Brick Community Stadium

The Brick Community Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Robin Park in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is used by Wigan Warriors rugby league club and Wigan Athletic football club. The stadium is owned by local businessman, Mike Danson, who owns both Wigan Athletic and the Wigan Warriors.

Built and opened in 1999, it was initially the JJB Stadium after its main sponsor. In UEFA matches, it was called Wigan Athletic Stadium due to UEFA regulations on sponsorship. From 2009 to 2024, it was renamed the DW Stadium, and from 13 May 2024, it was again renamed, this time as the Brick Community Stadium, reflecting a partnership with a local charity.

The stadium was built by Alfred McAlpine. Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors moved into it from their long-term homes of Springfield Park and Central Park respectively. International rugby league matches have also taken place at the venue.

Its current capacity is 25,138—seated in four single-tier stands—and its record attendance was on 11 May 2008 when 25,133 people watched Wigan Athletic play Manchester United in the final match of the 2007–08 Premier League season.

History

JJB Stadium era

The stadium was built by Alfred McAlpine and completed in August 1999.

Wigan Athletic had spent the previous 67 years playing at Springfield Park, and their first match at what was initially called the JJB Stadium was a friendly against Morecambe, just before the stadium's official opening.

thumb|The JJB Stadium logo (1999–2009)

The stadium's inauguration was marked with a friendly between Wigan Athletic and neighbours Manchester United – who were then reigning European champions, Premier League champions and FA Cup holders – with United's manager Sir Alex Ferguson officially opening the stadium.

The first competitive football match there took place on 7 August 1999, with Wigan Athletic facing Scunthorpe United in a Second Division match. Simon Haworth scored twice, including the first competitive goal at the new stadium, as Athletic won 3–0.

Wigan Warriors moved to the stadium a month after it opened, once they had played their final home game of the 1999 regular season at Central Park, which had been the club's home since 1902. After their former ground was sold, the possibility of ground sharing with Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium (now University of Bolton Stadium) was presented, but the new stadium in Wigan was chosen instead. Their first game there was a play-off match against Castleford Tigers, which they lost, on 19 September. The Warriors did not lose a competitive match at the stadium in 2001 and 2020.

thumb|right|350px|A view of the DW Stadium, from the bridge crossing the [[Leeds and Liverpool Canal]]

The first away team to win a competitive football match at the stadium was Wigan Athletic. A first round FA Cup tie against non-league Cambridge City was played there due to City's ground being deemed unsuitable to host the tie. Wigan played in their changed strip and used the away dressing room since it was technically a 'home' game for Cambridge City. A Stuart Barlow brace secured the win for Wigan.

On 7 September 2008, Wigan Warriors revealed plans to take their Super League Play-Off against Bradford Bulls to a neutral venue. The controversial relocation was forced due to a fixture clash, with a match between football clubs Wigan Athletic and Sunderland to take place less than 24 hours after the Super League match. Whelan, who controlled Wigan Athletic, refused permission for the Warriors to stage their elimination at the stadium, citing concerns over the playing surface. The game was relocated to Widnes Vikings home ground, the Stobart Stadium.

The stadium's average attendance has increased significantly since its opening in 1999. The Wigan Warriors' average attendance has increased by 32.5% from its first full season at the stadium in 2000, and Wigan Athletic's average attendance has increased by 181.2% from the 2000–01 season. The highest recorded attendance for a rugby league match is shared between three fixtures; the Wigan Warriors' fixture against St Helens R.F.C. on 25 March 2005; Game 4 of the 2005 Tri-Nations series between Great Britain and Australia on 6 November; and Game 5 of the 2004 Tri-Nations series between Great Britain and Australia on 13 November at 25,004 each. The highest recorded football attendance at the stadium was Wigan Athletic's home fixture against Manchester United on 11 May 2008—the final day of the 2007–08 Premier League season—with 25,133 fans attending. This is the stadium's highest recorded overall attendance to date, and was the match where Manchester United were crowned Premier League champions for that season.

DW Stadium era

thumb|The DW Stadium logo 2009–2018

In March 2009, Dave Whelan acquired a chain of fitness clubs from JJB Sports. In the process, Whelan used the business to set up a new venture, DWSportsfitness and announced that the stadium name would change to the DW Stadium in August. Whelan also announced that at the same time the stadium was renamed, its ownership would pass from himself to Wigan Athletic. Concerns about the future of Wigan Warriors were arrested in the same announcement, as Whelan extended the lease on the stadium by 50 years for the rugby league team. As Wigan Athletic had spent many years in the lower leagues it was recognised that most of their players were not known, so the West Stand was renamed 'The Springfield Stand' after the club's former ground. Later that month it was announced that Frasers Group would buy "certain" assets from DW Sports Fitness for £37m, but would not be using the firm's brand name.

