This may come as something of a shock to devotees of the round ball game in Wigan.  Followers of Wigan’s Premier sports team have always been under the impression that Wigan Athletic is a name synonymous only with all that is great in the world of Association Football.

However, there was a team based in Scholes in 1910 that went under the name of Wigan Athletic and they played the game that was the forerunner of modern day Rughy League.

They are listed in the ‘Northern Union Official Guide 1910/11’ as being members of the Wigan and District Northern Union League.  Apparently the club was based at the Gibraltar Hotel and their colours were claret and gold with white shirts.  It is unclear how long the club was in operation, but it seems they were defunct just three years later.

A full sized photograph is available on the wonderful Wigan World website.

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