Wages more than doubled in 2005-06 due to new signings and promotion triggered contract increases for existing players. Salaries continued growing in the following seasons, at times faster than revenue but eventually leveling off beginning in 2009-10. The wage to revenue ratio peaked at a ‘suicidal’ 91.6% in the 2006-07 season and has since dropped off to a ‘more manageable but still inadvisable’ 70.7% for 2010-11. As a side note, the oft cited wage-revenue ratio ignores employment costs such as Social Security tax, if these ‘extras’ are included the employee expenditure picture looks much unhealthier.
Wigan has been consistently expanding its staff, since 2005 employee count has risen by 36 to 95 in 2010-11. Growth in playing and coaching staff has accounted for much of the increase, with the addition of 30 players and coaches almost doubling the category for the period. Much of this growth came in the 2010-11 season as the club hired 18 staff members. Administrative staff members have also increased with 7 employees added over the period.
More interestingly Wigan’s Academy, The Centre of Excellence, has cut staff from a high of 8 coaches to 5 in the most recent year. Whether this signals a reduced emphasis on youth development or a necessity of cost cutting is difficult to say. When Youth Team Manager Dave Watson was appointed in April 2008 staff expanded to 8 coaches but was subsequently cut back to 5 in 2010-11. In November 2011, Watson moved to Newcastle and John Doolan was appointed as replacement.
