Retro Wigan Athletic Shirt – FA Cup Giants & Premier League Era

Wigan Athletic were founded in 1932, but their journey to the Football League didn't begin until 1978 when they were finally elected to the Fourth Division – an achievement that had eluded earlier incarnations of football in the town. For much of the mid-twentieth century, Wigan was unambiguously a rugby league town, with the mighty Wigan Warriors dominating local sporting affection. Football was very much the secondary code. Yet Athletic persevered through the lower divisions with modest ambitions and a loyal local following.

The real transformation came with the takeover by Dave Whelan in 1995. The former Blackburn Rovers winger – famously injured in the 1960 FA Cup Final – brought financial muscle and serious ambition to the JJB Stadium (later the DW Stadium). Under his stewardship, Wigan climbed rapidly through the divisions, and Paul Jewell's appointment as manager in 2001 proved inspired. The club won the Football League Championship in 2005, earning promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Wigan's eight-season stint in the top flight from 2005 to 2013 was a triumph of organisation over resources. They survived repeated relegation battles through a combination of tactical nous, spirit, and some smart recruitment. Managers like Steve Bruce, Roberto Martínez, and Owen Coyle all contributed to keeping the Latics afloat among football's elite.

But the defining moment came on 11 May 2013. Already relegated from the Premier League, Wigan Athletic took on the might of Manchester City in the FA Cup Final at Wembley. In the 91st minute, substitute Ben Watson glanced home a corner to give the Latics a 1-0 victory that stunned English football. It was the club's first – and to date only – major trophy, and it came on the grandest stage of all, just days before they were confirmed as relegated.

The years since have been turbulent. Successive relegations, a controversial ownership change, and even a period in administration followed. Wigan dropped from the Championship to League One, with a points deduction in 2020 accelerating their fall. Yet the club has shown the resilience that defines its character, rebuilding and pushing for promotion once again from the third tier.

Wigan Athletic's brief time among the elite attracted some genuinely brilliant players, and the club produced a handful of moments that hinted at what could have been.

Roberto Martínez was not just a manager at Wigan – he was first a player, a cultured Spanish midfielder who embodied the club's surprising continental flair during the late 1990s and early 2000s. His intelligence on the pitch mirrored the tactical sophistication he would later bring to the dugout.

Emile Heskey, Arjan de Zeeuw, and Henri Camara were among the players who helped the Latics establish themselves in the Premier League. But it was Emile Heskey's power and work rate that symbolised the honest, direct approach Wigan employed to survive at the top level.

Antonio Valencia, the Ecuadorian winger who arrived quietly and left for Manchester United in a multi-million pound deal, is perhaps the greatest talent to have passed through the DW Stadium. His pace and directness made him a handful for any Premier League defender and his sale signalled Wigan's inability to hold onto their best assets.

Elsewhere, Leighton Baines developed into an England international left-back during his time at the club, before joining Everton. Hugo Rodallega provided goals from wide areas, and Victor Moses – another player who would go on to greater things – lit up the Premier League with exciting performances.

In goal, Chris Kirkland was a solid and dependable presence during the Premier League years, while Emmerson Boyce gave years of loyal service as a reliable defender. Ben Watson's name, of course, will live forever in Wigan folklore for a single headed goal that changed the club's history.

The Wigan Athletic retro shirt catalogue is defined by those electric Premier League years and the distinctive pale blue and white stripes that have been the club's colours for much of their modern history. The JJB Sports sponsorship era – fitting given Dave Whelan's business empire – gave the kits of the late 1990s and 2000s a clean, commercial look that reflected the club's rapid rise.

The early Premier League kits are among the most collectible, featuring the classic blue and white stripes paired with blue shorts. The 2005–06 and 2006–07 home shirts capture that era of optimism perfectly – simple, bold, and immediately recognisable as the kit of a club punching above its weight.

The 2013 FA Cup Final shirt is the holy grail for any Wigan collector. Worn during that incredible Wembley victory, the shirt carries enormous emotional weight and is instantly associated with one of English football's great upsets. Both home and away versions from that season are sought after.

Away kits from the Premier League years experimented with yellow and dark blue colourways, offering attractive alternatives to the traditional stripes. A retro Wigan Athletic shirt in any of these colourways serves as a conversation-starter and a reminder of a genuinely special chapter in the club's history.