FC United of Manchester striker Adam Le Fondre spent Tuesday lunchtime working with a group of academy players on a 3G pitch beside the club's 4,900-capacity Broadhurst Park stadium. The dozen young players are unlikely to reach the Premier League, as Le Fondre once did, but the Northern Premier League club hopes to create a pathway to senior football while keeping the teenagers in education through its partnership with Manchester College. Training with Le Fondre, who has scored more than 300 goals in professional football, is the kind of community initiative that goes on at non-league clubs across the country.
For the people who run FC United, the club is a world away from the one they once supported. It is 21 years since the Glazer family bought Manchester United and loaded the club with £600m of debt, and 21 years since a group of fans chose to form their own supporter-owned club rather than keep protesting against the Americans. This weekend, FC United travel to Altrincham for an FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie that could be worth £25,000.
Chairman Nick Boom said the club had not stopped loving Manchester United. "Our roots are Manchester United. The songs, the humour, the traditions and shared history still run through FC United. But after 21 years, we have also got our own identity. We're unmistakably a Manchester club. We have Manchester United fans coming here who have been priced out of Old Trafford." He argued that football has lost its way at the top level, where affordability and accessibility are shrinking. "We believe we're more important than ever."
The club sends a monthly board summary to its 1,528 adult members. Solar power generation at Broadhurst Park is set to increase, which the club estimates will save up to £4,000, and one fan has donated £5,000. Supporter ownership brings its own strains, however. Boom said the club overextended itself on its ground and has learned hard lessons about the expertise needed to run it. Members still oppose a front-of-shirt sponsor, but stadium naming rights are under discussion.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing