Community
Community Partners
Overview
FC United of Manchester is a community football club based in Moston, North Manchester. We have a principled commitment to be of benefit to our local community and to work with everyone in the community through an inclusive ethos that resonates with our membership. We are passionate and understanding of the wider role that football clubs can play in assisting communities local to them. Our community programme is varied and not exclusive to football or sport - ‘we do things differently’ and our community programme is evidence of this.Latest Community News
Youth Work
Sports LeadersThe Sports Leaders courses are free (funded through Forever Manchester) for anyone aged 14 or over. They run each month and, on completion, each participant will be presented with a Go Lead certificate that could act as a springboard to further coaching in sports or leading groups. Go Lead is an award designed by Sports Leaders UK that provides an introduction to leadership that equips students with the knowledge, skills and competencies to lead basic physical activity sessions and also use leadership skills in their day to day lives at work or college.
On completion of the one day course, each participant must commit to volunteering 8 hours of their time and we particularly encourage volunteering in local community organisations to increase the capacity of the local community. We recruit 12 people each month and the course will run until August 2017.
This project is part of a wider initiative with FC United, the MaD Theatre Company and Collyhurst and Moston Amateur Boxing Club working together to teach more than three hundred local young people and generate in excess of three thousand hours of volunteering in the local area.
NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)
Through funding received from the Youth Aspiration Fund, run by the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner, we are working in partnership with the MaD Theatre Company and Collyhurst and Moston Amateur Boxing Club to develop an accredited employability course to equip 16 to 25 year olds with the necessary skills and knowledge to prepare them for employment.
The course lasts for 12 weeks and the participants will be expected to work with us for 16 hours per week of which 7 hours will be based in the classroom at Broadhurst Park and the other 9 hours will be split evenly across the three organisations. On completion participants will be awarded the Level 1 Open Award in Employability and will have gained valuable work experience with the three organisations. The course aims to prepare those entering employment for the first time or those who are unemployed and seeking to improve their employability to return to work and covers a broad range of topics including working as a team, communication skills, presentation skills, customer care, health and safety in the workplace and managing finances. The qualification is nationally recognised and accredited by Ofqual and is on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).
As of January 2017 we are recruiting for this project and aim to complete four NEET courses over the next twelve months and, in the process, equip around 40 young adults with the skills and attributes required for employment.
Friday Night Youth Project
Through funding received from the Adactus Housing Group and Key 103 radio station, we now run a Friday Night Youth Project in our community cabin at Broadhurst Park. This is designed as a drop in session for local young people. Each Friday evening from 6pm to 7pm we encourage 7 to 11 year olds from the local area to enjoy football and other sports on our 3G pitch with qualified FC United coaches. In addition, from 7pm to 9pm the cabin is open to those aged 12 to 16 years to enjoy a range of activities (for a charge of £1) including pool, games consoles, table tennis, table football, arts and crafts and more.
Working with Older Adults
Sporting Memories NetworkThe Sporting Memories Network is a charity that we have partnered with to run weekly sessions for older people living in North Manchester who may have dementia, depression or be socially isolated and aims to engage them in social activities that help them to recall memories of watching or playing sport.
By sharing memories of sporting moments and tapping into a passion for sport, the sessions help people to connect with others and with their past, reawakening positive thoughts and feelings that may otherwise remain hidden away.
The sessions take place each Friday afternoon from 1.30pm to 3pm at Broadhurst Park and are free to attend. The sessions are led by four FC United volunteers and have proved popular with us now looking to develop the group further.
FC Oldskool
With funding received from the Postcode Community Trust, we are pleased to announce that we will shortly be running a weekly activity group for over 60s at Broadhurst Park. We will be working with Everyday People, a group that works with elderly people across Greater Manchester to increase their wellbeing through participation in various creative activities. Following funding received from Forever Manchester the group have been working with elderly people in Moston since 2014.
We hope to begin running these sessions, in partnership with Everyday People, at Broadhurst Park from February 2017 so please check here for more information. The sessions will focus on reminiscence, local history and light exercise.
