FC United of Manchester FC United of Manchester FC United of Manchester Badge FC United of Manchester Pitch In

FC UNITED GALA DINNER - Friday 19th May

FC UNITED GALA DINNER - Friday 19th MayFC United are pleased to announce that the club will be hosting its third Gala Dinner at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on Friday 19th May 2017 in support of the Club’s Development Fund - With guest speakers Dwight Yorke, Gordon McQueen, Sammy McIlroy - Compered by Mick Ferry and Terry Christian with Poet Tony Walsh and DJ Dave Haslam.



FC United are pleased to announce that the club will be hosting its third Gala Dinner at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on Friday 19th May 2017 in support of the Development Fund.

GALA DINNER – Friday 19th May 2017

FC United are pleased to announce that the club will be hosting its third Gala Dinner at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on Friday 19th May 2017 (6.30pm – 1am) in support of the club’s Development Fund.

Billed as “a wholly Mancunian fundraiser??? the event will feature talented local performers from the worlds of comedy, music, television, radio and poetry and three main speakers who all wore the red shirt of Manchester United with distinction. Hosts for the evening will be the comedian and actor Mick Ferry and broadcaster and writer Terry Christian. Both are no strangers to FC with Mick having compered our second Gala Dinner in 2012 and Terry visited Broadhurst Park last October to speak at a recent Course You Can Malcolm event.

We’re also privileged to welcome local performance poet Tony Walsh (aka Longfella) and the legendary Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam will be spinning some discs.




The event will be a formal do* and will include a three course meal and the opportunity to hear from three very special guest speakers;
Dwight Yorke, Sammy McIlroy and Gordon McQueen



Dwight Yorke is, of course, familiar with the notion of good things coming in threes as he was a key member of United’s history making, treble winning side in 1999. He was United’s leading goalscorer in the league that season and formed a wonderful, almost telepathic, partnership up front with Andy Cole.

Gala Dinner guests will no doubt be keen to hear some of Dwight’s tales from that life affirming treble season and on leaving Aston Villa, what actually happened, was he threatened with a gun and did he stick two fingers up to manager John Gregory?



In recent weeks, as United met Southampton at Wembley and travelled to Saint Etienne, older Reds have been reminiscing about the seventies and this year’s FC United Gala Dinner will no doubt trigger some further seventies memories when Sammy McIlroy and Gordon McQueen take the stage.

Sammy was Matt Busby’s last signing as manager of United and made over three hundred appearances for the Reds between 1971 and 1982 including an FA Cup winners medal in 1977. And centre back Gordon was also an FA Cup winner with United in 1983 having joined the club from Leeds in 1978, famously declaring that “99% of players want to play for Manchester United and the rest are liars???.

The two previous FC United Gala Dinners raised a combined total of £40k and we’re anticipating that this event will be a similar success. More than two hundred people attended the first Gala Dinner in March 2011 at the Museum of Science and Industry which was hosted by the comedian Justin Moorhouse with ex-United players Martin Buchan and Wilf McGuiness speaking. The second one took place in September 2012 at the newly opened National Football Museum in town and was also hosted by Mick Ferry.

Prices for a table of ten people are £1,300 inclusive of VAT with individual tickets available at £150 including VAT.

Tickets can be bought via the FCUMShop (see links below) or by contacting Ruth Slater by email at ruthslater@fc-utd.co.uk or by telephone at 0161 769 2005

BuySingle Tickets


BuyTable of 10


Download Gala Dinner Flyer Here

*The dress code for the night is lounge suits


This event is an important fundraiser and part of a range of different events and initiatives that are helping to generate the funds to develop our home at Broadhurst Park, a ground that in less than a couple of seasons has already witnessed, in true United fashion and in the spirit of ’79 and ‘99, its fair share of dramatic comebacks and thrilling late goals. So get yourself to that hotel or football ground and enjoy these nights out.


First Posted ~ 12:18 Fri 17 Mar 2017
News ID ~ 7365
Last Updated ~ 16:00 Fri 19 Feb 2021