Rebels look to the future

Source: manchesteronline.co.uk

Stuart Brennan

FC UNITED's board wants "to keep open the option" of changing one of the club's playing strips every year - and that should spark a lively debate when the club holds its first general meeting in Manchester tonight.

The board has strongly refuted suggestions from some quarters that the club is heading down the same road as Manchester United, after bringing out a mid-season DVD, and reporting healthy profits from big attendances and sales of club merchandise.

The 12-strong board is stressing that all money generated is ploughed back into the club, and that key decisions on the future will be taken by its 4,000-strong membership - on a one member, one vote basis.

One issue that has sparked furious debate among FC's members and other supporters has been the sale of replica playing strips, which have provided the club with a big cash injection - allowing the board to take on four full-time staff, move to bigger offices and plot community initiatives and a long-term development plan.

The issue will be put to a vote at tonight's meeting.

Discussions

The board makes no recommendation on which way members should vote, and board member Jules Spencer said: "The issue of replica shirts seems to have dominated discussions among our members, to more of an extent than we envisaged, and to a large degree the fact that we are freezing and reducing ticket prices has been lost in that discussion.

"It all comes down to the debate about commercialism, which cropped up when we brought out the DVD a few weeks ago - even though we only brought the DVD out after repeated requests from supporters.

"The only real issue we had at Old Trafford over matters like this was that supporters did not ultimately have a say in such decisions - at FC United the supporters themselves will take the decision.

"If supporters turn round to the board tonight - and it should be noted that the board has made no recommendations on shirts - then what they say will go. This is just about gauging opinions.

"But it does come back to the point of needing money to run a football club, and there is an argument that selling shirts helps to keep ticket prices down and so encourages people, especially kids, back to the game."

Members will be asked to vote on other matters, such as a freeze on turnstile prices, membership fees and sponsorship of shirts.

The meeting's business at the Methodist Central Hall will be followed by questions to the board and manager Karl Marginson.