FC UNITED'S bid to build their own stadium has received a major boost from Manchester City Council.
The Rebels, who hope to have their own home within five years, have been commended for their "vision" by the council, which is now trying to find a site for a 5,000-capacity ground.
FC general manager Andy Walsh and board member Adam Brown recently met leader of the council Sir Richard Leese and town hall officers to discuss ways forward for the club formed by dis- affected Manchester United supporters in 2005.
And Sir Richard told the recent conference of Supporters Direct - the government body set up to give football fans a greater say in the running of their clubs - that, "we were really convinced by the vision that FC United set out."
Important
The importance of building their own ground was laid bare at FC's annual meeting at the weekend, when it was revealed that the club lost £40,000 in the last financial year.
Attendances have dropped since the club's inaugural season, despite two successive promotions and the fact that the Rebels are now riding high in the UniBond League's first division north.
But the club now has a hard-core support of around 2,200, and believe they can only start to fulfil their dream of becoming a community club once they get their own ground after three seasons of sharing with Bury.
The ground-share has been a big drain on resources, to the point that some home cup games - like tomorrow night's President's Cup clash with Bamber Bridge - have been switched to Radcliffe Borough's cheaper stadium.
Outlining plans for a new stadium at the club's meeting, Brown said: "Absolutely essential to what we are trying to do is the community approach of this football club.
Access
"We are renting a ground and have access to it only when there is a match on, which means we don't have a base from which to work and that all the income we get is not being re-invested in the club but is going out to other organisations such as Bury Football Club.
"We have a very clear rationale. Any money that comes into the club needs to be reinvested into the club, and we can't fulfil our ambitions of being a community club if we are constantly nomadic."
As to the £40,000 loss, Walsh explained: "In our first year we had a surplus and decided we would employ a club development officer as we needed to show community funders that we were serious.
"We also wanted to set up reserve and youth teams and all of those things cost us £75,000 which, with grant funding, came down to about £60,000.
"A significant part of our outgoings are matchday operating costs which are far in excess of those faced by other clubs at our level because we play at such a large ground and need to employ 40 staff. But we still expect to hit something like break even for the current year."
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MCX, Manchester (30/10/2007 at 16:30)
Holme Valley Knowledge. (30/10/2007 at 16:53)
Both have crowds around the 2,000-2,500 mark, both are in need of their own stadium to get away from expensive rentals, and both would need rehoming within Manchester.
A dual purpose Speedway/Football stadium could be the answer.
life in a blender (30/10/2007 at 21:48)
Austin Powers (31/10/2007 at 01:18)
Only a £40K loss last season, not bad for a non league club so far under the radar that they are non existant.
Bleating about running costs ? well welcome to the real world.
Suggest you pitch up your vagabond outfit on a playing field at Hough End because with the financial mismanagement you have anywhere else will be too expensive but at least you will be in Manchester for a change.
78Michael (31/10/2007 at 12:07)
Is that why we still get around 2000 for every game? more than most conference prem clubs?
paul hudspith (31/10/2007 at 12:07)
stephen peake (31/10/2007 at 13:16)
What a world we'd live in if it wasn't for the numpties to keep us entertained.
wilsonjandc (31/10/2007 at 13:52)
It is also a great family atmosphere and the comments on this board are (sorry cant post the right word)
Free Red, Manchester (31/10/2007 at 14:38)
Regards the £40k loss last year a few other have referred too. This was due to the fact that in the first year we didn't spend any money on setting up a reserve team, u18's team or FC United in the community activities, all of which are vital to realising our founding principals of being a community centred club. As Walshy said these initiatives cost £75k to set up in the second year, but this of course does not leave us in debt it mealy means that last year we spent more than our income thus had to draw on our savings. We are still nicely in the black and this year expect to break even without touching our reserve savings which are earning interest for us and not paying interest off someone elses debt.
FCUMLeigh, Leigh (31/10/2007 at 14:39)
It should also be noted that these same people have been seen shopping in Hermes and Emporio Armani, a far cry from their usual Burtons.
Oh yeah..... and they now buy their groceries at M&S and not Aldi......this is a joke by the way.
