The Latics chairman said: "Obviously our first priority is to make sure we stay in the Premier League, and we are going to have to fight our socks off to achieve that goal, but I have enormous faith in our manager and his players.
"What more could you ask for than a home game against the champions to start with?
"And then to be part of history by playing Arsenal on the last day of the season in their final Premiership match before they leave Highbury?
"From a supporters' point of view, starting with a home game against Chelsea is a dream come true.
"We will be looking to start life in the Premiership with three points – and I'd much rather be playing Chelsea early than when they've bedded in.
"Our immediate ambition is to survive in the Premier League, then we've got to raise the stakes further and see if we can qualify for Europe.
"After all if you don't have ambition then why do it?
"You have to have ambition, every person and every football club in life needs ambition, and we want this to be just the start for Wigan Athletic.
"Bolton have come up to the top league and survived and now they are in the UEFA Cup, and why can't Wigan qualify for Europe in the not too distant future?"
Wigan are 5,000-1 shots for the title, and the bookies reckon they are favourites for the drop with West Ham United and Sunderland.
Manager Paul Jewell said: "If people say we are certs to go down, then let's use that as an extra spur.
"We don't have to prove anything. There have been a lot of unkind comments about Wigan since I have been here – about the players, supporters, the club and the town – and we've proved them all wrong so far.
"But I'm not in this game to prove idiots wrong, I'm in this game to be as good as I possibly can, to get the best out of whatever team I have.
"If my team is good enough and I get the best out of them then we will stay up."
Whelan added: "I know some fans are worried we haven't brought any faces in, but it is not for the want of trying and we are working night and day to strengthen the squad.
"We had a £6m bid accepted by Chelsea for Scott Parker, but the lad chose to go to Newcastle instead.
"We are working flat out to bring people in like that right up to the transfer window closing at the end of August."
Wigan's first team squad return to pre-season training on Friday.
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