Digital inclusion classes
As part of Places for People’s ongoing commitment to our community work we will be running inter-generational digital inclusion classes in the classroom at Broadhurst Park in 2017. This is born of a recognition that digital technology has huge potential to improve the quality of later life by building social networks to overcome social isolation and loneliness or by transforming services to enable people to live independently at home for longer. The classes will aim to ensure that older people from the local area are able to realise the benefits of the digital age that we live in. The classes will run for one month.
Schools Work, Play Schemes and School Holiday Projects
School sports sessionsWe offer local schools the opportunity to have qualified FC United coaches deliver sports sessions to young people. These sessions can vary depending on what the school would like. We can also deliver;
* PE lessons as part of the school’s curriculum
* After school or lunch-time multi-sports provision
We are developing a brochure for this offer and this will be available online soon.
School holiday provision
Wherever possible we strive to run holiday programmes for young people during the school holidays and the provision during the summer holidays in 2018 is already fully booked.
Annual Events
International Women’s DayInternational Women’s Day is an annual global event that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and represents a call to action for accelerating a more inclusive gender equal world. The event will take place in 2017 on Wednesday 8th March and, as in previous years, is something that FC United will support, in particular recognising the key role that women play at FC United and in the wider football world.
The theme of International Women’s Day in 2017 will be #BeBoldForChange and we will announce our plans for this very shortly.
Youth United Day
Youth United Day is an event that recognises the contribution of local young people. This year the event will take place at our home match versus Stalybridge Celtic on 1st April 2017.
As in previous years the event will offer youth groups, schools, colleges and sports clubs, whether they are involved in football or not, the opportunity to promote themselves at the ground and get involved in a range of activities and encourage young people to enjoy the FC United match day experience for free.
2016’s Youth United Day, the first one staged at Broadhurst Park, was a huge success with over 500 hundred young people participating in a range of activities including a climbing wall,
bouncy castle, face painting, a pool tournament, athletics taster sessions run by the Salford Harriers and Athletics Club and football sessions facilitated by Moston Juniors Football Club on the 3G pitch. The event was funded by Places for People as part of their ongoing commitment to FC United’s community work.
There will again be a range of activities for local young people at this year’s Youth United Day and admission for under 18s will once again be free.
Refugee Week
Refugee Week is a national week-long festival that celebrates the contribution of refugees and aims to promote understanding of why people seek sanctuary. This year’s Refugee Week will run from the 19th to 25th June.
Plans will be announced shortly for a return match in Glasgow, during Refugee Week, between our Freedom from Torture side and our friends United Glasgow FC following their match on the 3G pitch at Broadhurst Park at People United Day in October 2016. The teams will once again be playing for the Alan Henning Trophy which was won by United Glasgow FC in October. A big thank you to Crystal Vehicle Rental Services for funding this wonderful event.
Freedom from Torture provide clinical support, including medical consultations and psychological therapies, for victims of torture who arrive in the UK as asylum seekers having suffered the kind of pain and suffering that the rest of us can probably barely imagine. One of the many strands of FC United’s community work involves a group from Freedom from Torture attending weekly football sessions at Broadhurst Park.
United Glasgow FC was formed in 2011 to primarily help refugees and asylum seekers but they now welcome players from all nationalities, genders and walks of life bringing together individuals with a shared love of football who may otherwise never have met. Just like FC United they take a principled stance against all forms of discrimination and are committed to providing affordable football.
People United Day
People United Day is FC United’s annual celebration of the diversity of our local community and reinforces our proud and principled commitment to develop strong links with that community and be accessible to all and discriminate against none.
It provides a welcome reminder that racism or any other form of discrimination will not be tolerated at FC United because we believe that all people should be able to enjoy football without fear of intimidation or abuse. Indeed the club encourages people of all backgrounds to take an active role in the club and reach out to those communities that may feel socially excluded.
