Chelsea sell out

Club spokesman Matt McCann said: "We are proud to announce that our first game in the top flight of English football will be a complete sell out to home fans. We won't reach the stadium capacity of 25,004 due to certain safety regulations such as netting at the front and sides of the away end.However, as a club we can ask no more than to sell every seat in the home end and we have achieved that.

"I hope journalists covering the match take note of the strides this club has made in attracting new supporters. It was only a decade ago that the average attendance for the season was 1,500 at SpringfieldPark. Now we kick off a season with nearly 24,000 people inside the ground. I defy any club in the world to match those figures in terms of growth over a ten year period.

"On behalf of Wigan Athletic, I'd like to thank our loyal and long term supporters for the great enthusiasm they have showed over the summer. They have played a massive part in creating the positive buzz around the town that has seen interest in Latics reach these record highs. I'm sure they'll have an added sense of satisfaction seeing the club compete at the very highest level in front of such huge numbers, having witnessed the leaner times."