FC United raises £1.6m through community share issue

 Source: Third Sector

 Club formed by disenchanted Manchester United fans charged £200 per share to build new ground in Moston, north Manchester

Community-owned football club FC United of Manchester has raised £1.6m to buy a new ground through a community share issue.

This community share issue is the largest outside the energy sector, which has much more predictable returns for investors. A community share issue involves ordinary people buying shares in an industrial and provident society, which will then pay interest on those shares.

About 1,400 people invested at least £200 each to buy a share in the club. Each shareholder will have one vote in the administration of the club, regardless of how many shares they own.

The club will look to pay interest on shares, and shareholders will be able to withdraw their shares but not sell them on.

The share issue has been given advance approval by HM Revenue & Customs for the Enterprise Investment Scheme, which allows share purchasers to claim up to 30 per cent tax relief.

FC United was formed by Manchester United fans disappointed with the takeover of their club by the Glazer family. Its new ground will be in Moston, north Manchester.

The club expects to raise £4.6m in total for the ground. Other funding includes a grant of £550,000 from Manchester City Council and a possible £1.4m from Sport England and the Football Foundation, which is expected to be confirmed next month.

The rest has been raised through smaller grants and donations. If necessary, the club may take a further £500,000 loan from the council.

Andy Walsh, general manager at FC United, said: "Reaching our £1.6m target from the share issue is a fantastic achievement, especially in the current economic climate.

"Community shares give a tangible way for fans to raise significant sums of money while preserving the football club as a community asset. We believe a community share scheme is preferable to borrowing from banks and more sustainable than relying on wealthy individuals who might not always have the best interest of the club at heart.

"By buying community shares, FC United members are supporting a better way for football to deliver genuine community benefit."

By David Ainsworth, Third Sector Online, 16 March 2012

FC United raise enough money to move from Bury

 Source: Prestwich and Whitefield Guide

 Fan-owned football club FC United of Manchester has raised £1.6m to help fund the building of a new ground that will see them move from Bury to Moston.

A community share issue was launched to pay for a new football ground and community sports facility in Moston, north Manchester.

The club currently plays at Bury FC's Gigg Lane stadium.

Reaching the £1.6m target enables the club to unlock the grant funding they need to meet the costs of the £4.6m project and enable building to start on the Moston site in the spring.

FC United general manager Andy Walsh, said: "Reaching our £1.6m target from the share issue is a fantastic achievement, especially in the current economic climate.

"We believe this is the largest amount ever raised by football supporters independently.

Raising capital through community shares is a unique development in English football and has been recognised as offering a real alternative to the way football is run and financed."

FC United of Manchester has worked closely with Co-ops UK.

The share schemes are designed to enable cooperative organisations like FC United to raise finance from local communities to support expansion and development much more effectively than through traditional methods such as bank borrowing.

9:52am Friday 16th March 2012

La pasión de los 'red rebels'

 Source: deia.com (Spain). Google translation.

 La adquisición del Manchester United por parte de un magnate americano en 2005 propició que varios socios desencantados fundaran un nuevo club

César Ortuzar - Domingo, 4 de Marzo de 2012 - Actualizado a las 05:40h

Piensa cómo es el United que ni sus socios lo quieren", desliza caótica Rachel, aficionada del City, cuando habla sobre el Manchester United. La reflexión, cebada con pólvora y espoleta de una historia bella por extraordinaria, enmarca la escisión que se produjo en el Manchester United en 2005, cuando un buen puñado de socios del club, contrarios a la adquisición de la entidad por parte de la millonaria familia norteamericana Glazier, fundaron el United of Manchester en señal de protesta por la compra del magnate, que pasaba a ser el propietario del United, contrariando el espíritu del acta fundacional donde los socios eran los garantes del club, no solo una persona. Los red devils vieron cómo de esa decisión florecían los red rebels. Estos eran una facción de los socios que todavía soñaban con poder mantener el club con la idea original de que les perteneciese a los socios y las decisiones fueran asamblearias, democráticas, bajo el epígrafe de "un socio, un voto".

Completada la venta a Malcolm Glazer, los red rebels cerraron la opulenta puerta del Manchester United y abrieron una escueta y pequeña ventana por la que airearse del aire viciado del fútbol hiperprofesionalizado. Fieles a su ideario, el 14 de julio de 2005 dieron alas el FC United of Manchester, testigo del formato primigenio del club de sus amores tras recibir la aportación de más de 4.000 socios que ingresaron 100.000 libras para saltar al vacío, a un viaje inicial. Cuando Alex Ferguson conoció la fundación del FC United, criticó la formación del club afirmando que el club y su gestión parecían estar más interesados en sí mismos que en el Manchester United.

