Wigan Athletic – DW Stadium
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The DW Stadium, formally known as The JJB Stadium was completed in August 1999, at a build cost of £30 million, replacing Wigan’s previous Springfield Park ground, where they had played for close to 70 years.
It was renamed as the DW Stadium in August 2009 after their chairman and benefactor Dave Whelan, following the collapse of JJB Sports, who the stadium was previously named after.
It is an all-seater arena with a capacity of 25,135, in four single-tier stands. The North Stand, behind the goal, is usually allocated to away fans, though if away support is small, visiting supporters may find the North Stand closed, with alternative seating offered.
The stadium also has facilities and access for up to 300 disabled fans, with facilities for partially sighted fans. The pitch contains a small amount of synthetic material for improved durability.
How to get to the DW Stadium
By Road:
The DW Stadium is located at Stadium Way, Robin Park, Newtown, Wigan WN5 0UZ.
Drivers arriving from the North should exit the M6 at junction 27, turning left at the end of the slip road. Turn right at the T-junction (signed “Shevington”) and turn left after about a mile into Old Lane (signed “B5375 Standish Lower-Ground”). Follow this winding country road for 2 miles. At the traffic lights, turn right into Scot Lane and first left into Stadium Way.
Away fans arriving from the South should exit the M6 at junction 25, turning left at the end of the slip road onto the A49 towards Wigan. Take the 2nd exit at the roundabout, continuing on the A49 for just over a mile, to the Saddle roundabout. Take the first exit (signed “Standish A49″) into Robin Park Road, passing the Asda superstore. Follow signage for the JJB stadium. The map below can provide driving directions from all UK locations and is useful for finding car parking facilities and suitable pubs near the DW Stadium.
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By Rail:
Wigan’s North Western & Wallgate stations are virtually opposite each other. Both are a 30-minute walk to the stadium, and many visiting fans suggest a bus or taxi to the ground. The No. 600 bus runs to the Robin Park roundabout, which is within a 5-10 minute walk of the ground. On exiting the station, turn left from Wigan North Western station and right from Wallgate station, proceeding under the railway bridge. Follow Robin Park Road as far as the Seven Stars hotel (the stadium is visible), turn right and right again to reach the ground. Click here to check the current train timetables
By Air:
Manchester International is the nearest airport to the JJB Stadium, at a distance of some 25 miles. There are frequent, direct train connections from the airport to both of Wigan’s main stations, with a journey time of about 75 minutes. Visiting fans should use Wigan North Western station for the return trip to the airport. Click here to check the current flight times
Taxis
There are several taxi companies in Wigan that can take you to and from the DW stadium. You can always prebook a private hire taxi, or hail a black cab on any highway.
Calling all Wigan Taxi Companies – Why not advertise your company here?.
Where to Park?
Visiting supporters must resist the temptation to park in the nearby Robin Retail Park, B & Q and Asda car parks. Numerous fans have reported getting parking tickets or having their vehicles clamped in these areas. The DW Stadium has 3 public car parks (Car Parks 2 and 5 are reserved), which provide ample parking. Car Park 4, accessed via Frith Street, next to B & Q, is free, but fills early and is generally closed an hour before kick-off. Car Parks 1 (Visitors) and 3 (behind the East Stand) provide reasonably priced parking. However, there are inevitably delays in exiting the on-site car parks, particularly if the crowd is large.
Away Friendly Pubs near the DW Stadium
Many visiting fans have reported that The Swan & Railway, opposite the Wigan North Western station is a “home only” pub, best avoided by visitors. Also in Wigan town centre, The Anvil, next to the bus station, has received several recommendations from away supporters. The Moon Under Water is also popular with visiting fans.
For those energetic to make the 30-mnute walk to the ground, there are a couple of recommended watering holes en route. The Orrell, at Wigan pier, is reported to offer a friendly welcome, whilst offering a good range of beers and food. The Jacobs Well Pub, in the same area, is also recommended. The “traditional” pub for away fans is the Red Robin, just a few minutes walk away from the ground, opposite the Cinema Complex. Inside the ground, the Marquee Bar is reserved for away fans.
Hotels near the DW Stadium
The 3-star Britannia Hotel, Almond Brook Road, Standish, Wigan WN6 0SR provides value for money accommodation in a quiet location near junction 27 of the M6, about 3 miles from the DW. Guests have remarked upon modern facilities including an air conditioned gym and indoor swimming pool. Additionally, ample free parking is provided. 
