FC United co-owners' meeting report

FC United held its latest co-owners meeting on Wednesday 24 September 2014 at the Central Methodist Hall in Manchester, reports FC United Press and Communications Officer, Andy Walker. The meeting was convened to give FC members an update on the progress at the new ground, to discuss the use of the name Ronald Johnson at Broadhurst Park, to report on FC United’s plans to become a Living Wage employer and to take any questions from the floor that co-owners wished to ask.

Board member Kate Ramsey chaired the meeting, welcomed everyone and then introduced FC United general manager Andy Walsh to give an update on the new ground.

Andy reported that the total costs of the new ground and community facility were now approaching £6m. He remained convinced that the club was getting excellent value for money and that the new facility would be one of the best at non-league level in the country. The original hand-over of the project was due to take place on 23 September, the day before this meeting. Andy was as yet unable to answer the question on everyone’s lips, namely, when will the club play its first game at the new ground but he did report that the project team were aiming for the end of November/start of December for the handover.

Andy said that there were a number of reasons for the delays that had been encountered. The pitch development had held things up and increased costs as we had to go for a turfing solution rather than seeding. This alone had added an extra £25k to the project said Andy. Interestingly, he also reported that the pitch was the same kind of turf that was used on the in-field at the Olympic stadium for London 2012. We have invested in enhancing the drainage on the pitch and have also installed a sprinkler system. Andy also said that the delay in the arrival of the St Mary’s Road end stand had also slowed down the project but to cheers from the hall he announced, with the unveiling of photographic evidence, that steel for the stand had arrived on site this very day! He also said that the cost of re-engineering the stand, which was the old Northwich Victoria stand from the old Drill Field, had increased.

Andy reported that we were still targeting £2m from our community shares scheme (currently at £1.9m) and that the increased pressure on costs means that we still had money to raise to fund the project. We are looking to raise a further £100k to the Development Fund revising the target from £300k to £400k. He praised co-owners and supporters for their magnificent efforts to date on fundraising and said that we are an example that other clubs are already following. “We should not shrink from accusations of being idealists. We want to have an impact on football and also show that ordinary people can achieve something extraordinary and that is not gong to be achieved if we are constrained by the conditions that currently prevail,??? Andy said. “We are making a statement here. We’ve got a vision about changing football that is already having an impact. The impact we are having is something that we can all be proud of, the building of our own ground,??? he said.

There followed a discussion on the Living Wage campaign and FC United’s intention to apply to be recognised as a Living Wage employer. If we become registered it is believed that we will be the first football club to do so. There was a show of hands on the proposition that FC United should apply to become formally recognised as a Living Wage employer and this was carried overwhelmingly.

The meeting then discussed the use of the name Ronald Johnson at Broadhurst Park and reviewed a proposal that the grass pitches on which Moston Juniors and others will play will be known as the Ronald Johnson Playing Fields. This was voted on and agreed without opposition by the meeting and will now be put to a vote at the FC United AGM on 26 November 2014.

There then followed a Q&A session to end the meeting, where co-owners could ask questions or make points on any issue they wished. Typically, there were questions and points made on a wide range of issues including seats and standing at the new ground, the club’s budget and whether it had been affected by the delays to the new ground, grant funding for community work, fanzines, the stadium layout, future improvements to the ground, volunteers and paid staff and the form of the team this season. A wide range of issues indeed and typical of the informed and engaged membership we have at FC United.

The meeting closed at 9.15pm.

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