Casting de jugadores La singladura del Manchester "auténtico", como fue bautizada la aventura de estos románticos y apasionados del fútbol, recibió el reconocimiento popular desde el inicio por lo que suponía de la rehabilitación a una manera de entender conceptualmente el fútbol. Reseteado su pasado, organizó un casting para la selección de jugadores. Se presentaron 900 futbolistas y en una primera criba quedaron 200. En el siguiente proceso de selección sobrevivieron 17. Esos representarían al FC United of Manchester, que bajó a las catacumbas de las categorías del fútbol inglés desde donde comenzó a un viaje espacial del United. Desde el sótano, en sus tres primeras temporadas encadenó sendos ascensos de categoría. El club, que decidió jugar sus partidos como local en el estadio del Bury, Gigg Lane, logró la mayor gesta de su corta, pero estimulante andadura, el 5 de noviembre de 2010 cuando en la 1ª ronda de la FA Cup superó a un club de la League One, el Rochdale United por 2-3.

Con todo, siendo el aspecto deportivo un aliciente para cualquier competidor, el verdadero objetivo del FC United, encuadrado en la Northerm Premier League Premier Division es, según destaca en su web, considerarse depositario del auténtico espíritu del fútbol como deporte noble, aglutinador de voluntades y exponente del juego limpio. El socio es el garante de la filosofía del club, cuya motivación es revertir en la entidad cualquier ganancia que se pudiera producir, lejos del mercantilismo que atosiga al fútbol. Sus hinchas son fieles seguidores de esta doctrina que pretende desterrar el bazar del fútbol. Eric Cantona, uno de los jugadores más impactantes y que más huella dejó vistiendo la camiseta del Manchester United, aseguró sobre el United de Manchester, una escisión de la nave nodriza, que "tan solo espero que este club tan especial siga creciendo y ojalá dentro de 50 años podamos estar hablando de un club campeón de Europa".

FC United raise enough money to move from Bury

 Source: Bury Times

 Fan-owned football club FC United of Manchester has raised £1.6m to help fund the building of a new ground that will see them move from Bury to Moston.

A community share issue was launched to pay for a new football ground and community sports facility in Moston, north Manchester.

The club currently plays at Bury FC's Gigg Lane stadium.

Reaching the £1.6m target enables the club to unlock the grant funding they need to meet the costs of the £4.6m project and enable building to start on the Moston site in the spring.

FC United general manager Andy Walsh, said: "Reaching our £1.6m target from the share issue is a fantastic achievement, especially in the current economic climate.

"We believe this is the largest amount ever raised by football supporters independently. Raising capital through community shares is a unique development in English football and has been recognised as offering a real alternative to the way football is run and financed."

FC United of Manchester has worked closely with Co-ops UK.

The share schemes are designed to enable cooperative organisations like FC United to raise finance from local communities to support expansion and development much more effectively than through traditional methods such as bank borrowing.

FC United reach £1.6m fundraising goal to kick-start work on new Moston stadium

 Source: MEN

 FC United have hit their £1.6m share scheme target – kick-starting building work on their controversial new stadium.
The club, formed in protest at the Glazer family’s ownership of Manchester United, says work on the controversial £4.6m project will start in the next couple of months. We understand the club is in talks with a contractor and expect to sign a deal before the end of the month.

Legal documents are also expected to be signed, paving the way for work to start.

The club hailed the achievement, which saw fans snap up shares at £200 each, as ‘fantastic’ and claim it is the biggest ever amount raised by fans of an English football team.

The £1.6m joins a separate £250,000 raised in a development fund, a £550,000 grant from Manchester council, £300,000 from separate grants and £1.4m which the club are hoping to secure from Sport England and the Football Foundation.

A decision on that £1.4m is expected by the end of this month.

It is thought FC United bosses are ‘quietly confident’ that their bid will be successful.

That takes the total to £4.1m with the town hall stepping in with the final £500,000 in the shape of a loan if the club cannot raise it themselves.

FC United general manager Andy Walsh says the development, which features a 5,000 capacity stadium, community football pitches and a clubhouse on the Ronald Johnson Playing Fields in Moston, will ‘create a positive and lasting legacy’.

He added: "Reaching our £1.6m target from the share issue is a fantastic achievement, especially in the current economic climate. We believe this to be the largest amount ever raised by football supporters independently.

