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FCupdate - a regular round up of world football news

Welcome to the latest edition of FCupdate, our regular round-up of news and views from around the football world that should appeal to fans of a supporter-owned club such as FC United.

We hope you enjoy the latest edition and do let us know if you see anything that we should be including in future issues by emailing website@fc-utd.uk.

Welcome to the latest edition of FCupdate, our regular round-up of news and views from around the football world that should appeal to fans of a supporter-owned club such as FC United.

We hope you enjoy the latest edition and do let us know if you see anything that we should be including in future issues.

FC featured in Non-League Monthly
FC United are featured in the latest edition of Non-League Monthly magazine, with general manager Andy Walsh waxing lyrical about our groundbreaking community shares scheme. The same issue of the mag also contains an interview with Evo-Stik League chairman Mark Harris. You can view the current issue online. You’ll need to register first but that’s free and also gives you access to other interesting magazines like FC Business and She Kicks, the women’s football magazine.

Park football pitches starved of cash
As Sky Sports celebrates its 20th birthday and the Premier League it has fuelled wallows in undreamed of riches, who’d have thought that that same Premier League would be reducing its financial commitment to the nation’s grass roots sports grounds? Well, it’s happening, as this report from David Conn in the Guardian shows.

Galway United eye fan ownership as key to a successful future
Well worth a read is this piece on the Galway United FC website on why fan ownership is so important for them in overcoming the financial challenges that nearly led to their demise earlier this year. More at Galway United.

Wrexham face play-offs lock out due to debt woes
There are real fears that Wrexham could be out of the play-offs unless they pay an outstanding £200,000 tax bill to the Inland Revenue. Fans speaking at a recent meeting of the Wrexham Supporters’ Trust say that the debts have been run up by two muliti-millionaires through their neglect of the club. More at Daily Post.

Fans look to buy Bedford
A supporters’ group is launching a bid to build a consortium to buy control of Zamaretto League Premier Division club Bedford Town. Bedford Eagles Supporters’ Trust (The BEST) has put together a strategy with the long-term goal of running the football side as a Community Interest Company. It will launch the initiative at its annual meeting next month, where the guest speaker will be FC United’s very own Andy Walsh. More at Football Web Pages.

Exeter City Supporters’ Trust
As a League One club, in playing terms Exeter City Supporters’ Trust could lay claim to be the most successful Trust-owned club in the Football League. The fans took over the club fully in 2003, but the road to the fans getting full ownership took a little longer, as this article on the Co-op’s website for Co-op’s Fortnight explains.

You can’t take the politics out of football...
Great article by David Goldblatt in the Guardian here. He argues that despite the relentless commercialisation, policing and pacification of football stadiums, the crowds will not go away and the passion and politics – with a small as well as a large P – are what makes the game so loved by fans. Read more at The Guardian.

Save fan culture
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) is appealing for football fans across the continent to support its Save Fan Culture campaign. The pan-European supporters’ body is calling on fans from across the continent to come together to tackle issues such as over-zealous policing and over the top match bans. Read more on the Football Supporters’ Federation website.

Fans-owned Chester on verge of promotion
Fellow fans-owned club Chester FC have one hand on the Evo-Stik League First Division North title and promotion to the Premier League after a 2-0 home win over Bamber Bridge on Saturday. Read more on the Pitchero website.

FC v Marine – highlights on TwoHundredPerCent website
We like the TwoHundredPerCent website for its cutting edge writing and incisive comment and we like it even more now because they are currently showcasing highlights from FC’s midweek victory over Marine. Watch the action at TwoHundredPerCent.

Andy Walker


First Posted ~ 00:28 Mon 25 Apr 2011
News ID ~ 3558
Last Updated ~ 02:28 Fri 3 Jun 2022