The Co-operative Supporters Direct Cup

This year’s fixture between AFC Wimbledon and FC United of Manchester on Saturday 25 July at the Cherry Red Records Fans Stadium, Kingsmeadow will be for The Co-operative Supporters Direct Cup.

The cup is an annual, pre-season friendly football single match competition established by Supporters Direct, the organisation that seeks to increase supporter representation in football. Supporters Direct and both clubs are making it an afternoon of fun, not just for the fans of both clubs, but for all supporters’ trusts.

The cup has been contested since 2002 by supporter-owned clubs such as Wimbledon, Enfield Town, Cambridge City and ourselves. Football League One side, Brentford are the current holders having defeated Wimbledon 2-1 last summer.

This will be the third time that FC United have competed for the cup. In our second ever game in July 2005 we lost 1-0 to Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow in front of 3,301 supporters but a year later Steve Torpey and Dave Brown scored the goals as the Reds ran out 2-1 winners over their south London counterparts at Gigg Lane.

The cup itself was paid for by subscriptions from supporters’ trusts and individual fans, and is inscribed with Jock Stein’s maxim, "Football without fans is nothing."

Keep an eye out on the both clubs’ websites and the Supporters Direct website for more details in the run-up to the day.