The match of 8 October 2022 against Cardiff City was controversial when it turned out one goal was bigger than the other. The match went ahead when officials ruled that there was no advantage to either team as they changed ends at half-time. Cardiff won 3–1.

The Brick Community Stadium era

From 13 May 2024, the stadium was renamed The Brick Community Stadium, following a partnership with a local Wigan charity, The Brick, which works to address poverty and homelessness. The name will remain in place until the end of 2025; Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors committed to securing a long-term commercial stadium partner for 2026 and beyond.

Structure and facilities

The stadium design is based on cantilevered, prefabricated steel roof and terrace structuring.

The seats are a mixture of both resident teams' main colours of red and blue. The stadium is fully compliant with safety guidelines for a sports ground.

Heatable South Stand (south)

Capacity – 5,400

The South Stand was named the "Leam Richardson stand" in November 2021, after Wigan Athletic striker Charlie Wyke collapsed during training after suffering a cardiac arrest. Following his discharge from hospital Wyke praised Richardson's swift initiation of CPR saying: "...my life has been saved by the actions of the gaffer [Leam Richardson] and the club doctor Jonathan Tobin...". It is used to seat the home fans behind the goal, opposite to the away fans in the North Stand.

In January 2024, the stand was renamed as the "Heatable South Stand", for the remainder of the 2023/24, and 2024/25 seasons, as part of a multi year deal.

North Stand

Capacity- 5,400

At both Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors matches, away supporters are situated in the North Stand behind the goal. Occasionally, during rugby games which attract low away support, the 5,400 capacity North Stand is closed altogether, and the away fans who attend are put into an alternative stand.

Attendances

thumb|The record attendance at the DW Stadium was on the final day of the [[2007–08 Premier League, where Manchester United were crowned champions after beating Wigan Athletic in front of a crowd of 25,133]]

Wigan Athletic FC

Wigan Athletic's success has improved considerably since their move to the stadium from Springfield Park in 1999. The club subsequently climbed up two divisions to play in the Premier League from 2005 until 2013.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; width:45%;"

|- style="background:#c1d8ff;"

! rowspan="2" style="width:80px;"|Year

! colspan="2"|Attendance

|- style="background:#ccc;"

! Average

! Highest

| 2000–01 [D3]

| 6,861

| 10,048 (vs. Bristol City)

| 2009–10 [PL]

| 18,006 The same season saw the highest ever attendance at the stadium, when 25,133 people witnessed Wigan play Manchester United on the final day of the season. Premier League attendances fell on average by around 426 per club during the 2008–09 season. Wigan Athletic's home attendance fell by more than this, with their average attendance for the 2008–09 season falling by 633 from the season before.

| 13,374 (vs. Castleford Tigers)

| 19,186 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

| 21,073 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

| 18,789 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

| 21,790 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

| 20,052 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

| 25,004 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

| 18,358 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

| 24,028 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

| 19,958 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

| 22,232 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

| 22,701 (vs. Warrington Wolves)

| 19,210 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

|align=center| 2023 [SL]

| 13,497

| 24,275 (vs. St Helens R.F.C.)

|align=center| 2024 [SL]

| 14,910

| 24,091 (vs. Penrith Panthers)

|align=center| 2025 [SL]

| 17,088

| 24,294 (vs. St Helens)

|span style="font-size:75%;" colspan="3"| SL = Super League |*Covid restricted attendances

thumb|upright=1.2|Average and highest attendances for the Wigan Warriors at the stadium between 1999 and 2008

Attendances have generally risen for the Wigan Warriors since the start of the 2002 season, averaging around 14,000 over the three seasons from 2006 to 2009. Aside from Grand Finals, the largest Super League attendance was recorded at the stadium in 2005 when Wigan Warriors played their local rivals, St Helens R.F.C. The 20,000 attendance mark has also been surpassed in World Club Challenge fixtures against NRL clubs St George-Illawarra in 2011, Cronulla Sharks in 2017, and Sydney Roosters in 2019. In 2010, the Warriors were officially the biggest supported team in the Super League.