Up the rebels
knightsthatsay, Rossendale (31/10/2007 at 15:54)
Stad, Manchester (31/10/2007 at 15:56)
I cant beleive the number of sad jealous people on here making up lies to try and discredit a club who are trying to do the right thing for football fans.
dadslad (31/10/2007 at 17:20)
Keep Community Funding for real Community Clubs who are struggling to survive with heavy use of Volunteers and donations. Not for Commercial Enterprises who change the reason for their existence dependant on who/what is the latest cause they embrace.
Si, East Manchester, Audenshaw (01/11/2007 at 00:56)
paul hudspith (01/11/2007 at 07:44)
Dash Walny Manchester via Poland (01/11/2007 at 17:56)
corky (02/11/2007 at 11:11)
Blender should know that all kinds of clubs, at all kinds of levels, already are eligible for funding - the community funding FC will apply for will help them in their intended community work, such as training kids, health and social facilities at the new ground, etc
Austin, the "£40,000 loss" is not, in reality, a loss.
If you had, say, £300,000 sitting in the bank and decided to splash some of it out on a new car, your outgoings would probably exceed your income for that year. You need to read the article more carefullym, otherwise it is you who looks like the clown.
Hudspith - thanks for giving us all a laugh - your illiteracy reflects your knowledge of what you write about.
Dadslad, in what way is FC United "a commercial enterprise"? It is, in fact, a not-for-profit, industrial and provident society. No-one makes money out of FC United, unless you count wages, which are all earned.
Dash Walny is, again, beneath contempt, capable only of snide remarks and vague insinuation - one day he might come up with a concrete argument.
derick (02/11/2007 at 14:36)
paul hudspith (02/11/2007 at 19:33)
Col W (04/11/2007 at 09:26)
They have offices in Manchester, play in Bury, originally tried to play in Droylsden .....
The simple fact is that FCUM will run out of steam in the next few years when people get bored with it - you are as bad as the MK Dons supporters - fake club
If people are bored with Glazier and Man Utd then why not just go and support one of the many non league or league clubs in the area ? Oh that would not give you the glory hunters winning mentality that you are used to.
Dont come looking for sympathy when you have attendances 10 times your opponents, pay out mega wages compared to your rivals (had to laugh when one of your supporters complains about Rise's wages at Liverpool - compare your wages to other clubs first)
Welcome to the real world
corky (05/11/2007 at 11:44)
Hudspith calls me a Judas - I don't remember Judas sticking to his principles (you might have to look principles up in a dictionary, Paul)
FC "will never be better than Manchester United" - gosh, what an insight.
And as for FC being thugs, Bridlington Town fans don't seem to think so after Saturday's visit. Have a look at their forum:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=233375.new;topicseen#new
Then again, FC fans being called "friendly" and "a brilliant set of supporters" doesn't fit your agenda, eh?
Isolated incidents of trouble have virtually all been caused by opposition fans or local troublemakers, and when FC fans HAVE stepped out of line, the club and/or the fans have dealt with it.
As for Col W, if you read the article, it says FC AIM to be a community club, that's why they need their own ground. Just try reading it without your blinkers.
The MK Dons comparison is interesting, as it was AFC Wimbledon who were instrumental in helping FC United form, and still have close ties to this day, including a pre-season friendly which is becoming traditional.
Wimbledon fans understandably loathe MK, yet find soul brothers at FC United. Doesn't that kill your argument?
The tired old stuff about "why not support another league or non-league club in the area" has been gone over a million times.
We wanted "our club, our rules" - how do you think Rochdale, or Droylsden, or Alty fans would have reacted if 2,500 angry United fans had turned up at their club and demanded things were done their way? Those fans had stuck together through watching Utd home and away for years, and through the Glazer takeover, and wanted to remain together, so there was never going to be a case of them all going off to watch their local clubs, either.
Col W (05/11/2007 at 21:59)
Last season one of your oppenents had a weekly wage bill of less than £200 for the SQUAD, so yes, you have bought your way up (thats football) but dont expect me to suddenly worship your club - it aint going to happen.
Like you say you want it "your way", well actually the likes of Bury, Rochdale or Altrincham would have welcomed an extra 2,500 supporters - what a difference this would have made to any of these clubs finances!
You have played Trafford FC in the past - this was the local community club in the area of Old Trafford, why did you not help them.
Glory hunters and you know you are.
A lower league football supporter