I also think he would make sure the club is run well

Struggle to get there pal. They've cordoned it off. Temporary traffic lights.

Put another 10 minutes on my journey.

Couldnt give a **** eggy
You don't even drive!

Righto

I think you have to be pragmatic about it and bin the anti-Latics mentality.

If there is no Wigan Athletic then I doubt Wigan RL can afford the rent of the stadium alone and how would the company that owns the stadium survive off what Wigan RL could pay?

So I presume the motivation from IL is to ensure there is another tenant of the DW with both clubs under the “Wigan Sporting Partnership” banner.

However for me there must be more too it than just rescuing Latics with things carrying on as before.

By that I mean if it is a partnership then the RL club needs to benefit from a 50% share in all non sporting revenue the stadium generates. So food & beverage sales and any income from corporate events held at the stadium etc.

It would also be good to see an end to the ridiculous mid summer enforced exile for several weeks and it seeming to be its always the RL club that must compromise on fixtures. There is no longer a valid reason for this. The likes of Huddersfield and Hull do not go on the road for eight weeks and they share with football teams. We must be the only SL club in the summer rugby era that plays in winter!

I have always argued we get a good deal off renting the stadium. Cheap rent and low overheads but it's obvious with the Fans Village initiative IL has been looking to earn more match day revenue. If it’s keeping things as they are for the RL club with no revenue from the stadium and fixtures still moved then I can't see this being popular with Wigan RL fans. It will just be seen as a distraction for IL as when he was involved with Oxford United and the Football League.

I suppose it depends on what is cheaper for Wigan RL. Carry on renting or being in a partnership within which the club shares the stadium revenue. The former has the drawbacks of being the junior partner and I for one am a bit sick of it.

I am concerned that it could end up costing us more? We only pay 300k a year for the stadium currently, i doubt we will get a better deal than that?

Where has the figure of 300k come from as I have always understood that it was only 200k.

We all are and the people to blame for it are Wigan Council for not doing what they should have done 24 years ago by making sure that the Stadium was owned by a independent company as was the original intention when the idea of a joint stadium was first suggested in 1994 and not by one man like Whelan, especially when only around 20% of the construction cost of the stadium came out of his own pocket with most of it coming from other sources and the 14% share by the Council.

We can only hope that the bid by the Lenagan Led Consortium is successful with both clubs and the stadium all coming under the same umbrella and puts a end to the folly of the Council.

Wigan RL were lucky to even be playing at the stadium

It probably will cost more BUT we will also have more income to balance it out.

The stadium is 20 years old. How much do you think needs spending on it?

I would imagine thats an ongoing cost for every stadium.

Yes it is
But without going into detail, certain previous owner knew that many millions were required to be spent on the stadium to comply with various H&S requirements etc. He didnt spend it and sold it on.
The last owners hadnt spent it as of Dec 2019, so its still required and it goes into the multiple millions.
The ongoing costs of running the stadium are massive.

Egg chasing mentions Wigan rlfc increased rent could be offset by taking a cut of the profits.
Really obvious statement, but it's been losing over £1m a year consistantly and it will be greater now, and they still have to spend the above to comply with H&S on top of the yearly losses, BEFORE any profits can be thought of.

We had a cracking deal - 10% of our gate money!