Wigan, the people's club, keep their doors wide open in pursuit of perfection

The Guardian

12-02-2025

It is Tuesday morning and there are just 48 hours to go until Wigan begin their Super League title defence against Leigh, not that you would know that when you walk into their Robin Park training complex.
To suggest the mood is relaxed would be an understatement. Some players are taking part in a cricket match on the indoor athletics track, while others are chatting to members of the public and upstairs, their head coach, Matt Peet, is relaxing with a coffee. 'If someone said describe a high-performance environment, I don't think this would be the first place you'd think of,' their former captain and assistant coach, Sean O'Loughlin, smiles.
But this is the culture and atmosphere that Peet has instilled during his three years in charge and is at the heart of Wigan's success. A little-known academy coach when he was appointed in late 2022, Peet has gone on to win seven major trophies in just 100 games, including the quadruple last year.
It was only the fifth time in rugby league's 129-year history a team has won every trophy on offer. For the man who appointed Peet, it was further justification that his instinct during the Covid-19 lockdown that he had a future coaching great among his developmental staff was the right one.
'I was getting abused,' Wigan's chief executive, Kris Radlinski, says. 'We would go on walks in lockdown and I'd realise he could take this club forward in a way I'd never really seen before. We had a fans' forum and someone stood up and said if the rumours of Matt being appointed were true, he'd never watch Wigan again. He's missed some good times.'
Peet has transformed Wigan, making them arguably the world's best club side, leading to recognition at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. Off the field he has been instrumental in making the Warriors feel different and has ensured enormous backing from the local community.
That is evident from just one morning spent watching Wigan's final preparations for the new Super League season. Robin Park doubles up as a community hub as well as the club's unique spin on a high-performance training complex. There is a strict open-door policy, with anyone allowed in to interact with players.
Of course, there are moments when it is strictly business, which comes later in the day. But when the doors are open, so too are Wigan's. The result, Radlinski and O'Loughlin – two proud Wiganers – believe, is an energy around the town they have never seen, underlined by a surge in attendances since Peet took charge.
They have also been handed a remit from the owner, Mike Danson, about what success looks like in 2025 after such a historic campaign. 'Mike told us that winning trophies is great, but you'll be judged next year on the impact around the town and the things we can do in people's lives,' Radlinski says. 'To hear from your boss that winning trophies isn't as important as the impact you can have on people shows the emphasis we're putting on it. We want to really try to address some of the inequalities in the town. We're in this tricky position of trying to change the world by going to Las Vegas [for their home fixture against Warrington] but staying true to our roots. But we'll never forget that.'
On any Tuesday, Wigan's afternoon schedule is blocked out. They sacrifice a training session to go into the community and give something back. 'Matt has had a huge push on us connecting with the community,' O'Loughlin says. 'We have started to notice the good feel around Wigan. People are just enjoying supporting Wigan; I think they're proud to be Wiganers.'
Wigan, alongside Leigh, hope to raise £1m for local charities on Thursday in front of the biggest opening-night crowd in Super League history. But mid-morning here, the relaxed mood shifts when it's time to head over the road to the Brick Community Stadium for Wigan's last on-field hour before the game.
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Peet breaks his training days down into three: learn, practice and sharpen. Learning days involve the players studying their own footage and reporting back to the coaching staff, such is the trust he has in his squad. Long gone are the days of being cramped into a room and watching an entire game back with screaming and shouting inside Robin Park.
But this is categorically a sharpen day. 'It's a different experience to when I played,' Radlinski admits. 'I had a military existence of 'turn up at this time, do this, eat this'. But Matt trusts everyone and he lets the leadership group decide how our programme should be shaped. It's relaxed without doubt, but when it's time to work, we work.'
And Wigan do work. There is an immediate shift in intensity as the final touches – not led by Peet, but by O'Loughlin and fellow assistant Tommy Leuluai in another sign of trust – are applied. Wigan's academy coach, Matty Smith, gives an approving nod from the touchline when they score a try as if to imply this group are ready to start their pursuit of history all over again.
There is a lot to come over the next couple of months, including the historic trip to Las Vegas. Radlinski is acutely aware that showcase for the game in the US matters immensely for the whole sport, but he is also keen to ensure the local community, who perhaps cannot afford to make that trip, are part of the occasion. Thursday's opener will start to address that.
The question will be asked a lot of Wigan this year: how do you improve on perfection? 'I think it's just the start,' offers Radlinski. 'They're ordinary, hard-working people so they're so humble, I think they can go on to achieve even greater things. And at the heart of it all, they know they're doing it for the town. The people of Wigan. That's what drives us.'