'Our roots are Man Utd' - but FC United ethos 'more important than ever'

FC United of Manchester moved into their Broadhurst Park stadium in 2015

FC United of Manchester striker Adam Le Fondre spent Tuesday lunchtime working with a group of players from the club's academy on a 3G pitch next to the club's 4,900-capacity Broadhurst Park stadium.

The dozen lads are probably not going to get anywhere near the Premier League, as Le Fondre once did, but the Northern Premier League club want to try and create a pathway to senior football, while ensuring the teenagers continue in education through their partnership with Manchester College.

Getting to train with the 39-year-old Le Fondre, scorer of more than 300 goals in professional football including 14 in his sole Premier League season, is the kind of community initiative that goes on at non-league clubs across the country.

For the people who run FC United, it is a world away from the club they once supported.

Just as it is 21 years since the Glazer family bought Manchester United and dropped £600m of debt on the club, it is 21 years since a group of fans decided to stop joining protests against the Americans and instead form their own supporter-owned club.

This weekend, while Michael Carrick takes his team to Leeds, desperate for a win to quieten the noise around him and his club, FC United have a short trip to Altrincham for an FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie that could be worth £25,000.

"We didn't stop loving Manchester United," said chairman Nick Boom. "We started FC United because we loved it.

"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 have a sense of place in North Manchester. We're unmistakably a Manchester club. We have Manchester United fans coming here that have been priced out of Old Trafford. We have fans who feel disassociated with Premier League football.

"We think football, in a sense, has lost its way at the top level. Football should be somewhere you can go with your friends and family, stand or sit together, with a sense of community. Somewhere you can get some decent food and drink at an affordable price, where you can have a beer on the terraces, have a sing-song and forget your troubles for a couple of hours.

"Fewer people are able to do that at the very top level, on the grounds of affordability and accessibility. We believe we're more important than ever with everything that's going on at the moment."

FC United of Manchester was formed in 2005 by fans objecting against the Glazer ownership of Manchester United

FC United distribute a monthly board meeting summary to their 1,528 adult members which explains the minutiae of club operations.

The solar power generation at Broadhurst Park is going to be increased, which the club think will save up to £4,000. A £5,000 donation has been received from one fan and there was also an update on the 'own your own football club for £5-a-month initiative' and comparisons made with other supporter-owned clubs, including Bury, whose relaunch has taken them into the same league as FC United.

The pair meet on Boxing Day in a game likely to attract a huge attendance at Broadhurst Park.

Yet, like Manchester United, FC United has a significant debt.

"Supporter ownership isn't easy," said Boom. "There's no billionaire ready to write a cheque at the end of the month to make up any shortfalls.

"The debt did get out of control for a period. It absolutely did, because the clamour was to have our own ground; somewhere we could truly call home.

"But we overextended and the ground wasn't as well managed as it could have been. We've learned some harsh lessons from that about the level of expertise you need, even at a club at this level, to run it."

Members still don't want FC United to have a front of shirt sponsor but naming rights for the stadium which 'is showing wear and tear', is being discussed.

A recent change of personnel at senior level has led to a 'review of the club's relationships' with existing commercial backers. The club pride themselves on linking up with local and independent businesses when they can.

Eric Cantona became a co-owner of FC United of Manchester in 2025

Boom's employment background is in finance. He is trying to ensure the financial side of the club is in order.

A profit in excess of £100,000 is forecast for the current year, a £350,000 improvement. But it is felt an annual surplus of £200,000 is needed to ensure funds can be found for essential work on and around the ground, as well as to allow the club to meet its loan repayments.

He estimates he spends 70 hours a week on club business, not bad for a volunteer who lives in West Yorkshire.

You can tell he loves it though. Whereas once Boom watched Manchester United win Premier Leagues, FA Cups and European trophies, now he is looking forward to a trip to Altrincham, currently in the National League play-off places.

The winners pocket £9,375 and would be guaranteed at least another £15,800 in prize money by reaching the first round. The loser gets £3,125. That money is important, although Boom says once the whistle blows, his focus will be on football not finance.

Twenty-four hours later, Manchester United head to Leeds, the next stop in a season of turmoil, which has triggered the type of fierce protests he was once a part of but now observes, even if a close relationship has developed with the 1958 Group, who have been at the forefront of recent protests.

"What has happened to Manchester United is an absolute tragedy," he said.

"This is one of the world's great sporting institutions, a football club with an extraordinary history, built on the achievements, sacrifices and loyalty of generations of people.

"Yet for more than 20 years it's been treated increasingly as a financial asset by owners who appear completely disconnected from what the club means to its supporters.

"The Glazers' ownership has been disgraceful. They acquired Manchester United through a leveraged takeover, burdened it with debt and have benefited enormously from something they did nothing to create. Meanwhile, the club has suffered years of decline and its relationship with supporters has been steadily eroded.

"I see very little evidence that Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS represent a fundamentally different philosophy. Ratcliffe might talk about restoring Manchester United but you cannot rebuild a football club by dismantling the very culture and community that made it great."

Ratcliffe has implemented a number of controversial measures since agreeing a minority stake in United in December 2023, including two lots of redundancies. He has defended the action, saying it was essential to return the club to profitability.

"We have enormous respect for anyone continuing to protest," added Boom. "It was particularly pleasing that, after more than 20 years, The 1958 Group reached out to FC United.

"We've developed a good relationship, and while we've taken different paths, we're united by a belief that Manchester United and its supporters deserve better."

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