JJB Stadium era The stadium was built by
Alfred McAlpine and completed in August 1999. Wigan Athletic had spent the previous 67 years playing at
Springfield Park, and their first match at what was initially called the
JJB Stadium was a friendly against
Morecambe, just before the stadium's official opening. The stadium's inauguration was marked with a friendly between Wigan Athletic and neighbours
Manchester United – who were then reigning
European champions,
Premier League champions and
FA Cup holders – with United's manager
Sir Alex Ferguson officially opening the stadium. The first competitive football match there took place on 7 August 1999, with Wigan Athletic facing
Scunthorpe United in a
Second Division match.
Simon Haworth scored twice, including the first competitive goal at the new stadium, as Athletic won 3–0.
Wigan Warriors moved to the stadium a month after it opened, once they had played their final home game of the 1999 regular season at
Central Park, which had been the club's home since 1902. After their former ground was sold, the possibility of ground sharing with
Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium (now
University of Bolton Stadium) was presented, but the new stadium in Wigan was chosen instead. Their first game there was a play-off match against
Castleford Tigers, which they lost, on 19 September. The Warriors did not lose a competitive match at the stadium in 2001 and 2020. The first away team to win a competitive football match at the stadium was Wigan Athletic. A first round
FA Cup tie against non-league
Cambridge City was played there due to City's ground being deemed unsuitable to host the tie. Wigan played in their changed strip and used the away dressing room since it was technically a 'home' game for Cambridge City. A
Stuart Barlow brace secured the win for Wigan. On 7 September 2008, Wigan Warriors revealed plans to take their
Super League Play-Off against
Bradford Bulls to a neutral venue. The controversial relocation was forced due to a fixture clash, with a match between football clubs Wigan Athletic and Sunderland to take place less than 24 hours after the Super League match. Whelan, who controlled Wigan Athletic, refused permission for the Warriors to stage their elimination at the stadium, citing concerns over the playing surface. The game was relocated to
Widnes Vikings home ground, the
Stobart Stadium. The stadium's average attendance has increased significantly since its opening in 1999. The Wigan Warriors' average attendance has increased by 32.5% from its first full season at the stadium in 2000, and Wigan Athletic's average attendance has increased by 181.2% from the 2000–01 season. The highest recorded attendance for a rugby league match is shared between three fixtures; the Wigan Warriors' fixture against
St Helens R.F.C. on 25 March 2005; Game 4 of the 2005 Tri-Nations series between
Great Britain and
Australia on 6 November; and Game 5 of the 2004 Tri-Nations series between Great Britain and Australia on 13 November at 25,004 each. The highest recorded football attendance at the stadium was Wigan Athletic's home fixture against Manchester United on 11 May 2008—the final day of the
2007–08 Premier League season—with 25,133 fans attending. This is the stadium's highest recorded overall attendance to date, and was the match where Manchester United were crowned Premier League champions for that season.
DW Stadium era In March 2009, Dave Whelan acquired a chain of fitness clubs from
JJB Sports. In the process, Whelan used the business to set up a new venture, DWSportsfitness and announced that the stadium name would change to the
DW Stadium in August. Whelan also announced that at the same time the stadium was renamed, its ownership would pass from himself to Wigan Athletic. Concerns about the future of Wigan Warriors were arrested in the same announcement, as Whelan extended the lease on the stadium by 50 years for the rugby league team. As Wigan Athletic had spent many years in the lower leagues it was recognised that most of their players were not known, so the West Stand was renamed 'The Springfield Stand' after the club's former ground. Later that month it was announced that
Frasers Group would buy "certain" assets from DW Sports Fitness for £37m, but would not be using the firm's brand name. The match of 8 October 2022 against Cardiff City was controversial when it turned out one goal was bigger than the other. The match went ahead when officials ruled that there was no advantage to either team as they changed ends at half-time. Cardiff won 3–1.
The Brick Community Stadium era From 13 May 2024, the stadium was renamed
The Brick Community Stadium, following a partnership with a local Wigan charity, The Brick, which works to address poverty and homelessness. The name will remain in place until the end of 2025; Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors committed to securing a long-term commercial stadium partner for 2026 and beyond. == Structure and facilities ==