On Tuesday 5th July 2005, history was made. A new football club was officially formed, borne out of the ashes of a once proud professional club, a club that has now become ravaged by debt, taken over by a businessman with no feeling or passion for the club he has bought, the fans the club has or the city and community that it represents.
On Tuesday 5th July 2005 Football Club United of Manchester held its 1st EGM and was formed by its paid up members.
The idea of a new club was 1st mooted during the fight against Murdoch, but as he was seen off thanks to fans pressure and government intervention, and the idea was shelved, until Glazer reared his ugly head.
The idea of FCUM (not sure if I like that or not) was to keep the fans of MUFC together during the fight against Glazer, the worst thing that could happen was that fans lost interest and the fans drift away to B&Q or Sainsburys’ on a Saturday afternoon, but they more the idea has grown, the more identity it has taken on and the more the fans get involved, the more the idea seems to be moving from a place to keep people together to a club being built for the long term, by the fans, for the fans.
The Steering Group that was involved in setting up the club up to the EGM, did a fantastic job, helped along the way by clubs such as Leigh RMI and AFC Wimbledon, and to these clubs all supporters of FCUM should be eternally grateful. Without the hard work and dedication of these people, I wouldn’t have a need to write this piece.
Speaking from a personal point of view, I said at day one that if Glazer took over my club I would hand back my season ticket and not pay off 1 penny of the debt he has saddled onto the club that I love. I said I couldn’t justify to myself paying the debt off, and giving him money. Yes we have been putting money into a PLC and before that the Edwards family, but as far as I could see it, the Edwards did at least keep some money in the club and allowed MUFC to buy some of the top players around as well as break the transfer record on a few occasions. Ditto with the PLC, ok they had to give approval and yes, the club may have missed out on a few players, but there was money there and also some degree of transparency as the club was answerable to the shareholders. As it stands now, the Glazers can do as they see fit and not have to answer to anyone. As the days have gone on, and I came round to the idea that I wouldn’t be watching my football at the ground I have been visiting for the last 23 years, the idea of FCUM was more and more appealing. Watching players who are playing for the love of football, being involved in a club where the members have a say on how the club is run, not paying stupid prices for match tickets and having to work around stupid KO times. Yes I didn’t renew purely due to the Glazer thing, but it has made me realise how much I was tiring of professional football.
In fact the more I think about it, the more envious I am of AFC Wimbledon, mainly due to the fact that they have had a head start on all this, They have already seen the joys of watching THEIR club playing, not someone else’s plaything playing. The stories I have heard from representatives and fans of theirs at various meetings and on forums, fills me up with excitement for the coming season. In fact, I can’t bloody wait.
Looking forward and feeling quite proud that the 1st game involving FCUM is in my home town of Leigh and can’t wait to go down to AFC Wimbledon to have a chance to see a game between out 2 clubs and to drink and talk to fans of similar mind.
Good luck to AFC Wimbledon for the forthcoming season, hope you don’t take your loss in the Supporters Direct Cup too hard, and hopefully see you again at the start of next season.
Tickets for the Supporters Direct Cup match at AFC Wimbledon are £9 Stands & £7 Terraces (remember those?) with reduced prices for juniors & concessions. Terrace tickets and uncovered seats continue to be available by calling the credit card hotline on 020 8546 9582. Full details are available on THIS LINK.