http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/RSS.php FC United of Manchester Latest News en-GB Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:07:29 CEST Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:07:29 CEST http://www.fc-utd.co.uk http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2301
All season tickets and memberships will be sent in one batch at the end of July. This process makes it much easier to handle in the office and saves the club a considerable amount of money.

We are grateful for the army of volunteers that work tirelessly to help the office staff cope with the high demand.

We thank supporters for their patience at this busy time.
]]> Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:11:52 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2300 FC United will play at Trafford on Tuesday 11 August 2009, k.o. 7.45pm.

Manager Karl Marginson has agreed to take a team to Trafford for a final pre-season friendly before the league season kicks off. Margy explained "We wouldn’t normally have a friendly midweek before the first League game, but this game will replace our normal Tuesday training session and gives me a chance to try out all the players before the Saturday game."

FC United fans will probably recognise a few faces around Trafford. Their new manager is Garry Vaughan, who used to be our reserve team assistant manager and ex FC United reserve team manager, Loz Greenhalgh, will also be involved at Trafford next season, plus we hear Billy McCartney, FC United’s first ever captain, is still at Trafford. Garry and Loz have brought in a couple of players that they worked with in our reserve side, so it will be an evening of renewing old acquaintances.

Further details of the game nearer the time.]]> Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:49:19 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2299
In the FA Cup we will face one of Sheffield, Flixton or Winsford United and the tie is scheduled to be played on Saturday 12 September. In the Trophy we will make the trip up to Hurst Cross to take on Ashton United on Saturday 17 October.

The Reds are familiar with all of our possible opponents having played them all at least once. Flixton, who were old adversaries in our North West Counties days, have to play Winsford, who led the league for many weeks in our inaugural season, in the extra preliminary round on 15 August.

The winner of that match will then play the oldest club in the world, Sheffield on 29 August - a team who FC United lost 1-0 to in a pre-season friendly in June 2006 at the Don Valley Stadium.

Further announcements about the games will be made nearer to the time. ]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:54:41 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2298 Bucheon FC 1995 have announced the game formally and sent us the links (see below) but unfortunately they are all in Korean and Babelfish can only do so much. What is clear is that this is a big game for them and they have told us they are expecting a crowd of up to 20,000!

There certainly seems to be a lot of anticipation among their supporters and a translation of their fans site at http://www.bucheonfc.net/ appears to say:
"World Football Game Dream Match 2009 - Bucheon’s first wish will finally come true. Spectators in the stadium filled with a similar story with us and with a foreign football team to play. July 18 our hope is real."

This is an amazing opportunity for FC United and we’re honoured to be able to feature in a game against a fans-owned club with similar founding principles to our own. Bucheon FC 1995 were formed in 2007 when their club Bucheon SK was taken over, moved to an island off the south coast and had their name changed to Jeju United. Not surprisingly, with a story like that, Bucheon FC 1995 have forged a friendship with AFC Wimbledon and it’s through that link we received this invitation.

We know that not many people will be able to travel to Korea to see this game, which is why we ran a competition for a club member to travel with the team (details here ). We’ll try to keep you in touch with the trip via this site and we hope everyone will share the pride the team feels at being invited to play in such a prestigious international friendly.


Links in Korean
Match promotion site
Media sites here, here, here and here]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:16:28 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2297
Friday 24th July ~ COMEDY@KINGSMEADOW presents…

Terry Alderton (Headliner) AKA Mr Sheepskin

Kevin Day (Opening) of Match of the Day 2

Bob ‘Walshy’ Walsh (Open spot) AFC Wimbledon supporter

Sully O’Sullivan (MC) Kiwi MC who has performed for both AFCW and FCUM in the past

(Line-ups subject to change)


Doors open 7.30pm/ comedy starts 9pm/ bar closes Midnight

Admission: £12 (includes comedy and dinner by our award- winning Caribbean chef)

We expect demand to be high for this show so we strongly recommend booking in advance. You can purchase tickets by visiting www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/shop/tickets or calling 020 8547 3335.

