So let me introduce them:
Latics United are a new group, looking at ways in which Wigan Athletic fans can work better together; to influence the club, other external bodies & also support the community working positively on behalf of Wigan Athletic fans.
Here is a copy of the first set of Latics United newsletters sent out earlier this week.
Have a read through, see what you think, once you’ve done, if you’re interested they’re some links to their Website and Newsletters I’ve left at the bottom of the article:
SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT
#1 ‘The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining’
This is the message often given by fans groups from Coventry to Hereford to Wimbledon. Quite a few fans of Wigan Athletic have thought this for a while. What will the landscape look like post-Whelan? Will we become another ‘Crisis Club’? Hopefully not! But there are no guarantees.
#2 ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand’
We put this out there as a concept. What it might become could very different from what it set out to become. The decision to re-launch Latics United (re-born 2015) has already received lots of fantastic support from Wigan Athletic fans which is massively appreciated.
It has also already received criticism (yes already!) from some quarters raised by people who presumably think it is not needed because there is nothing wrong with our football club. That’s fine, there might not be but we refer you back to Quote number 1.
In essence, there is no reason to oppose something which is in its current form a blank piece of paper with no agenda, only a range of thoughts and scenarios.
Our only objective is to create a group who can work together, virtually or otherwise for the common good of Wigan Athletic, positively and democratically. Everything beyond that is just ideas’, floating in the ether.
#3 ‘Every football club should have a strong, independent fans’ movement’
A football club belongs to the fans. Managers, players, staff and even chairmen are merely the latest incumbents. Custodians employed to govern, represent and manage the club in the best interests of football fans who pay through the turnstile.
A strong independent fans movement, association or trust exists to keep the custodians of their club on their toes with every decision they make.
We are fortunate enough at Wigan Athletic to have a man who has transformed Wigan Athletic in the past twenty years; giving us Latics fans the sort of experiences and memories that we could barely dream of. We know this and we are not throwing this back in his face. We are eternally gratefully.
We know how lucky we are. We have had next to nothing to complain about since the day Whelan bought into a skint football club that were struggling near the bottom of the Fourth Division in front of barely 1,500 people every other week.
But we also know that this chapter is coming to an end and another one will soon start. It will undoubtedly be a very different chapter.
This is not an opportunistic whim brought on by our current decline and league position.
This is brought on by a long-standing desire to ensure that there will always be a Wigan Athletic. We have fought enough adversity in our 83 years thus far to ever let this fantastic football club ever go the way of Wigan Borough or any of its many predecessors.
Our football club is for us and our children and their children.
A strong football club has a strong community behind it and this is what we are looking to re-build.
#4 ‘The People, United, Will Never Be Defeated’
We know that Wigan Athletic fans are the best around when faced with a crisis. We also know that it takes a crisis for us to truly respond.
We also know from the work done in the past few years by Latics United, by Worbo and Vital Wigan and of course, the club itself that we have a terrific ethos in community work, raising money for good causes and lobbying for change when we believe something is unjust.
All we are seeking for now is a consensus to foster that spirit.
We are not a political organisation, in so far as you can avoid politics in football. The only union we want to build is a fans’ union.
The core values cannot be set in stone at this stage but in essence I suggest would be the following: standing together in support of Wigan Athletic, supporting our local community; using our combined resources to influence change within our football club; and also to promote and defend the club against anyone who appears prejudiced against it.
We will be pushing the ‘Expression of Interest’ line in the coming weeks to build our numbers and presence but all we ask for now is that you sign up to our newsletter if this is something you are interested in giving your support to.
Keep the Faith
Thanks The Latics United Team
You can read more about Latics United by clicking the logo below, within the link are also details on how to sign up to their Newsletters.
Andy
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PIE AT NIGHT PODCAST
We promise you that it’s easier to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t have to rely on us to remind you when a new episode comes out.
Apple sorts can find it on iTunes here – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-pie-at-night-podcast/id1097853442?mt=2
If you prefer a different podcast app then just search for “The Pie at Night Podcast”.
You can also find us on Stitcher, here – http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-pie-at-night-pocast/the-pie-at-night-podcast
If you’re that way out, you can find and subscribe to our RSS feed here – http://feeds.feedburner.com/thepieatnight
And if you just want to take pot luck then you can find all our episodes on our Soundcloud page
