Leigh Leopards were proud to be heavily represented at the Progress with Unity Summit held at The Edge, Wigan.
Promoted by Wigan Council to showcase opportunity and inclusion through sport, the event was attended by 400 schoolchildren aged eight and upwards from around the Borough who listened attentively and engaged proactively with the inspiring messages from the speakers.
Hosted by dual international, former Wigan Warriors winger and Sky Sports Rugby League main presenter Brian Carney, the four-hour event began with a One-to-One Q&A with the Leader of Wigan Council, David Molyneux MBE.
Wigan Warriors ambassador Martin Offiah MBE was next on stage looking back on his record-breaking career including his length-of-the-field try in the 1994 Challenge Cup Final against Leeds. ’Maybe in 30 years’ time someone in this room will be sat here reliving a similar moment’ he said.
Leopards’ Umyla Hanley and Wigan’s Junior Nsemba then shared the stage as they shared their experiences of inclusion.
Head coach Adrian Lam then joined his Warriors counterpart Matt Peet to drive him the importance of community.
Before a short lunch break Lachlan Lam and Warriors’ Bevan French shared their greatest sporting memory. Lachlan’s was his match-winning drop-goal in the 2023 Challenge Cup Final, while Bevan opted for his brilliant individual try in last season’s grand final, against Hull KR.
The audience then heard from England head coach Shaun Wane who discussed his journey from humble beginnings in Wigan to being head coach of his country. He emphasised the importance of resilience.
Empowering girls through sport was the topic discussed by Hayley Stewart, head of operations of women’s football at Wigan Athletic and her Manchester United counterpart Matt Johnson, whose team play home matches at LSV. They were joined by former professional footballer and Gladiators contestant Betti Worth.
Shaun Maloney, manager of Wigan Athletic then spoke about the importance of investing in young people.
The afternoon ended on a high as respective Leopards and Warriors’ owners Derek Beaumont and Mike Danson together with Cllr Molyneux drove home the message of working together to make Wigan Borough a pace of ambition, inspiration and opportunity for young people.
Each owner was then given 30 seconds to look forward to the Battle of the Borough between the two rivals which opens the 2025 Betfred Super League season on 13 February at The Brick Community Stadium.
Some key quotes from the day:
‘The greatest sporting borough in the world’ (Cllr David Molyneux MBE)
‘Run towards the challenge. You’ll have ups and downs but be resilient and have visions of a better day coming’ (Martin Offiah MBE)
‘It’s not about what other people think of you but what you think of yourself’ (Martin Offiah again)
‘As you get older you’ll get opportunities. Take them.’ (Junior Nsemba)
‘If you don’t lose belief and stick with it, you’ll come out of the other side’ (Umyla Hanley)
‘Leigh is where my family is now and where I want to stay’ (Umyla Hanley again)
‘We look at how we can give to our communities and supporters, not take from them’ (Matt Peet)
‘Our players aren’t detached from their communities. They are part of it’ (Matt Peet, again)
‘Some of the greatest times in my life have been in this Borough. Uniting the Borough through sport has never been as big as it is today. Our future is in good hands. And it’s a great time to be a Leopards fan’ (Adrian Lam)
‘Never give up, listen to your teachers and have belief in yourself you can go to the next level’ (Adrian Lam)
‘Take day to day, strive to improve each day and that way you’ll get better’ (Bevan French)
‘Build confidence, resilience and overcome adversity and work hard’ (Bevan French again)
‘It was a special day at Wembley, and I’ve viewed that video more times than I care to remember. Our club did a great job of making us understand how important the Challenge Cup was to the town before the first round’ (Lachlan Lam)
‘Wigan are the benchmark, but we are working hard each day and looking forward to the season’ (Lachlan Lam again)
‘When I kicked that drop-goal it was special. It’s what you dream of as a kid’ (Lachlan Lam again)
‘Anything you do is everything you do’ (Shaun Wane)
‘Why do people achieve? There are some fast, some slow, some strong, some weak. But there are three common denominators- be competitive, want to improve and be a good person’ (Shaun Wane again)
‘Nail the detail. Work harder than anyone else’ (Shaun Wane again)
‘We are an adopted member of the Wigan Borough family. The atmosphere and stadium at LSV is brilliant. We are unbeaten at home for over a year and the support we get from the Borough is fantastic’ (Matt Johnson)
‘You create yourself to be the best and live your dream’ (Betti Worth)
‘We are starting at the bottom and so can create our own culture and DNA’ (Hayley Sharratt)
‘Give me your heart and work hard and I’ll give you a chance. Absolutely anything is possible. If you try and work hard enough and if something you want to do you can achieve it’’ (Shaun Maloney)
‘The biggest word today is Opportunity. Be the best you can be, and be obsessed at what you do and you will achieve it’ (Derek Beaumont)