FC United of Manchester | The People's Club of Manchester
A lot of people glancing over the title of this piece may think to themselves; “that is a funny way to spell Manchester United Football Club”. The fact of the matter is that this is an entirely different club operating within the city of Manchester & when it comes to footballing principles & ideologies, Football Club United of Manchester could not be more different from their two neighbouring powerhouses. Manchester United & Manchester City’s abundance of money, power, influence, globalisation & glamour is a far cry from the humble happenings at Broadhurst Park.
FC United of Manchester was founded in 2005 by thousands of disgruntled & fed-up Manchester United fans who had reached breaking-point when the Glazer family purchased the club that year. The Glazer’s takeover was the final straw, but in truth years & years of big-money TV deals dictating fixtures, foreign sponsors controlling club events & pre-season tours, attempted takeovers of the club by businessmen who knew nothing & don’t care about Man United, among other reasons, had pushed some of their fans to the edge.
The Glazer takeover was one step too far & despite protests to try prevent the takeover, it triggered thousands of fed-up Man United fans to walk away from Old Trafford.
It started out with over 4000 voluntary members raising around £100,000 to start up a club. They agreed upon incorporating the city of Manchester coat of arms into their crest. After somewhat of a debate they agreed on a name; Football Club United of Manchester. They then applied to the English FA & became the newest addition, at the time, to the Northwest Counties Football League & by July 2005 FC United of Manchester were up & running & ready to launch an assault on the English leagues.
But it is what happens off the pitch that makes FCUM so different from their neighbouring giants. The club is run by a board of eleven people who are elected by its 5000+ voluntary members. Each member makes a monetary donation to the club at the start of every season, which in turn entitles them to a share in the club & a vote. Some of the things that the members vote on regularly are; the board, the team’s kits & ticket prices for home games. They are one of the largest fan-owned clubs in England. They never have had a sponsor on their shirt, believing that there is no place on a shirt for corporate logos, giving a lot of their kits a very retro look to them. When the fans have felt a lack of transparency from the board there have been on-field protests by fans during games, calling for resignations & action to be taken. All things considered, they are very much a club for the people by the people.
While on the pitch, FCUM have for the most part been quite successful. They have been promoted from playing in the North West Counties Division to the Northern Premier League to the National League, reaching an all-time high of the seventh tier of English football. In 2015 they also earned a place in the historic FA Cup First Round for the first time in their history. The club also managed to put on a glamour friendly to celebrate the opening of their new stadium with Portuguese giants Benfica sending an XI over to play at the first ever game at Broadhurst Park.
Broadhurst Park was opened in 2015 having spent the first ten years of their existence groundsharing with Bury City FC at Gigg Lane. Having their own ground was seen as the next big step for the club, whose fans embrace something called a “90/90 Atmosphere” at Broadhurst Park. It is the idea of 90% of their fans singing & chanting 90% of the time. FCUM fans feel that down the road at Old Trafford or The Etihad ten of thousands of fans are mixed in with tourists & “part-time” fans who contribute little by way of atmosphere. Broadhurst Park has a capacity of 4400 & with average attendances of well over 3000, FCUM are one of the best supported semi-pro / non-league teams in the country.
While fans of FCUM don’t outwardly state a left-wing political tendency, they have admitted they have taken inspiration from German club FC St. Pauli. Broadhurst Park is seen as a place welcoming to all who support the work & ideologies of the club, as well as people who are just keen to watch some good local football at a reasonable price. Some of the banners seen inside the ground mirror that of the St. Pauli theme of the skull & crossbones, many flags seen are branches of FCUM supporters clubs from overseas & regularly banners throwing some jibes at their footballing neighbours can be seen in the terraces.
It is the opinion of many outside of the club that these rigid, anti-commercialisation policies employed by FCUM are hindering any sort of progression up the footballing pyramid, such as their decision to not accept sponsorship deals for advertising on their kits. In other words, they are cutting off potential sources of income that could help grow the club. There are several very obvious & key differences between FC United of Manchester & another Manchester-based club, who are more comparable to them in commercial terms than United or City.
Twenty minutes down the road Salford City Football Club have gone from non-league football, similar to the level of FCUM, to playing in League 2 (England’s fourth tier) in a very short space of time. How? Mostly owing to a billionaire owner investing in the club, who is backed by several high profile Man United & England legends known as “the class of 92”. Salford’s current situation & rise is exactly why FCUM fans abandoned Man United in the first place, the idea of “selling-out” in order to make some quick cash. FC United of Manchester or Salford City FC; Is there a “right” way in which to run a football club? If there is, which club is doing it right? Or is there a happy middle ground between the two that works best? This is all a matter of personal opinion.
If you ever find yourself in the great footballing city of Manchester, it might be worth having a look to see if there is a game on at Broadhurst Park. Your business & presence will be felt & appreciated a lot more than at Old Trafford or The Etihad. While it would also give you an amazing insight into how a group of like minded people with a set of core ideas & principles can achieve something amazing on & off the football pitch. This club is very much for all of the football traditionalists out there.