Modern football is often demonised for the whole game being money-focused and dictated by the haves, with the have-nots falling by the wayside.
Supporters of some Premier League clubs have decided to take action against their club’s money-obsessed owners.
F.C. United of Manchester were born
In 2005, a group of Manchester United supporters decided to take a stand against the Red Devils owners, the Glazers, by forming their own club, F.C United of Manchester.
The idea of a breakaway club involving United fans didn’t just start in 2005, as in 1998, there was talk of a new club after an attempted takeover by BskyB.
However, on 30 May 2005, after a suggestion from one of the Red Devils fanzines, a meeting was held at the Apollo Theatre in the Northern Quarter of Manchester. During the meeting, a group of supporters formed a new club.
The club’s initial suggestion of FC United as the new club’s name was rejected by the FA. However, on 14th June, F.C. United of Manchester was officially registered with the Manchester County Football Association.
The club appointed its first manager, Karl Marginson, on 22nd June 2005. Then, there was the process of bringing in players, with 900 players attending the original trials, which was eventually reduced to just a 17-man squad.
The club’s inaugural board members met on the 5th of July, 2005, at which the club’s constitution, badge, and core principles were decided, and an 11-person board was selected.
The club received tremendous local support, and a day after the board meeting, supporters had donated £ 100,000 to fund the club.
A rise up the football pyramid
The team had to start at the bottom of the English football pyramid in Division Two of the North West Counties Football League, which is the tenth tier of the English game.
The new ‘United’ started life off grounding sharing with Bury at Gigg Lane.
Their first game was a resounding 5-2 victory against Leek County School Old Boys on 13th August 2005, which attracted a crowd of around 2,590 spectators.
High crowds became commonplace for the club, as they regularly broke attendance records in the division. In fact, the final game of their first season at Gigg Lane against Great Harwood Town attracted 6,032, which is still a record attendance for the Division.
They lost the last game, but it didn’t matter in the end, as they won promotion to the Division One North of the Northern Premier League.
In season 2007/08, not only did they make history by making their first appearance at such a high level of the English football, but they also made their debut in the FA Cup.
However, they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Fleetwood Town to exit the competition in the first qualifying round.
Once again, F.C. United prospered in the league. This time, they finished second in the table, which was good enough to qualify for the promotion play-offs.
Having seen off Bamber Bridge in the semi-finals 3-2, they recorded a 4-1 win over Skelmersdale in the final and achieved another promotion.
So many near misses in the Northern Premier League
Unfortunately for everybody connected with the club, there was no fairy-tale fourth straight promotion to the National League North. In fact, the Northern Premier League proved to be a far tougher nut to crack at first.
The difficulty of the division was illustrated by the team finishing 13th place in the table.
The following season, they did, however, make it to the promotion play-offs, only to suffer heartbreak in the final due to a 1-0 defeat against Colwyn Bay.
In the same season, they also reached the FA Cup second round for the first time, but they suffered a 4-0 home defeat against Brighton Hove Albion in a replay after the first game at the Withdean finished 1-1.
Over the next few seasons, F.C. United suffered two more play-off final defeats against Bradford Park Avenue and then Hednesford United. The defeat against the latter meant that they had suffered three consecutive play-off final defeats.
The following season, they failed even to make the final, exiting the play-offs at the semi-final stage.
In season 2014/15, F.C. United of Manchester finally won promotion to the National League North for the first time. An unbeaten run of 21 games from December until April played a crucial role in the team’s success.
The National League North was a big step up
Season 2015/16 F.C. United of Manchester made history by playing in the sixth tier of English football for the first time. The step up in quality was difficult for the Manchester team.
The club did take a massive stride forward in May 2015, though, as they moved into their 4,400-capacity new stadium called Broadhurst Park.
They achieved back-to-back 13th-place finishes in the National League North. In October 2017, after a poor start to the season, Karl Marginson, the club’s only-ever manager, was sacked.
Things got even worse for the men from Manchester in season 2018/19, as for the first time in their short history, they experienced the bitter taste of relegation.
Failed to return to the National League North
Unfortunately, F.C. United of Manchester have yet to return to the National League North following their relegation from the sixth tier in 2019.
Their highest finish since dropping down a league came when they were in second place in the table in season 2019/20, only for the league to be abandoned due to Covid-19.
In season 2023/24, F.C. United of Manchester finished 14th in the table. At the time of writing, they are currently 21st in a 22-team table.
Their current position doesn’t look great. However, considering that the club was only started in 2005, they have done exceptionally well to get where they are, even if they are in the depths of the Northern Premier League.
There is plenty of the season to go, and they know that there are only a few promotions from the EFL. After what the club has already achieved in less than two decades, it is not hard to see F.C. United recovering and featuring in the Football League in the next decade, which would be quite simply incredible.