It has been ten years since the JJB was built and opened but it is the end of an era with the name JJB leaving the ground at the end of the season. The JJB has been with the club from the Division Two days and has seen the rise to the Premier League. Of course, it is only the name which is changing but with it, history will be made. If the club is successful in their bid to finish in the top half of the table and maybe even earn a fantastic place in Europe, the DW Stadium will be the home for the club to make their first, and hopefully not their last adventure into Europe.
The move to rename the stadium as DW will certainly cause a stir with the Rugby fans within the town who are not Whelans keenest admirers to say the least. Ever since Whelan made Wigan Warriors move to Widnes to play a home game in their previous season, Warriors fans have been very critical of Whelan stating he favours the football over the rugby which looks very much the case in this bold move.
However it is not set in stone yet and a commercial move could still be on the cards with Hyundai linked with branding rights to the stadium and kit earlier in the season. It all comes down to whether Whelan would prefer a stadium named after him or a regular income from a healthy sponsor but in financial times like this, Whelan may want to wait for the right buyer.
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