Wigan Athletic's players were busy on the football pitch for several of their Creating Chances appearances:

  • Chris Kirkland joined in a training session at Ability Counts, a scheme for boys aged 11-16 with a disability.

  • Antonio Valencia and Emerson Boyce attended an anti-social behaviour project, meeting young people from the session who were preparing for their Level 1 Coaching Course and refereeing a football match.

  • Titus Bramble was the referee for a five-a-side game with young people from Rainer, a charity that helps disadvantaged young people get and maintain a home. Titus also met staff from Rainer at their offices.

    For further information on the club's every day community work please click here

    While the Creating Chances Launch was attended by Ryan Taylor, here follows a breakdown of Wigan Athletic's Creating Chances beneficiaries:

    PLACES FOR PLAYERS WINNERS

    Each of the following received a £2,000 donation and a player appearance:

    Motor Neurone Disease - Whole Team @ Match
    Rainer - Titus Bramble
    Walk Once More - David Cotterill & Andreas Granqvist

    CLUB COMMUNITY PROGRAMMES HIGHLIGHTED

    The following received a £2,000 donation and player appearances:

    Disabled Football - Chris Kirkland
    Breakfast Club - Salomon Olembe & Carlo Nash
    Wellbeing Healthy Living Programme - Emmerson Boyce

    CLUB CHARITIES HIGHLIGHTED

    The following received a £2,000 donation and player appearances:

    Wigan Hospice - Soloman and Antonia Valencia
    Rotary Club - Lewis Montrose and Josip Skoko

    PROMOTIONAL

    The following promotion work to support Creating Chances was undertaken:

    Walk Once More (Local Promotional) - Whole team

    Wigan Athletic PLACES FOR PLAYERS RUNNERS UP

    Each of the following received a £2,000 donation:

    Age Concern
    Barnardo's
    Beta
    Cancer Research
    Chernobyl Children Life Line
    Halton Goals
    Henshaws Society for Blind
    Hospice for Burnley and Pendle
    Special Needs Objective Outreach Project
    St Catherines
    St Paschal Baylor Millennium Group
    The Place to Be
    West Lanc District
    Wigan and Leigh FSG
    Wigan and Leigh People First
    Wigan Council for Voluntary Youth
    Wigan Culture Trust
    Woodlands Hospice
    Yorkshire Lions
    Young People's Health Project

    Wigan Athletic 'YOUR SHOT' COMPETITION WINNER

    Samuel Bennett, from Lancashire, won the Wigan Athletic Your Shot Experience and was able to:

  • Stay in the Chairman's personal hotel in the best suite
  • Experience a player's arrival - driven to the ground in a '5 star' vehicle - a car that Wigan's players would use
  • Enjoy a VIP Reception on arrival - treated to a VIP's welcome in the players lounge with a Champagne reception
  • Join the kit manager and help lay the players kit out
  • Inspect the pitch with the grounds man - walk on the hallowed JJB turf ahead of the game, as the surface is prepared for the big match
  • Meet the Gaffer - a chance to meet the Wigan Athletic manager ahead of the match as he and his coaching staff prepare for the match
  • See how the media cover Premier League football - behind the scenes with national journalists and Sky TV
  • Get an expert's guide to photographing the top stars in the Premier League with the official club photographer. Photo the players warming up - be given an exclusive album of those photos.
  • Meet the players before kick off - as the players go into the dressing room ahead of the big kick off have their photo taken with them
  • Follow the teams out of the tunnel, then join the captains and match officials for photographs on the centre spot seconds before kick-off
  • Be taken to the board room to experience the match build up with the people who run the club - the Chairman, Chief Executive and the Directors
  • Enjoy a three course meal - fit for a director
  • Watch the match from the directors box with two exclusive seats
  • Join the press to see the inner workings of football - have access to the post match press conference and view post-match interviews from close quarters
  • Be interviewed by the local radio station and newspapers on the day. The story was also be featured on Wigan Athletic official club website and in the following matchday programme.
  • Gain exclusive access to the players lounge to have a drink and chat with the players following the match
  • Receive a shirt worn during the match by his favourite player
  • Receive a bag of Wigan Athletic goodies
  • Enjoy a limo ride back to his home

    You can return to the Creating Chances index by clicking here

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