For group bookings, please e-mail commercial@afcwimbledon.co.uk]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:53:13 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2296
This Co-operative Excellence award identified the club as having made a significant attempt to further understanding of the co-operative model through the promotion of co-operative values and principles.

If FC United has the honour of being the first football club to win this award, it is because our members decided they wanted a club in the true sense of the word; an organisation fully owned and controlled by its members. We did not want to go down the road of being another football club owned by the few for the benefit of the few. Our constitution in particular enshrines that we exist for the benefit of the community as a whole rather than any narrow interests. For this reason the club is proud to have received this prestigious award.

An independent judging panel declared that FC United was: “most deserving of greater recognition for the work that they do promoting co-operatives and the values of co-operation.”

As a result the club will also be put forward in November for the Global Awards for Co-operative Excellence, to be awarded at the International Co-operative Alliance congress. The alliance has 800 million co-operative members and to be nominated for a global gong ahead of all the Premier and Football League clubs in England is a great achievement.
]]> Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:15:10 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2295
The UniBond League is disappointed with the timing of Newcastle Blue Star’s withdrawal just three days after the formal constitution of the League at its AGM on 20th June 2009.

The decision will leave the Premier Division one club short and prevents a club being moved to bring the top tier up to its full complement of 22 clubs, a situation the UniBond League believes could easily have been avoided had the club not failed to communicate either with league officers or the Football Association.

In light of the well-documented rumours surrounding the possible demise of Newcastle Blue Star the League has been seeking clarification of the club’s future intentions since the end of the 2008/9 season. This was not forthcoming so, on 21st May the League wrote to Newcastle Blue Star explaining the impact of delaying any decision or announcement on Newcastle Blue Star’s fellow member clubs and the League itself.

The UniBond League also notes the content of the official statement on Newcastle Blue Star’s website, and wishes to correct a number of inaccuracies.

1. The figure of £61,713 referred to in the Newcastle Blue Star statement as the full amount given to the club in grant funding by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF) is incorrect. The League holds correspondence confirming that the full amount totalled almost £150,000.

2. At a meeting between Newcastle Blue Star, the FSIF and the FA on 27th May 2009, the FSIF indicated they would be prepared to consider staged repayments in order to help the club, and the Football Association personnel present at the meeting supported this position.

3. Following the meeting on 27th May, the League was informed by Secretary Jim Anderson that an announcement on the club’s intentions would be made on Sunday 31st May. The club subsequently refused to provide any such clarification to the UniBond League.

4. On 16th June, Jim Anderson notified the League a statement would be issued prior to the AGM. All further efforts to communicate with the club proved abortive and the club failed to send a representative to the AGM.

Following the AGM the League was again unable to communicate with Mr Anderson until he forwarded a copy of the club’s statement withdrawing from all football on 23rd June.

The UniBond League would like to express its regret that a member club should withdraw from the competition, and wishes the supporters of the now defunct Newcastle Blue Star a brighter future.

]]> Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:06:13 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2294
The FSF, which is the national supporters’ organisation with a membership of more than 140,000, awards prizes each year in three categories; Services to Supporters, Football Writer of the Year and Fans’ Publication of the Year. The winners were human rights organisation Liberty, Guardian journalist David Conn and Stoke City fanzine ‘The Oatcake’.

Liberty received its award for sterling work in obtaining redress for the Stoke City and Plymouth supporters who had been prevented from attending their games by what has been accepted by police as unlawful use of Section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act.

Conn scooped the writer award for the third time, receiving nominations from the FSF’s membership and newspaper sports editors. Particular mention was made of his coverage of the ongoing fight for justice of the Hillsborough families and of his comparison of the ownership structures of this year’s Champions League finalists.

Chair of the awards panel, Ian Todd, commented: “Although there is no specific award for club good practice, we were pleased to commend Burnley Football Club who, on promotion to the Premier League, have promised to refund the season ticket cost of those season ticket holders from last season who had renewed by a specific deadline.”

