MANCHESTER's 'football club of the people' (as they self-style themselves), FC United of Manchester, is to get busy.
In an area which has suffered much economic deprivation the announcement of construction of the new ground is good news for North Manchester - there is nothing bad about it in Confidential's opinion.
The club has announced the construction of their new 5,000 stadium, along with community facilities, to begin later this month following the conclusion of a lease agreement with Manchester City Council.
Currently ground sharing with Bury at Gigg Lane, the site of FC United’s new ground will be Ronald Johnson Playing Fields in Moston, only a stone’s throw from Moston Small Cinema. Construction is set to take approximately forty weeks at a cost of £5.5 million, just in time for the 2014-15 seasons’ start.
The club, formed in 2005 as protest to the Glazer’s ownership of Manchester United, has enjoyed a meteoric rise up from the depths of non-league football. The announcement of a new stadium is the latest milestone in the young club’s life.
In keeping with the FC United’s ethos of sustainability the new ground has been funded by the club’s members, raising the £2 million needed to gain the support of major investors Sport England, the Football Foundation, Manchester City Council and the Manchester College.
The community benefits of the project has been one of the key reasons for its success, most notably Moston Junior Football Club, one of Manchester’s leading junior football clubs, should benefit from the building of the new facilities.
In an area which has suffered much economic deprivation the announcement of construction of the new ground is good news for North Manchester - there is nothing bad about it in Confidential's opinion.
On top of the social benefits are financial ones, renting Bury’s ground for games was a significant cost for the club. A more stable financial situation should help build the team and improve results and lead to further promotion up the English league system in future."
FC United board member Mike Sherrard saluted the community driven achievement:
“This is another historic day in the short life of FC United and we are now in a position to deliver a football ground and community asset for the benefit of Moston and Greater Manchester as a whole.
"A tremendous amount of hard work has gone into getting the development to this stage and it is not too late for supporters and the community to join in and be a part of the ground breaking Community Shares Scheme which helped demonstrate to national funders such as Sport England and the Football Foundation the desire and commitment of FC United to make this happen. The scheme is already being copied around the country. Where Manchester leads others follow. This will be a facility for us all to be proud of.”
Currently sitting eleventh in the Northern League Premier Division, FC United of Manchester would be in for a dream season if they could pull off promotion this year having suffered play-off heartbreak the previous three seasons.
