At this rate, FC United of Manchester will be in the Premiership in 2015

By: Bob | April 24th, 2007

Long before it became acceptable for the English Premier League to be used as a playground for world billionaires, there was a group of fans who revolted when their club was taken over by an American billionaire and they formed their own club. While Manchester United face AC Milan in the Champions League today, fans of FC United of Manchester are polishing another trophy. Their team has captured the North West Counties Football League title and will be promoted for the second year in a row. For those scoring at home, FC United are just three levels below the Football league and eight levels below the English Premier League. The club plays at Bury’s Gigg Lane stadium and like the original club, they also feature a R. Giggs.

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Category: England, World Football

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Dave Wood

Myself and my family have followed FC since their 1st game. We cannot attend evey match but make about 60%. Like most others I am a big UTD fan but was never a season ticket holder. I guess we just got fed up of being taken for a ride, forking money out for what sometimes was a poor atmosphere. When i first went to OT was against Sunderland in the old 2nd division, I could not believe the noise. The last time i went i could hold a long conversation with my mate without ever having to speak up!! The Glazers did not influence my decision to follow, The atmosphere and cost to watch premier league did.
John Reed

My son and I have been going to watch FC United since January 2006, having watched their progress since their formation. It took about a year to drag ourselves away from Old Trafford, where we had been lifelong supporters. It wasn't the Glazers. They were just the final nail in the coffin. Since winning the Champions League in 1999, the atmosphere at Manchester United deteriorated, and Roy Keane's statement about the prawn sandwich supporters made many fans realise how disconnected the club was becoming from those who support them. Vastly overpriced merchandise, beverages, sweets and pies made a football match for two a £100 GBP experience. Rip-off football is turning the fans away.

We follow FC United home and away. The atmosphere at these games is sensational, and in the early days FC fans would sing right through half time, something they now seem to reserve for crunch matches. The quality of the football is significantly higher than you would expect, and our opponents always seem to rise to the challenge of playing in front of a big crowd.

Okay, so we only average a couple of thousand supporters per game, but in non-league terms, that is also sensational. Fan for fan, we are probably louder than most in the football league. Football is about atmosphere, and about letting off steam at the end of a working week. Our 1,800 supporters at the FA Vase game against Quorn FC last season could be heard three miles away. On the same day, Manchester United played Manchester City at Old Trafford and my mate said it was like a morgue.

Tomorrow, Sunday 2nd September 2007, FC United of Manchester play their first ever FA Cup match against local rivals Trafford FC. We will be there with a large group of friends, to sing and have fun. If we win, we'll be very happy. If we draw, we'll be very happy. If we lose, we'll still be very happy. This is the right direction for football in this country. The experience will cost my son and I about £25. Come and join us.
christian

Started following FC recently, not been able to get to games before. The turning point and the reason I'm gonna start travelling to games, is the new MUFC season ticket policy.
It's time to start boycotting the Glaziers debt and continue the Red revolution.
FC are the club that future of the United name depends on, great atmosphere, great prices and the best fans in the world.
Premiership in 10 years, champions league in 11.
Ellis

Hello all. FC United is doing great things for footy in the short two years our club has been around. I joined up at the start and became a founding member of FC United and I must say I'm quite pleased with our progress. If anyone is interested in seeing match highlights, we have our own web based tele called "FC United TV". You need broadband, but otherwise you are well in. Here's the addy for the TV:
http://fcum.tv/

If anyone is interested in understanding the English football promotion system or just our football in general, just ask.

Cheers!
chuck

For fans that aren't too familiar with the English promotion system, like I was, let me just say it is fascinating.

For example, you could be in the "Devon and Exeter Football League," which was founded in 1900, and consists of five "senior" divisions as well as an U-17 division. Maybe you play for a team in that division named "Heavitree Social United" -- well... you just won your division, which gets you promoted to the next higher division. Keep on winning, and eventually, you'll get to the top level and you'll get to compete against the big-boys.

To my friends who don't follow this sport, I explain how if baseball followed this structure, then it would be like a team such as the "Durham Bulls" winning the AA championship, getting promoted to AAA, and winning that and going to the big leagues. Similarly, bad teams such as the Royals would get "relegated" down to triple-A.

Here's a good wikipedia entry on the English football league system:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E...

And please, someone check me on this, but didn't the aforementioned "Heavitree Social United" team give Jay Demerit his first break?
Bob

Nice interview, Tom. I find what they are doing very interesting.
Tom

Please excuse the blatant self-promotion, but I just posted a Q & A with one of FC United's founders on my blog that might be interesting for those curious to know more about the club.

You can find it here: http://thomasdunmore.com/football/?p=104