"Raising capital through community shares is a unique development in English football and has been recognised as offering a real alternative to the way football is run and financed."

The news was praised by Co-Operatives UK, the trade association for co-operative organisations. Secretary general Ed Mayo said: "Hollywood could not have written a better script of hope and triumph.

"Through hard work and open collaboration, FC United has become a beacon for sport and community action."

The club – who currently play home matches at Bury FC’s Gigg Lane – hope to be in their new ground for the start of the 2013/14 season.

Mike Keegan March 16, 2012

FC United preparing for promotion fight

 Source: Middleton Guardian

 FC United manager Karl Marginson insists the Rebels are ready for their big Evo-Stik Premier promotion showdown at Hednesford this weekend after reigniting their play-off challenge with a 3-0 romp over visiting Stocksbridge.

Marginson’s men bounced back from their shock defeat at Rushall Olympic with ex-Oldham Athletic striker Matthew Wolfenden’s second hat-trick in a United shirt securing them an ultimately comfortable three points.

FC’s triumph in front of a Gigg Lane crowd just one short of 2,000 lifted them back up to sixth and, thanks also to other results at the top of the table going in their favour, was just the boost the Rebels were looking for ahead of Saturday’s crunch trip to Keys Park.

With runaway leaders Chester now seemingly on their way to achieving automatic promotion as champions and seventh-placed Marine in grave danger of falling away, United and Hednesford are among five clubs battling to fill the four play-off spots.

Marginson said: “It was important we go to Hednesford with a win under our belts so, all in all, it was a job well done against Stocksbridge.

“Matty was delighted with his hat-trick and rightly so, but I know he’d be the first to recognise the part others played in creating all three of his goals.

“Mike Norton unselfishly laid on his first after being sent clear by a great pass by Lee Neville, and Jake Cottrell and Lee then combined to set up his second.

“His third resulted from terrific play by Kyle Jacobs and Stephen Johnson, so they were really three excellent team goals even though Matty made most of the headlines for having scored them. I have to admit, we were slow to get going, but, when we did finally get into our stride, we never honestly looked back and perhaps should have won by a bigger margin.

“But I’ll happily settle for the three points, particularly with Hednesford, Bradford Park Avenue and Marine all losing.

“We needed to respond to losing at Rushall – and we did precisely that.”

Marginson is, however, preparing for a tough test in Staffordshire.

He added: “We beat Hednesford 2-0 at Gigg Lane less than two months ago, just a week after they’d won at Chester, and they’ve since been unable to sustain their challenge for the title.

“But they’re still a very strong side and we know we’re going to have to be at our best, just as we were last time we played them, if we’re to repeat our earlier victory.”

FC United of Manchester reach £1.6m share target

 Source: BBC

 A Manchester football club has raised £1.6m from a community share issue to help fund the building of a new ground.

FC United of Manchester offered shares to raise money to build a stadium and community sports facility in Moston.

General manager Andy Walsh said it was a "fantastic achievement, especially in the current economic climate".

Co-operatives UK, a trade association for co-operatives, has praised the Evo-Stik League Premier Division club for its use of community shares.

FC United worked with the organisation to produce a share scheme that would support the community as well as the club and avoid traditional funding methods such as bank borrowing.

Fans' protest

A club spokesman said the money, coupled with a further £500,000 raised in a separate development fund, would unlock other grant funding to allow the £4.6m project to go ahead.


The club, which formed in 2005 by Manchester United fans as a protest against American businessman Malcolm Glazer's takeover, is run by its supporters.

Mr Walsh said shareholders would have "just one vote regardless of the number of shares they hold, [thereby] preserving the common ownership of the club".

He added that the community shares were "a unique development in English football and has been recognised as offering a real alternative to the way football is run and financed".

"We believe community shares is preferable way of raising finance to borrowing from banks and more sustainable than relying on wealthy individuals who may not always have the best interest of the club at heart," he said.

"By buying community shares, FC United members are supporting a better way for football to deliver genuine community benefit - one that is owned and run by supporters and committed to wider community and social development and financial sustainability."

'Pioneering model'

Ed Mayo, secretary general of Co-operatives UK said that "through hard work and open collaboration, FC United has become a beacon for sport and community action".

"Hollywood could not write a better script of hope and triumph," he said.

"I want to pay tribute to the members of the club for pioneering a model of community shares which is now being used as a form of lifeline finance for co-operative enterprise across the UK."

The spokesman said the club were hopeful that work on the stadium and sports complex would begin soon.

FC United currently play their home games at either Bury's Gigg Lane or Stalybridge Celtic's Bower Fold.