The Ramada Bolton, Manchester Rd, Blackrod BL6 5RU has received excellent guest reviews for facilities, service, food an overall value for money. Within 4½ miles of the DW, this stylish, modern hotel is ideally located close to M61, M62, M65 and M6 motorways.
Click here to see all hotels near the DW stadium
What have other Away Fans said about their trip to the DW Stadium?
Most visiting fans appear to have enjoyed visiting the DW Stadium, though certain aspects of the ground have received mixed reviews. Away supporters have been almost universally impressed by the modern looks of the ground. The North Stand has received many plaudits, with excellent views of the play, no supporting pillars and ample legroom.
The atmosphere within the ground appears to vary greatly from match to match, with some visitors reporting it as excellent, while others were disappointed. Catering facilities have generally received good reviews, with fans experiencing no problems in getting good quality food and drink inside the ground, on even the busiest days. However, some visitors have commented on the long queues and poor quality of food available.
Awesome!!
I loved this ground!
Arrived very early and parked in a run down loose tarmaced car park two minutes walk to the ground. As we were so early we went into the JJB Soccerdome and just milled around, then had breakfast in the bar there.
We finally went to the ground at around 2pm, and remember there was a doorway ‘guarded’ by a security guy. I enquired as to what was inside and it was a drinking area for away fans.
We went in and it was like being at a wedding. There was an internal marquee, laminate flooring, plants, bar, television, live music and beer. I’m not sure if this is a well kept secret, but it wasn’t very busy in there, so getting a beer and not being stepped on, or your personal space invaded was extremely easy!!
This place seriously knows how to look after away fans – a highly recommended experience, assuming they still do this!!
The atmosphere of the ground was borderline poor to average, but this is probably due to the low capacity.
Traffic leaving the ground seemed heavy!
As a Wigan fan myself I live in manchester so I try and go most home games, I tend to drive there so any away supporters getting off the m6 like I do I recommend that you aim to get off the motorway around 1ish (for a 3pm kick-off) otherwise you’ll be stuck in traffic up to the ground and you will be running it does seem to take ages for some un-know reason as the attendence isn’t massive each week.
I park in the car park area next to the red robin pub its a fiver but its 30 seconds to walk to the ground and a fiver is nothing considering tickets are always cheap.
We have a great set off fans and the banter will go on through the match don’t be offended well unless we beat you of course haha.
NOTE: don’t park in the complex where the shops are, where asda, burger king, jjb, boots etc is your car will probably get clamped as the last few times I’ve walked through their I’ve seen a couple been clamped.
Fantastic ground, It was really easy to get to from the m6 north.
The lighting and the way the ground has been constructed made it great for a good atmosphere you can really make some noise in this place. there was 5500 fans there and only because of the youtube vids i realised that the wigan fans were booing at the final whistle.
Clean and tidy area with a good police presence and nice having a away car park.
On a whole a great stadium.
The view of the action was very good in this ground.
I found the leg room slightly cramped but no worse than many other grounds.
Stadium feels nice and modern with a generally friendly atmosphere.
I was disappointed by the turnout of the home fans, the attendence was very low but then again it was a few weeks after christmas during a credit crunch!
Away from the ground, i found the George Orwell pub a really nice place to drink with a very cheap carvery!
The ground is very easy to get to from the motorway. We arrived a couple of hours before kick off for a cup game (January 2010) and parked in the car park of the Robin pub. We had a couple of drinks in there and the doorstaff allowed us to leave the car there (free parking) while we attended the game.
The food kiosks at the ground were quiet – we had cheese pies, which were not up to much!
Decent view in the away end but the turn out for that game, particularly from the home fans was disappointing. What was even more disappointing was the result – we got beat good ‘n proper !!
What can anyone say about Wigan. It’s my favourite away ground in the premiership. Wigan is 1 of the most freindly grounds I’ve ever been to. There’s numerous places to Park around the ground with a huge away fans car park. There is a retail park near the ground that has every form a eatery you can imagine a Pizza Hut, McDonalds and a burger king. Wigan are alos famous for their excellent pies which I can confirm are great. Wigan have opened a lounge type bar which away fans with tickets are allowed to enter. Similar to a wedding reception it’s a huge room with a bar and it also sells pies as well. It’s outside the away end and is open to all away fans. You can stay there until 5 to 3 and still be at your seat for when the team come out. I love Wigan away as they really are a freindly bunch. it’s about as away freindly as you can get. Wigan fans are passionate yet freindly. The stewards and staff at Wigan are excellent. The stand is quite steep so it’s not really a ground where you want to be standing up the whole game. My most recent visit was excellent a later winner really sealed a good day. I’d recommend it to any away fan.
