Winter Sports - Football
“
That TV deal means that every single televised match will cost the broadcasters £10 million ... and we’ve built our new home for just over £6 million
Work well under way in the main stadium “Turning our backs on Manchester United
wasn’t a decision that we took lightly. Many of us had been following United for years - home and away - and you don’t give up easily on a commitment like that. However, I and many others were feeling increasingly aggrieved at the way in which the modern game disregarded the thousands of people who followed it and made it the spectacle that it was.” Ironically, we are meeting on the very day
Boardwalk under construction
that the Premier League announced a £5.1 billion deal with Sky Sport and BT Sport to cover the domestic game in Britain from 2016-2019. “That TV deal means that every single
televised match will cost the broadcasters £10 million ... and we’ve built our new home, in fact, a completely new community asset, for just over £6 million.” grins Andy. And what a home they've built! The new
The Boardwalk links the training pitches to the stadium - follow the ‘Yellow Brick Road’
complex contains the main stadium pitch, a brand new 3G artificial pitch, two natural grass junior pitches, plus offices for the whole club and masses of function and community use space. As well as looking fantastic, the brilliance of the design is in the attention to detail - a factor not always considered in new build stadiums. “As an example,” says Andy, “a favourite
chant of our crowd is ‘Under the Boardwalk’ and so, at the main entrance to the building, there is a cedar ‘boardwalk’ connecting the junior pitches to the main stadium pitch - a sort of footballing ‘Yellow Brick Road’ for aspiring kids.” Walking around the site, it’s impossible
Groundwork under way for the 3G pitch and junior pitches
not to get caught up in the excitement of what is being achieved. You sense that something very significant is taking place - a genuine watershed for future models of ownership within the sport. As we survey the ground, the most striking
feature of the finished stadium is the St Mary’s Road end. Stretching away to the right of the main stand, this will be the favoured home enclosure for the vociferous
80 I PC JUNE/JULY 2015
hoards - a 2000 capacity terrace with a history and character all of its own. “When we were talking to our co-owners
about exactly how they wanted their new ground to look, one element was top of everyone’s list; a large, standing area behind the goal. The problem was, when we did our sums, we realised it would be very expensive.” says Andy. However, a cost effective solution was
found, as one of non-league’s oldest clubs, Northwich Victoria, had fallen on hard times and their Victoria Stadium was ear marked for demolition. FC United were able to purchase the largest terrace, move it to Broadhurst Park and, with a bit of re- engineering, are now the proud owners of potentially the loudest and most characterful standing area in English football. “By re-using the old Northwich Vic’s stand,
we feel we are also preserving something of the spirit of ‘old football’ - which is a huge part of why many people support our club to begin with,” adds Graham. As a non-league follower, I have watched
FC United on a number of occasions and what immediately strikes you - either home or away - is the sheer amount of fun everyone seems to be having. If the things you used to love about football included standing at 3.00pm on a Saturday in an unsegregated terrace, singing and whirling a scarf around you head, then this is the place for you. Because it’s run by real fans, the stuff that annoys people about football - such as ticket prices, kick off times, shabby catering, lack of atmosphere, lousy websites, etc. - has been thought about and improved upon. Season tickets are sold on a ‘pay what you can afford’ basis, kids are admitted for two quid, people bring flags, banners and rattles, they sell great local beers in the bar ... the list goes on. By deconstructing the accepted experience of supporting a modern day football club and offering an alternative way of operating, FC United have also been credited with forging the concept of ‘Punk Football’ - taking an
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