Wigan Athletic's pre-season preparations are being led by head coach Gary Caldwell, who returned to the League One club in February with a new backroom staff and a "team first" ethos, ahead of the 2026-27 campaign starting on 14 August. The behind-the-scenes look at training reveals a modern, data-driven approach combining tactical video analysis, structured fitness testing and individualised conditioning, reflecting how lower-league clubs increasingly rely on sports science to prepare squads and manage injury risk.

Caldwell's new staff, including performance analyst Lauren Jones, coach David Perkins and others who joined from Exeter, are still building up their video library of tactical footage. Players undergo benchmark body and strength tests at the start of pre-season, a 1.5km maximal fitness time trial involving 15 pitch lengths with 14 turns, and individualised running programmes based on each player's maximum aerobic speed, calculated by strength and conditioning lead Matthew Barrow and sports scientist Jack Craigie. The training ground enforces simple discipline rules, including £50 fines for phone use, wearing sliders or sulking.