And he added: “There was also recognition of the initiative of FC United of Manchester, who have given their fans the right to choose the amount they will pay for their season tickets in the coming season.”

FC United is a member of the FSF but individual supporters may wish to join too. Joining the FSF is your opportunity to make a difference. The Federation has regular meetings with the football authorities and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, discussing a wide range of issues, many of them placed on the agenda by the FSF to take forward our policies or in response to concerns raised by supporters.

Supporters can find out more information on joining the FSF by clicking here.
]]> Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:53:59 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2293 Members Lucky Dip Draw

If you’re a member of FC United you could win the opportunity of travelling with the FC United Manager to the first Saturday away game of the season, which is currently a mystery prize until the fixtures are announced. That could be a trip on the team coach to Boston, or it could be a lift in Margy’s car to Ashton (unless he taps you up to do the driving!). We’ll plan the day in discussion with both the winner and whichever team we’re playing. If you rate your chances as a player, maybe Margy will put you through your paces in the warm up? Perhaps you’d like to join the Board members on duty and see if we get Lincoln biscuits in the opposition’s Board Room? Whoever wins, it will be an exciting day out and a unique glimpse behind the scenes.

What do you have to do for this amazing opportunity? Actually it’s something you may have already done and you were certainly going to do anyway. The prize will be on offer to all members who are registered before 1 August 2009. Apologies that it can only be over 16s for this prize. If the first name out of the hat is a Junior, we’ll offer a day as a mascot at a home game instead, so there’s something for everyone.

Don’t delay, join today and make sure you’re in this draw. Everyone’s a winner, because every member gets the greatest prize of all; co-ownership of our club.


How to become a member

Annual membership is just £10 for adults and £3 for juniors under 16.



While you’re sorting out your membership, please don’t forget you could buy a season ticket too by naming your own price - details here]]> Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:23:40 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2292
This national Co-operative Excellence award identifies an individual or enterprise that has made a significant attempt to further understanding of the co-operative model through the promotion of co-operative values and principles.

An independent judging panel, will decide the individuals or co-operative businesses most deserving of greater recognition for the work that they do promoting co-operatives and the values of co-operation.

The, winners will be announced on Saturday 27 June at the Co‑operatives 2009 conference in Windsor.]]> Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:15:32 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2291 Organisations - they can’t put their name on our shirt but they can put their shirt on FC.

And already sponsors for the new season include:

Chauntry, ANS Group, C21, Chandler Harris, HBB Group, Waring & Co, Heavey Motors , Northern Autos, Lichfield Leather, Heywood Accounting, Davies Consultancy, Matrix Software, Delta Legal, Glaisyers Solicitors, A J Edge Ltd, Easi Trading, e-reward, T Shirts United, The PB Army, FCUM New Zealand and Remaining Anonymous.

As every fan knows, the summer is a crucial time for a club and its teams’ preparation for the new season. At FC United we have great prospects:

* The first team was within a whisker of the play offs and a fourth promotion in four years
* The youth team famously won three trophies
* Advancing plans for our own purpose-built stadium
* Publicity around Looking for Eric being shown across Britain and the world

An important part of making sure the club has the wherewithal to develop and prosper is the issue of fundraising. Supporters have shown great imagination and dedication at raising money and making great personal sacrifices. However, there are lots of organisations out there looking for decent clubs and causes to sponsor who could be persuaded to put their money into FC United if they knew what we had to offer.

As we push towards a stadium of our own we want our fans to assist the sponsorship and community teams by thinking of organisations or individuals that may be interested in sponsoring the club and sending them our way by contacting sponsorship@fc-utd.co.uk or setting up meetings and presentations for club representatives to attend. The sponsorship opportunities vary from our highly regarded work in the community, coaching, mentoring and running tournaments, to matchdays and events like Youth United Day.

