add site
services
publishers
database
health videos
toolbar
stats
live show
health store
more stuff
JOIN/LOGIN
| advertise add site services publishers database health videos
| | about toolbar stats live show health store more stuff JOIN/LOGIN |
Dave DePew Radio - Dave DePew.com davedepew.com |
David Whelan (born 24 November 1936) is a former professional football player with Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra, and the current owner of Wigan Athletic. He is the former owner of JJB Sports and owns the DW Stadium (formerly the JJB Stadium) where Wigan Athletic and the Wigan Warriors RLFC play. He is a prominent supporter of the Conservative Party and in 2008 donated £250,000 to the Party.
[edit] BiographyWhelan was born in Bradford and raised in Wigan. [edit] Football careerWhelan was a member of Blackburn Rovers' 1960 FA Cup Final team, which lost 3-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Whelan himself did not complete the game, breaking a leg during the first half. Whelan's injury is one of many serious injuries suffered by players in the 1950-60 era and was known as the Wembley hoodoo.[1] Following his leg break, Whelan was sold to Crewe Alexandra F.C. where he played for several years before retiring to concentrate fully on his chain of supermarkets, Whelan's Discount Stores, which were sold to Ken Morrison for over a million pounds. [edit] JJBWhelan acquired Wigan fishing and sports store JJ Bradburns (even though JJB are the initials of previous owner John Jarvis Broughton) in 1977. He renamed the company JJB Sports and soon focused purely on sports goods. By 1980, JJB had become a chain of 7 stores, and went on to expand throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It is presently the UK's biggest sports retailer. In 2003 JJB Sports were fined £5.5 million by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for fixing the price of the English National Team and Manchester United shirts in 2000 and 2001.[2] Which Consumer magazine issued proceedings against JJB Sports to sue the high street retailer for damages on behalf of consumers who were affected by the price fixing.[3] Whelan gradually scaled down his interests in the company and in 2005 he stepped down as chairman.[4] In January 2007 he sold £50m of shares in JJB,[5] before selling his remaining 29% stake in June 2007. This action was in contradiction of a statement that Whelan made to the stock exchange on 26 January 2007 whereby he undertook to make no further disposals for the following 12 months.[6] This action may now lead to an investigation by the Financial Services Authority.[7] [edit] DW Sports FitnessIn March 2009, Whelan confirmed his acquisition of JJB Fitness clubs and the stores attached to them. Instead of Wigan Athletics JJB sponsorship "the club's new stadium and shirt sponsor will be DW Sports-Fitness.Com, the 72-year-old's latest sports retail venture, and the JJB Stadium will become the DW Stadium, taking the name of its owner and his new company on 1 August." [8] [edit] Wigan Athletic Football ClubWhelan bought Wigan Athletic in 1995 when they were a Division Three team. When Dave Whelan took over the reins he announced that he would get Wigan Athletic into the Premier League, a promise he fulfilled in 2005. This began with the Division Three title in 1997-98, the Division Two title in 2002-03 and promotion to the Premiership as Championship runners-up in 2004-05. Thanks to Whelan's resources, Wigan, who were tipped to be relegated from the Premier League in their first season, not only managed to stay up, but claimed a high league position and also reached the League Cup Final. During his time in charge, Whelan has courted controversy. In 2005 he threatened to quit the club unless the price of policing games was reduced.[9] In 2007, he called for the relegation of West Ham United as punishment for their incorrect registration of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. [10] He subsequently called for Premier League Chairman Dave Richards and chief executive Richard Scudamore to resign.[11] An arbitration committee met to consider the affair. It ruled in favour of the Premier League. On 5 November 2007, Wigan manager Chris Hutchings was fired by Whelan, only six months into the job, after the club had slipped into the Premier League relegation zone. However, Wigan made a recovery and finished in a respectable 14th that season, with Steve Bruce as their new manager until he left the club in June 2009. [edit] Wigan Rugby League Football ClubAfter the announcement of Maurice Lindsay's intention to retire immediately from the club after the Warriors' loss at the hands of Catalan Dragons on the 29 July 2007 Whelan managed to persuade him to stay on until the end of the season. After the announcement of Linday's retirement however, Dave Whelan has also questioned his own position at the club and may be willing to sell the club after a proposed takeover from a "genuine Wigan fan" earlier in the year.[12] On 24 October 2007, it was announced that Ian Lenagan, former owner of Harlequins RL, had completed his takover of Wigan Warriors buying out Whelan's 89% stake in the club. The deal will take effect from the 1st December 2007.[13] On 6 September 2008, having secured fourth place in the Super League table and home advantage in their first play-off tie (versus the Bradford Bulls), it was announced that the JJB Stadium was unavailable on Friday, September 12 due to the Wigan Athletic match (versus Sunderland FC) taking place the following day, due to the heavy rain the area had suffered in recent weeks and that the pitch would be likely to be in a poor state if the two games were played within the 24 hour period. As such, the Rugby League club was forced to seek alternative venues, with options including Bolton's Reebok Stadium and Warrington's Halliwell Jones Stadium, before finally settling on Widnes' Stobart Stadium. The controversial decision of Dave Whelan to deny the Wigan Warriors and their fans home advantage has been met with hostility from the supporters of the Rugby League club.[14] [edit] Orrell Rugby Union Club
In 2005 Dave Whelan bought Edge Hall Road, ground of Orrell Rugby Union Club. Shorty after the clubhouse was suspiciously destroyed by fire, Whelan wanted to cash in and sold off all their training fields to developers. Whelan then sold the club and left Orrell without a clubhouse or training grounds. They played their last game there in 2007. The site is now used as the Wigan Warriors High performance training facility. Wigan Warriors also play their reserve and academy games there. Orrell now play at St. John Rigby College.[15] [edit] References
[edit] External links |
| ↑ top of page ↑ | about thumbshots |