FC United of Manchester

 Source: Gazet Van Antwerpen Metropool Stad (no online content)

 Google translation (original can be found below the translation):

Manchester, epicenter of English football. I was there last weekend. But not for celebrities Manchester United or City. Well for a game of misfit FC United of Manchester. This fledgling club was founded in 2005 by (ex-) fans ... Manchester United. So they were tired of marketing at Old Trafford, so displeased about the acquisition by the wealthy American Malcolm Glazer that they started their own club. Today she plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division (the seventh class in England, compared with third provincial with us) and works off its home games in the stadium of neighboring Bury FC for an average of 2,000 noisy supporters. Strange, I hear you thinking? Why start a new team, if you're a supporter of one of the most successful clubs in the world? Taxi driver Chris did not find it strange. "In the '80s and '90s, I went weekly to watch Manu. Until ten years ago I could not pay my subscription. Today, the stands more populated by tourists and foreigners than by football fans from the city itself. My favorite team has become a marketing product. I feel there can not come home and the folks at Manchester United or perfectly understand. "Saturday at home of Manchester United FC won 3-0 against Stocksbridge Park Steels, yanked on it to sixth place. Fifteen miles away the day after Manchester United won 2-0 to West Bromwich. Chris and I cheered on Saturdays.

Original:
Manchester, epicentrum van het Engels voetbal. Ik was er vorig weekend. Maar niet voor grootheden Manchester United of City. Wel voor een wedstrijd van buitenbeentje FC United of Manchester. Deze piepjonge club werd in 2005 opgericht door (ex-) fans van… Manchester United. Zo beu waren ze de commercialisering op Old Trafford, zo misnoegd over de overname door de steenrijke Amerikaan Malcolm Glazer dat ze hun eigen club startten. Vandaag speelt ze in de Northern Premier League Premier Division (de zevende klasse in Engeland, vergelijkbaar met derde provinciale bij ons) en werkt ze haar thuiswedstrijden af in het stadion van buur FC Bury voor gemiddeld 2.000 luidruchtige aanhangers. Vreemd, hoor ik u denken? Waarom een nieuwe ploeg opstarten, als je supporter bent van een van de meest succesvolle clubs ter wereld? Taxichauffeur Chris vond het helemaal niet vreemd. “In de jaren ’80 en ’90 ging ik wekelijks naar Manu kijken. Tot ik tien jaar geleden mijn abonnement niet meer kon betalen. Tegenwoordig worden de tribunes meer bevolkt door toeristen en buitenlanders dan door voetbalfans uit de stad zelf. Mijn favoriete ploeg is een marketingproduct geworden. Ik voel me daar niet meer thuis en kan die lui van United of Manchester dus perfect begrijpen.” Zaterdag won FC United of Manchester thuis met 3-0 van Stockbridge Park Steels, het rukte op naar de zesde plaats. Vijftien kilometer verderop won Manchester United een dag later met 2-0 van West Bromwich. Chris en ik juichten vooral op zaterdag.

Rivals pounce on Rebels FC United’s Rushall Olympic flop

 Source: MEN

 FC United suffered a major set-back to their Evo-Stik Premier promotion hopes in crashing to an unexpected 1-0 defeat at Rushall Olympic.

Tony Glennon March 05, 2012

FC United step up their promotion push

 Source: MEN

 FC United stepped up their Evo-Stik Premier promotion push with a 2-1 victory over Matlock at Stalybridge Celtic's Bower Fold ground.

But the Rebels made hard work of a win which takes them up to sixth place above Marine.

FC's early dominance was rewarded as they stormed into a 13th minute lead when visiting defender Laurence Gaughan turned the ball into his own net in attempting to stop Carlos Roca's low cross from reaching the lurking Mike Norton.

And Karl Marginson's men appeared to be cruising when they doubled their advantage shortly after the half-hour mark through Matthew Wolfenden.

But United were never as convincing in the second-half as they had been in the first and were punished when Ian Holmes reduced the arrears on 62 minutes.

Matlock pressed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages but the nervy Rebels held on to stretch their unbeaten league run to six games.

Meanwhile, Ashton United climbed six places to eighth as they clocked up their fifth successive league win in crushing visiting Chasetown 4-0 with George Melling (19 mins), Mark Peers (27), Ian Bennett (45) and Aaron Burns (51, pen) scoring.

Ramsbottom wasted a golden opportunity to return to the top of the North West Counties League as they tumbled 2-1 at lowly AFC Liverpool.

Tony Glennon March 01, 2012