Organisations cannot sponsor our shirt but they can sponsor the club, our matches, our players and our competitions. They can join our 127 Club or advertise in our programmes and at pitchside. If businesses want to be in the forefront of the best that is happening in football and the community then tell them to put their shirt on FC United.
]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:22:14 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2290
As part of those discussions the Board made the following observation, which we thought should be communicated to all fans.

The Board strongly supports any group of fans who want to band together and play football. As a club we encourage people to play football and it is also part of our promotion of healthy lifestyles. Fans teams have done some valuable community work, particularly in relation to work with refugees teams and will continue to do so. However, the club doesn’t have an ’official’ fans team and doesn’t have sufficient resources to designate any team as such. We trust that every team made up of FC United fans playing in FC United shirts will represent their club in an appropriate manner.]]> Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:55:57 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2289
In order to accommodate the game against Bury, Radcliffe have agreed to bring our match against them forward one day to Monday 27 July.

The fixture against Bury will be their home game in the tournament, so we will once again experience being the away club in our familiar home ground of Gigg Lane.

The full programme for the tournament will be:
Mon 13 July, Radcliffe v Bury, k.o. 7.30pm
Mon 27 July, FC United v Radcliffe, k.o. 7.45pm (designated our ’home’ game, but to be played at Radcliffe’s Stainton Park)
Wed 29 July, Bury v FC United, k.o. 7.45pm

Further information about the tournament and our games will be posted nearer the time.

Full details of our pre-season programme can be found here.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:41:07 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2288
Karl Marginson is playing a prominent role in the week which runs from 15th to 21st June 2009.

He is running a football training session open to all comers at Albert Park in Higher Broughton from 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday 16th June. As well as football, there will be other games, prizes, refreshments and ’friendly faces aplenty’. For more information, please contact Ameen Hadi on 708 0892 or Dave Fraser on 212 4583. Everybody is welcome and it would be good to see some FC United fans supporting the event.

Salford Refugee Week is now in its third year and is part of a wider UK programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK arts, culture, economy and wider society and encourages a better understanding between communities.

Other events forming part of Salford Refugee Week are:

• Wednesday 17th June. Health & Cultural Event at Emmanuel Church, Salford Precinct. 10am to 2.30pm. Dance workshop, massage sessions and a free lunch.

• Wednesday 17th June. Ordsall’s Multi-Cultural Munch. Humphrey Booth Day Centre, Taylorson Street, Ordsall. 5pm to 7pm. Local and International Food tasting.

• Wednesday 17th June. The Saved and the Trapped. Jewish Museum, Cheetham Hill Road. 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Talk by Bill Williams about refugees from Hitler’s Europe.

• Wednesday 17th June. Little Hulton Youth Project. Bridgewater Youth Centre, Little Hulton. 7pm start. Exhibition of fashion and textiles influenced by cultures from around the world and designed by young people in Little Hulton and Walkden.

• Saturday 20th June. Saturday Fun Night. St. Paul’s Church, Little Hulton. 7pm start. An evening of fun, food, music and culture. Lots of countries represented.

• Sunday 21st June. Small World in Salford. Salford Museum and Art Gallery. 1pm to 4pm. Music, dancing, storytelling, henna painting and more.

All events are free and open to the public and FC fans are of course very welcome to support these events in neighbourhoods where we have an active programme of community events.

The week also aims to show the proud history of Britain in welcoming people escaping terrible situations in their home countries and to get rid of some of the myths that fly around about refugee and asylum seekers. Most of all, it is about Salford coming together to show that it is a welcoming city.
]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:35:18 +0200 http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/story.php?story_id=2287
Margy said: "I’m really pleased to have Ben coming to the club. He is a tall striker, good in the air and with excellent feet. Every time we have played Ashton he has caused us problems."

As Ben joins we say goodbye to Jamie and Chris Baguley who have joined Leigh Genesis. "We wish both Jamie and Chris well at Leigh," added Karl. "Both lads want to play every week and whilst we like to think that every player gets a good chance with the competition we have in our squad we cannot guarantee anyone a definite starting place."]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:03:10 +0200