whether it has been at Laticafé, Heritage Museum, Memories, Edge Hall Road, or time with the Academy watching the pathway that's building our future first-team players, or games at the Brick Community Stadium, to try and get a real feel for the Football Club, which I have really enjoyed.
"From spending time with our staff across our sites at the Brick Community Stadium, Robin Park, Stadium Way, and Christopher Park, I have been energised by the ambition and pride within the club, the plans in place to take on the challenges we face, and the care taken in what they do day in and day out. I would like to publicly thank them all for their commitment to Wigan Athletic.
"I have had the chance to meet several sponsors and hospitality guests of the club, and although I haven’t gotten around to everyone yet, I would like to thank them for their support.
"An engaged, active business base is fundamental to any club's success, and we are lucky to have a core set of sponsors that support key areas of the club, which, alongside the investment from our owners, enable us to improve facilities and infrastructure, such as the refurbished pitches at Christopher Park, undertaken this close season.
"However, it is a priority of mine and the commercial team to engage further and deeper with the businesses of Wigan and the surrounding areas, showcasing the benefits of our huge social reach and amplifying their priorities across our many sponsor assets, as well as encouraging more fans to experience the award-winning hospitality at the stadium.
"Football is a results business, and of course, the ideal is to win every game. Watching the progress of the first team over the last four weeks has been really encouraging and, frankly, rewarding for everyone at the club.
"It is clear that the style of play Gary Caldwell has adopted is exciting, and you can see he wants to play on the front foot.
"With the transfer window closed, we welcomed 14 new players to the club, boosting the squad profile significantly. It is clear that League One remains an extremely competitive league, with clubs running significant deficit budgets in the many millions, and to compete, we need to drive up our revenues alongside the significant investment from the ownership board, and that will be my priority.
"We will look to share more communication shortly, across all platforms. Up the Tics!"