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Latest FC United Board report update

The latest meeting of the FC United Board took place on the evening of Monday 15 October 2012. We started by considering the ongoing arrangements for the FC United AGM. There were documents and resolutions to review and we ensured that all the preparations for the meeting were in order. All the information for the AGM is now available to members via the members’ area of the website.

The Board also discussed the current situation regarding our proposed new stadium development in Moston and particularly the next steps following the Judicial Review announcement. Discussions are ongoing with the council and the need to keep FC members informed was stressed by Board members. While it is up to the council to defend the Judicial Review, as an interested party it is also our intention to fight it and make representations in due course.

While the continuing delay in staring the project is a setback, all Board members remain confident that the proposed development of our own ground can be delivered.

The meeting also discussed fundraising and received an update on the community shares scheme. We were delighted to hear that we have now topped the £1.7m mark in shares which is a fantastic achievement and a very positive development.

Elsewhere, we received a report on our women’s team and it was interesting to hear that the crowds that the team has been attracting, although relatively modest, are still way in excess of the numbers that the women’s game gets locally. Board members were made aware of the effect of the partisan nature of our support and the need for this to be handled carefully as the season progresses. It seems like there is a cultural difference at this level of the game, with the matches being treated more like junior football in respect of the relative quietness of the crowds!

Members also discussed the issue of concessions at FC United matches as this had been raised by volunteers. The Secretary requested that the board establishes a clear policy for concessionary match admission prices and it was duly proposed and agreed concessions would be in operation for over 60s, those in receipt of income support or job seekers allowance and students with a valid NUS card. We also agreed that any person applying for a concession may be asked to produce identification at the turnstile. If a supporter is unwaged and do not have proof of any of the above they must contact the office prior to a game. It was also agreed that the policy for disabled supporters is unaffected - that the disabled person pays and the carer receives free admission. We will be communicating this information on the official website.

The Board received a comprehensive report on the communications survey conducted earlier in the year. We were pleased to hear that the overwhelming majority of members are happy about the way we communicate and noted that a number of improvements had already been made. In addition, the Board agreed to further improve co-owner communications by introducing an end of year co-owners’ magazine. The format and frequency for this is currently under discussion but the proposal is for an end-of-year magazine with regular features on club issues, and an end-of-season yearbook that reviews the football. It was also agreed to introduce a hard copy round-up newsletter for co-owners who are not registered for email or have said they do not have access to the internet, to ensure that everyone is kept informed in a timely fashion.

We received a Treasurer’s report and were pleased to learn that despite the dip in crowds we remain on budget for this year. There is no room for complacency though and we need to keep up our promotions effort to raise attendances throughout the season.

Membership is going well. It was reported that we have 2,651 current members of FC United, which is up on last year’s figure at the same time of the year. It’s another encouraging development but there is definitely room for improvement and we will be looking at ways to keep membership high on the agenda over the coming months.

We received another very positive community report, with news of some excellent projects being delivered. These include open access sessions across Manchester in Hulme and at Abraham Moss Centre and the recent winning of a one-year contract to deliver football coaching sessions at the Factory Youth Zone in Harpurhey, north Manchester.

The next meeting of the Board takes place on Monday 19 November.



First Posted ~ 19:27 Fri 26 Oct 2012
News ID ~ 4522
Last Updated ~ 02:08 Tue 16 Feb 2021