The very first People United Day in October 2006 memorably saw over a thousand young people attend the game against Glossop North End at Gigg Lane including many young asylum seekers and refugees. The “FC United Against Racism” banner was carried around the pitch by a group of the club’s junior members at the head of a pre-match parade of dozens of homemade banners and flags celebrating diversity and supporting refugees and asylum seekers and was given a wonderful ovation by a crowd of more than three thousand.
Since then People United Day has been an annual event in the FC calendar and down the years has featured displays of art, photography, drama, poetry and banner making all promoting the theme of people from different backgrounds working and living together.
This season’s People United Day on 29th October 2016 featured a special friendly match between a team from United Glasgow FC, comprised largely of refugees and a team from the Freedom from Torture charity and took place on the 3G pitch adjacent to the ground following FC United’s match against Gloucester City.
The event also saw FC United working with around two hundred local school children to educate them on the involvement of refugees in football, both locally and globally, and also to discuss the benefits of supporter ownership and the uniqueness of FC United as a football club in the UK and further afield. This included two exhibitions; one on the involvement of refugees in football and the other on supporter ownership of football clubs.
Big Coat Day
Big Coat Day is our annual collection of winter clothing to help the homeless and vulnerable during the winter months. It was launched in the club’s first season in 2005, and is the longest running part of our community programme. Down the years we have worked with a number of charities to help get warm winter clothing to those most in need in the Manchester area and a number of famous faces have, in the past, lent us their support too including the actors Maxine Peake, John Henshaw and Julie Hesmondhalgh, comedian Justin Moorhouse and New Order’s Peter Hook.
The “Big Coat” title refers to a comment from the club’s very early days when we played only our second ever match at AFC Wimbledon in July 2005. On a lovely, warm summer’s day in south west London a television crew covered the match and interviewed supporters. When one fan was asked, with the sort of “it’ll be over by Christmas” scepticism familiar to us all at the time, whether he’d still be as keen to follow FC United in the depths of a freezing northern winter he replied, succinctly, that he’d “just get a big coat”. And so when, a few months later, in the winter of that first season the club staged its first collection of clothing for homeless people “Big Coat Day” seemed like an apt, slightly tongue-in-cheek title.
Aside from the self-deprecating humour, there is, of course, a serious point to the whole thing. Each winter it’s reckoned that around five thousand excess deaths occur in the north west of England simply because of a lack of heating or warm clothing. That translates to roughly one death every thirty minutes or so during the winter months; deaths that shouldn’t happen and we can prevent relatively easily. Big Coat Day represents our annual attempt to address this issue locally.
On Big Coat Day in January 2010 despite our home match against Ossett Town being called off we still managed to collect more than four tons of clothing as MPs, local councillors, schools and community centres struggled through the snow and ice to get to Gigg Lane to make donations. This total was beaten on Boxing Day 2011 when we collected a fantastic six tons of clothing (about 3,000 items) before our match against Ashton United. Last season, our first Big Coat Day at Broadhurst Park, we also asked for items of footwear (again in good condition) for the first time as many rough sleepers spend hours on their feet wandering the city.
This season’s Big Coat Day was held on Sunday 1st January 2017 at FC’s home match against Altrincham and was the biggest collection we have had to date as we changed the way that we ran it by collecting clothing and footwear during our home matches throughout November and December. We will review this process and aim to build on it for the 2017-18 season.
This season we worked with five partner organisations to get the clothing to those most in need;
Lifeshare is a voluntary organisation that provides practical help, support and information for homeless and vulnerable people in Manchester and Salford. They assist people in finding suitable accommodation and provide emergency food parcels, warm clothing and help with benefit claims.
Barnabus is a Manchester-based charity that provides physical and emotional support for the city’s homeless and vulnerable people particularly those with mental health issues or severe addictions to help them get their lives back on track.
Boaz Trust is a longstanding supporter of Big Coat Day and is a charity that helps destitute asylum seekers and refugees in Greater Manchester who have no access to public funds and often nowhere to turn for help.
