FC United of Manchester were given planning permission this week to build a 5,000 capacity ground in the Moston area of Manchester. For them this piece of good news completes a difficult journey of finding a suitable location to lay roots in Manchester and connect with the local community to a greater degree than they are doing so already.
After rejection of their proposal to put a ground in Newton Heath a few years ago many FCUM fans were wary of celebrating too soon. Thanks to their meticulous planning they have managed to win over much of the Moston community (although not all) and were also given a blessing by the charity commission.
Whilst some probably won’t be celebrating until they find their spot in the ground, they can now put the champagne on ice and start the hard task of completing the fund raising for the ground. They already have £1.5 million in the bank thanks to their unique community share scheme but will need to step up the fund raising in order to reach the required costs for a stadium.
This may be doubly hard for the club as they have been struggling financially for a few seasons due to their pledge to never raise ticket prices. Along with the rent at Gigg Lane (and occasionally Bower Field) they may find it difficult to raise these funds via the normal channels. But FCUM have never been a normal club, they will find a way to do it and stick two fingers at their noisy neighbors once again.
At a time when the rest of the country is looking on at Manchester and drooling over the collective talent that the two Premier League teams have, FC United serve as a stark reminder that community football is being left by the wayside there as well.
Some people will never like FCUM. Some people will never understand FCUM. But before criticising them for ‘abandoning their club’ remember that their club abandoned them some time ago. Instead of becoming disillusioned by modern football and taking up golf on the weekends they made a stand that many people would never dare to do.
Photo courtesy of Matthew Wilkinson.
