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Big Coat Day - Sunday 1st January 2017

Big Coat Day - Sunday 1st January 2017We are now taking collection of coats, warm clothing and footwear to distribute to homeless people - Bring them to any home match upto and including 1st January.

As the nights draw in and we ponder the sartorial dilemma of when to start wearing a big coat to the match there is, of course, another reason why big coats should be at the forefront of our thoughts around this time of year. Big Coat Day, our collection of coats, warm clothing and footwear to distribute to homeless people, has been a regular, and hugely popular, feature of FC United’s community work over the last eleven years.

Launched in 2005 it is, in fact, the longest running part of our community programme and 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. 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???.

Watch the interview here

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. Shoes, boots and socks (but new socks only please) will again be a vital part of this season’s collection.



This season’s Big Coat Day will be on Sunday 1st January 2017 when FC are at home to Altrincham. And we’ll be doing things differently this time.

Whereas in the past the collection has taken place, subject to the weather, on one particular match day, now that we have our own ground and storage space we are keen to spread the effort over a number of match days starting with the home game against Gloucester City on Saturday 29th October.

So if you have any spare items of warm winter clothing or footwear that you would like to donate to this season’s Big Coat Day (in reasonable condition of course) then you can bring them along to the match on the 29th October or any other home matches up to (and including) the final collection at Big Coat Day itself on Sunday 1st January 2017. This allows those supporters who can’t make it to every home game an opportunity to make a contribution.

This year we will be working with four 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 get 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.

    Looking ahead to this season’s Big Coat Day Andy Cheshire, FC’s Community and Education Manager said:

    “Big Coat Day is a reflection of the ethos of FC United of Manchester. Since 2014 the number of people sleeping rough in Manchester has doubled and the problem is likely to get worse in the next twelve months.

    “One of the founding principles of this football club is to develop strong links with its local community and strive to be accessible to all, discriminating against none. Big Coat Day, part of the club since its inception, aligns itself wonderfully with this principle. I believe that we can once again assist charities working with homeless people across this city and make a difference to the lives of many Mancunians???.


    So, as we launch this season’s Big Coat Day on Sunday 1st January 2017 please have a rummage through your cupboards, wardrobes and drawers at home and see if there are any coats or items of warm clothing (jumpers, scarves, hats and gloves etc) or footwear that you might not have worn for a while and can possibly spare to help someone in need this winter.

    Bring them along to a match at Broadhurst Park from Saturday 29th October to Big Coat Day itself on Sunday 1st January. Let’s, once again, show the strength of this football club’s commitment to its local community and all do our bit to help homeless and vulnerable people in the Manchester area by making this Big Coat Day the biggest Big Coat Day so far.




  • First Posted ~ 16:31 Fri 14 Oct 2016
    News ID ~ 7089
    Last Updated ~ 16:00 Fri 19 Feb 2021