Share your passion for FC and supporter ownership

Sunday’s game at Stalybridge against North Ferriby United was a brilliant advert for passionate, committed football. The noise and passion generated by FC supporters was commented upon by journalists and those visiting an FC game for the first time and it once again shows that supporter-owned clubs can inspire people to come along and take part because they have a real stake in what goes on and off the pitch.

The fantastic response, with a record Stalybridge home match crowd of 2,465, also shows what can be achieved by a focused and targeted campaign to get people there on the day. In the run-up to Sunday, FC’s twitter and Facebook pages were ablaze with anticipation and interest as fans looked forward to the top of the table clash. This ‘fan-promotion’ of our fan-owned clubPassion and commitment again and a shared interest in encouraging others to come along to support the cause.

The club would like to thank everyone who turned out on Sunday, to watch and also to volunteer – let’s not forget that no game ever goes ahead without our army of volunteers and their task is made even more logistically challenging when we’re playing at our second home at Stalybridge. The response on the terraces was magnificent. The noisy support was certainly noticed by the players. After the game, FC United skipper Kyle Jacobs commented that the players were struck by how loud the support was and that it really made a difference in keeping the players going during what was a hard and often physical encounter against the league leaders.

We need to keep up that support from now until the end of the season, especially at home games. At the recent FC Board meeting, it was reported that the harsh winter weather and volume of fixture rearrangements has had an inevitable financial impact on budgets. There are plans already in place to mitigate this and manage our costs. With nine home fixtures remaining, there is time to recover the position, as a fan-owned club with no rich backers the solution is in our own hands - more fans through the turnstiles! The aim is to get attendances of more than 2,000 from now until the end of the season.

On the pitch FC United are now well positioned in what looks set to be an exciting run-in to the end of the season. Manager Karl Marginson has said more than once that every game from now until the end of the season will be like a cup final. Look at the points difference at the top and you can see that he’s right. If the team performs and continues on its unbeaten run, whisper it, but automatic promotion is a distinct possibility.

We know that we have something special at FC United. Co-ownership means that every success we have on and off the pitch is a shared success. The points we accrue to take us up the table, the money we collect towards our new ground, the communities we touch through our outreach work and the friends we make along the way, all this is a shared success that is a testament to what supporter-owned clubs can achieve with the right approach.

The Chorley game and the “A Woman’s Place is at the Match??? event on Saturday is an extension of that approach and why we do what we do. It’s about promoting a better way for football and a celebration of FC. We hope to see you there, but more than that, why not encourage others to turn up?