Asylum Support Housing Advice (ASHA), like the Boaz Trust, is a charity that provides support and advice for asylum seekers whose applications for asylum have been refused and who, as a result, often end up homeless and destitute.
Salford Women’s Aid is a charity that offers a range of services to help support women, men and children who are affected by domestic abuse.
FC Toystory
Toy Story is our annual collection of toys and games for families and young people in need over the Christmas period and was born from a recognition that for many families and young people Christmas can, for a variety of reasons, be a struggle. All types of toy are welcome but must be new; anything from cuddly toys, Lego and dolls to jigsaws, games, educational toys, train sets or remote control diggers.
Our very first toy collection was held on Saturday 17th December 2016 in partnership with the Frost Foundation which is a charity that helps children and teenagers in the Greater Manchester area who are disadvantaged by illness, circumstance or lack of money. In particular, they support children with disabilities and those living in poverty to help them live their lives to the full. Rather than cash, this support typically takes the form of much needed items of equipment such as mattresses, wheelchairs or electronic devices and also school uniforms in summer and presents at Christmas.
The 2016 Toy Story collection, like Big Coat Day, was staggered over several match days and two vans full of toys were collected by the Frost Foundation after the match on Saturday 17th December. The success of this season’s collection is something we will look to build for the 2017-18 season.
Sports Development
Pan-Disability FootballThis is a weekly session on Friday from 5pm to 6pm for young people aged 16 years and over. The sessions will encourage young people to take part in a fun active football session and will be overseen by our qualified coaches but will be informal and will give young people the opportunity to use the session however they feel comfortable. Whether that be an introduction to the game, to gain confidence socially or to improve their ability the session will cover all of these aspects. We will provide the facility and equipment for the players to create their own games to work on a ball individually. However, for the players that feel a little more confident and want to play more competitive we also have FC United disability team that play fixtures in the Greater Manchester Ability Counts League once a month. The first session for players is free of charge and then £2 each session.
FC United Free Community Sessions
This session for young people from 14 to 21 years of age takes place every Tuesday at Broadhurst Park from 5pm to 6pm and is free of charge.
Each session the participants will be on the 3G pitch at Broadhurst Park taking part in fun based football sessions. During these sessions they will learn new tricks, skills and take part in small sided games. Participants will also be encouraged to come up with their own games and take ownership of the sessions whilst being overseen by our coaches.
AJ’s Academy
We run a specialist disability session (“Sports with FC United”) at AJ’s Academy in Moston each Wednesday for children aged 5 to 12 years. The session is a multi-sports session for young people with disabilities. We will shortly commence providing an additional session at AJ’s Academy on Fridays.
Girls/Women’s Wildcats Project
In May 2018 we was awarded with FA Wildcats status. This provided funding for us to start up a girls football session for ages 5 – 12 years. This session takes place on the 3G pitch at Broadhurst Park every Wednesday from 5pm – 6pm and is £2 per session. These sessions are really flexible and the main aim is to introduce the game to Girls and help build their confidence whilst taking part in fun active games. The long term objective of the session is to create a Girls team under the Moston Juniors banner.
Wellbeing Centre, Mental Health Football
Every Tuesday from 4pm – 5pm we support this Football session which has grown in numbers over the last 2 months. The session has been consistent in good attendance which has encouraged us to start conversations with Manchester FA about creating a team out of the session and completing affiliation under the FC United banner. This team will then be entitled to funding which will help sustain the session and they will also be able to play in a competitive league.
FC United Walking Football
We run 2 walking football sessions both are 7-8pm on Mondays or Wednesdays.
Mondays is well attended and mainly covers 40’s to 70 age group. It is always a game usually 7,8 or 9 a side depending how many turn up. It’s currently £3/ session paid on the night. This group feeds into playing friendly matches but that’s purely voluntary. Anyone can play if they want to.
Wednesdays is less competitive and aimed more at general fitness and social interaction.
Both sessions are fun, very inclusive!
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