Wigan Athletic confirm key arrival in January

After 18 months of chairman Ben Goodman also acting as interim chief executive, Latics have identified a new managing director, who will start next month.

"Following our restructuring of the stadium and football club into two separate entities, we are delighted to share that we have identified and secured a managing director of the football club and a managing director of the stadium," said Goodburn.

"These are pivotal roles and skill sets in the next phase of our journey and will provide a laser focus on improving our football operations and our venue experience. Both positions start in January and the board looks forward to unveiling these talented individuals to our supporters next month."

The ownership group has also invested in a CRM Manager, which will work across both clubs.

"This will now enable us to work through data to build a better picture of our fan bases and market more efficiently which will ultimately improve attendances," added Goodburn. "We currently have over 6,300 season ticket holders, and that number is growing week-to-week with half season ticket sales."

Plans are also well advanced to move Latics staff into Robin Park Arena in the spring of 2025, so staff can work more coherently, cooperatively, and commercially under one roof.

"The plans involve an extensive renovation of the current offices to provide our staff with an innovative and contemporary working environment as we strive to be the best employer in the community," said Goodburn.

"Operations and ticketing will still be based at the stadium, but there have already been moves to bring both clubs closer together for mutual benefit, such as the ticket office, group retail, and the people team."

Goodburn also pledged Latics are looking to 'improve the squad in key positions' next month.

"(Sporting director) Gregor Rioch, (head of recruitment) Stephen Gormal and his recruitment team have been working continuously throughout this period in conjunction with the manager and the board with a view to our investment to improve the squad in key positions in January," he added. "You can see how tight the league is with seven points separating 12 teams, but we must now find a level of consistency in the second part of the season."