Other events

thumb|The final home Test for [[Great Britain national rugby league team|Great Britain against New Zealand, played at the stadium in 2007]]

As well as the fixtures for the two domestic teams, the stadium is a venue for international rugby league. Since the stadium's construction in 1999, it has been an ever-present venue whenever International series have been played in England.

Its first involvement came during the 2004 series, where the home Great Britain and Ireland national team defeated the Australians 24–12, with Terry Newton and Andy Farrell both scoring in their home town of Wigan.

In addition to the Tri-Nations, the stadium has also played host to visiting nations during their European tours. Australia played Great Britain in front of a sell-out crowd during the 2001 Kangaroo tour, with the home side losing 8–28. Australia narrowly defeated Great Britain again in 2003 at the stadium, winning by a margin of four points during their 2003 European Tour. New Zealand have also played at the stadium during their tours. In 2002, a try scored in his home town by Martin Gleeson helped Great Britain to defeat the 'Kiwis' 16–10. The visitors lost again during their 2007 tour, this time 28–22 in a closely fought game in which Wigan-born Sean O'Loughlin featured.

The stadium has hosted the World Club Challenge four times, in 2000, between St. Helens and the Melbourne Storm in 2011 when Wigan took on St. George Illawarra Dragons. and in 2015 and 2016 when Wigan Warriors hosted the Brisbane Broncos.

In 2025, the stadium hosted the Women's Super League Grand Final between Wigan Warriors and St Helens.

Rugby league test matches

Since its opening in 1999, the stadium has hosted a number of rugby league internationals.

{| class="wikitable"

|- style="background:#bdb76b;"

! Date !! Team 1 !! Result !! Team 2 !! Event !! Attendance

| 24 November 2001 || || 8–28 || || 2001 Kangaroo tour|| 25,011

| 23 November 2002 || || 16–10 || || 2002 Kiwi tour|| 22,247

| 8 November 2003 || || 18–22 || || 2003 Kangaroo tour|| 24,614

| 13 November 2004 || || 24–12 || || 2004 Tri-Nations|| 25,004

| 6 November 2005 || || 6–20 || || 2005 Tri-Nations|| 25,004

| 10 November 2007 || || 28–22 || || 2007 All Golds tour|| 21,235

| 9 November 2009 || || 16–26 || || 2009 Four Nations|| 23,122

| 1 November 2013 || || 34–6 || || 2013 World Cup quarter-final|| 22,276

| 14 November 2015 || || 20–14 || || 2015 Kiwi tour|| 24,741

| rowspan="2"| 5 November 2022 || || 54–4 || || 2021 World Cup group stage || rowspan="2"| 23,179 (double header)

| || 46–6 || || 2021 World Cup quarter-final

| 27 October 2024 || || 34–18 || || 2024 Samoa tour || 15,137

Surroundings

thumb|right|The Wigan skyline, featuring the stadium

The stadium's surroundings are mostly urban, as it is located in the north of Wigan's Robin Park retail complex in the western suburb of Newtown, on the south bank of the River Douglas, west of the Miry Lane industrial estate. The stadium's car parks are situated around the canal, and can hold up to 2,500 cars. Both of the Wigan railway stations, Wigan Wallgate and Wigan North Western lie east of the stadium.

Robin Park Arena and Sports Centre

Robin Park Arena and Sports Centre consists of two facilities; Robin Park Arena, an outdoor football/rugby and athletics stadium, and Robin Park Sports Centre, an indoor multi-sports facility.

Robin Park Arena

Located adjacent to the Brick Community Stadium's South Stand lies the Robin Park Arena, which is operated by Wigan Warriors and has a seating capacity of 1,000 spectators. The arena is mainly used as the indoor and outdoor training ground for Wigan Warriors and also athletics. It also houses Wigan Warriors club shop, selling merchandise. The ground hosted the club's women's fixtures until their move to Edge Hall Road in 2026.

The ground was formerly used as a home venue for North West Counties Football League side Wigan Robin Park, and Wigan Athletic Reserves.

In May 2026, the ground hosted an RFL 1895 Cup quarter-final between Widnes Vikings and Newcastle Thunder.

Robin Park Sports Centre

Located across the road from the Brick Community Stadium, The Robin Park Sports Centre is home to Wigan Warriors Wheelchair team and has hosted the 2024 wheelchair rugby league European Club Challenge, in addition to a 2024 international between England and France. The arena will host the 2026 Wheelchair Challenge Cup final.

;Wheelchair rugby league test matches