On my visit to the DW i went by car and they seems to be loads of parking spaces near to the ground with away friendly pubs in the area. The wigan supporters were nearly non existent around the area of the ground with the crowd attendance of 15,000 and 5,000 of them sunderland fans. when in the ground the concourses can get crowded but are generally okay and the view from the away end is superb with good legroom. From the away end you can really generate a good atmosphere and to the left of the away end they is a drummer in the wigan section which could only try and create a atmosphere but thats all.
I would defiantly recommend a trip to the DW as it is a good cheap day out with i superb view of he action and good legroom.
the orwell pub at wigan pier is well worth a visit,good beer,friendly staff and a 5 minute walk from train station on the way to the ground.
This is by far the worst ground I have visited during my 92 ground mission. Wigan v Preston in the cup. (isn’t this suppost to be a derby game?). They had closed an entire stand because of the lack of spectators. Preston almost had more fans than wigan. 6,987 fans in total which is disgraceful for a premier league club. There was no food or drink on offer at half time in any of the kiosks. NONE! The journey into the ground took so long we almost missed the kick off due to poor link roads from the motorway and heavy roadworks. The parking is a nightmare, with most surrounding car parks clamping and no instructions to match parking! Collecting our tickets from the ticket booth was poor as there was only one member of staff at the kiosk. The surrounding area is grim and there are no pubs or restaurants nearby! I would like to comment on the beer but there wasn’t any! Fair play to the Preston fans, they were the only highlight of the game! Poor standard of football too, Preston should have won! I hope they get relegated, that ground and club is not up to Premier League standards, I can think of several league 1 and league 2 grounds that are! DW Stadium 1/10.
Ignore the guy above he clearly does not know what he is on about! During my visit to watch fulham last season, I had a great time, some many places to park and one of the best places to eat a pie! The near by pub was very friendly and made you feel very welcome. So once again ingnore the bad reviews like guy above maybe they support lower league teams and are jealous! 9/10!
The walk to the stadium isn’t 30 minutes at all, usually takes about 15. It is not signposted though and you don’t see many fans along the route, so have your directions at hand! I’d strongly suggest buying a pie at Galloways opposite Wigan Wallgate Train Station. Although the pies are nice inside the stadium, Galloways are the nicest pies I have ever tasted and they are cheaper.
This ground is the nearest to my own home in West Lancahsire, just a 20-minute drive. We followed easy signs to the ground and parked in a designated away fans car park. It cost a fiver and couldn’t have been easier. The above comment about parking chaos is just plain rubbish. There is a bar designated for away fans outside the ground but attached to the stadium with Sky Sports on the TV. A few home fans wandered in but everything was relaxed and friendly. The beer could have been better quality. The stadium is really impressive inside with a good atmosphere although it wasn’t full by any means. We had a pre-match pie of the very highest quality. Service was given with a smile and all the Wigan staff deserved credit. A really great ground to visit.
Even though I’d been to Wigan on a number of occasions I’d never been to the ground until this year.
Wigan is a fantastic town to drink in and all the pubs seem to be away fan friendly, if you travel by train
then you arrive at Wigan North Western which is right in the town centre. The ground is about a 20 minute
walk away in the opposite direction from the town, it’s a straight walk so you cant get lost. The ground is
in the middle of a retail park so if you do travel by car or coach and fancy a few pints before the game use
the away fans only bar under the away stand, it as to be the best bar for away fans in the country, complete
with it’s own giant screen which was showing the Saturday lunch time game. The view from the stand was very
good and with 3,000 blues fans there the atmosphere was really good, how’ever it was spoiled by the Wigan
stewards who dispite before the game telling Blues fans they could sit in the overspill of seats in the left hand
corner decided 15 minutes into the game to move them all out this despite there being no more seats available
which did amount to to some tension between the Blues fans and the stewards. Overall dispite losing to a late
goal it was a good experience and one I could recomend , certainly one of the better days out in the Premiership.