Sad story of ‘Mr Wigan Athletic’ proves football family still exists

Due to his devotion to his beloved Latics, which spanned more than 40 years, Darren Orme was a well-known figure who cycled through the streets of his hometown as a “Mr. Wigan Athletic.”

He was almost always first on the supporters’ coach when they traveled to away games, and he enjoyed waiting until dawn for big events like the 2013 FA Cup final win over Manchester City at Wembley.

In response to the 54-year-old’s disappearance on March 5, there was a significant public outcry from supporters, the town, and its respective football and rugby league clubs.

Unfortunately, his body was discovered in the shadow of Brick Community Stadium, where he had always occupied the East Stand, two weeks later.

The Wigan community was able to demonstrate the powerful idea of football as an extension of family in a heartfelt and heartwarming way thanks to the story.

A minute’s applause will be held for this devoted supporter at Wigan Athletic’s home game against Barnsley on Saturday (15:00 GMT), and a scarf and a shirt with the words “Darren 1 of our own” will be embroidered on his seat.

A carpet of flowers has grown around the stadium’s statue of former Wigan chairman and owner Dave Whelan since the news of Darren’s passing, and a condolence book has been published.

The significance of a football club’s role in its community has been exposed in themidst of the sadness, and the town as a whole as a whole.

In the days following Darren’s disappearance, Mick Wimsey, the club’s travel and supporters club chairman, conducted a search for him while also taking early morning drives in an effort to find the friend who had followed Wigan Athletic with him for more than 40 years.

He told BBC Sport, “We live in a bad world.” However, it is amazing how much goodness has come out of this. We set up a search on the Sunday following his disappearance when there was no word on Darren for a few days.

Although I had more than 100 attendees, I was only anticipating a small number of people. From 10 am to 4 pm, all those people searched for Darren, and some went back after taking a break.

There were people who don’t even watch football on that Sunday morning who saw him leaving his bike for work and felt compelled to go find him. Although it was heartbreaking, there was also good in it.

He continued, “Football clubs are like your family. At Latics, he was a member of our family. You would never forget him once you first saw him. His smile was unwavering. Armani would profit from what Darren had if he could bottle it.

You observed him more frequently than your own family members. One of my closest friends was him. I’ve been a fan of Wigan for 46 seasons and the supporters’ club for 44. I’ve had a long friendship with Darren. When we were both about 14 years old, we met at a game against Walsall.

In the local paper, I was asked to dedicate a poem to him. I was merely pouring it out of me, and I was left with a face full of tears. Everyone adored Darren, but I never knew he was the worst person I’ve ever met.

The official Wigan Athletic Supporters Club paid emotional homage to “a recognisable and loved character” who “lived and breathed blue and white.” Before Saturday’s game, Darren’s family will receive a framed certificate as a posthumous tribute to the fan of the month award.

Posters were positioned in Wigan’s shop windows when he was reported missing, and Ryan Lowe, the new manager, made a public appeal. A banner was also displayed at Wigan’s training facility.

Over the past few years, Lactics has had its issues both on and off the pitch, according to Jamie Allen, Wigan’s head of media marketing and communications. Wigan Athletic has been experiencing a rollercoaster ride, but this demonstrated the club’s and town’s core values.

The outcome was “not the outcome everyone wanted,” and while devastating, it brought together a town and a sporting fan base at both Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors. When there is a need, the community and the clubs work together, just like families did here.

Although this is a very sad outcome, the positive aspects of what it says about our town, the people who live there, and how important a football club and its supporters can be, and of course, the rugby league club can be.

When Wigan host Barnsley on Saturday, Wigan fans will experience heartache, but Wimsey asserts that “football supporters are a community regardless of who you support.” Our biggest rivals, the Bolton Wanderers, were sending their sympathies and thoughts.

Of course, Wigan is not the first team or community to demonstrate that football has a life and an impact that lasts beyond 90 minutes.

Bradley Lowery, age 18, was only 18 months old when he was discovered to have neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, and had become known to the entire football league.

The Sunderland fan gained international recognition after receiving 250, 000 Christmas cards from all over the world as “best mates” with his hero, striker Jermain Defoe.

At BBC Sports Personality of the Year, he met then-England manager Gareth Southgate and former-footballer Gary Lineker, and he won the match’s goal of the month award after taking a penalty before a Sunderland game against Chelsea.

In addition, Rangers captain James Tavernier, goalkeeper Jack Butland, and former Scotland international Robert Snodgrass all contributed to a fundraiser for a fan who was killed in Turkey after being hit by two cars while crossing a Turkish road before the Glasgow side’s Europa League clash with Fenerbahce earlier this month.

Another club that has experienced tragedy is Oxford United, where former winger Joey Beauchamp, regarded by many as their greatest player, committed suicide in February 2022.

His younger brother Luke has established a foundation in his name to support the families of those who struggle with mental illness and depression.

We want to feel connected to the club we love, along with the fans who share the experience, according to Paul Peros, chairman of OXVOX, the Independent Supporters Trust for Oxford United.

“In a slightly different way, it felt almost like a family to me when Joey passed away, because football is a family, especially at your own club,” he said.

You spend just as much time with your loved ones as you do with your typical dates. You form those bonds. The tragic story of the Wigan supporter demonstrates how football can reach communities far beyond the field.

“You might not know them, but you may have just seen them at away games or whatever. Like family members, you have shared experiences. They will bring up issues like the experiences, the non-league days, and the good and bad things right away as soon as you sit down.