Wigan Athletic outline plans to become 'best-run club in the EFL'

It's been an eventful maiden 12 months since Danson took control on June 14 last year, with major changes taking place both on and off the field.

However, after finishing last term in the top-half of League One, the ownership group have stated their aspirations for the next step in an open letter to supporters.

"Our ambition is to play attractive and engaging football that our fans will love watching, pursuing promotion firstly to the Championship, and then back to the Premier League," the statement read.

"We aspire to be the best-run club in the EFL, leveraging our use of data and analytics to maximise our commercial and competitive potential.

"Alongside this, we want to be a driver of positive change in the town and community. We also wish to continue supporting the strong work of the Heatable Academy to develop the next generation of players. We will use our partnership with Wigan Warriors to drive towards these ambitions in a coordinated manner, working together to make both clubs stronger."

The ownership group also referenced the 'precarious position' the club was in prior to the takeover, which brought to an end the two-year reign of Phoenix 2021 Ltd.

"In the last year, we have seen time and time again the undeniable strength of this club from the players, the staff and our fans," the statement continued. "A year ago, the club was in a precarious position – on the brink of a winding up order with players and staff not being paid, facing an eight-point deduction and a transfer embargo.

"We came out the other end with a strong core of a team that has been built around our Academy players, a coaching setup ready to be competitive in the league, and a top-quality group of staff, who are helping drive the club to be a market leader in its operations and commercial potential. We spent a lot of the last year bringing costs under control, streamlining our processes and implementing foundations for the future, and it now feels in all aspects that we are ready to start building."

The statement also pointed to several 'key successes of the club over this past year', including:-

* 42 per cent of first-team minutes played by Heatable Academy graduates – the highest across all four divisions of English football

* Having the third youngest squad in the entire EFL (Having inherited the fifth oldest in the EFL)

* 12th-place finish despite an eight-point deduction with victories over five of the top six

* New long-term contracts for young stars such as Charlie Hughes, Thelo Aasgaard, Sam Tickle and more

* Launch of the Wigan Athletic Women’s team

* Work is underway to renovate Edge Hall Road as a top-class facility for Women’s Performance and Excellence

* Implementation of a new ticketing platform

* Launch of a new Future Fund scheme, bringing vital revenue into the football club