REBELS SET UP AT BROADHURST
VINCE TAYLOR VISITS FC UNITED’S IMPRESSIVE NEW HOME
Broadhurst Park and the view from the seats of the
main stand towards the St Mary's Road end
Photo: Vince Taylor
Ten years on from their formation in 2005, the opening of Broadhurst Park represents a
major landmark in the short history of FC United of Manchester. Uniquely among the
growing band of supporter-owned football clubs, FC United have built a new stadium off
their own backs. With almost half of the £6.5 million construction costs being raised by FC
United members, Broadhurst Park is perhaps the most visible example of fan power yet
witnessed in the UK.
In the modern era, the first senior club to spin off from an existing club due to differences
with the ruling regime was Enfield Town, who in 2001 split from former non-league giants
Enfield. They were followed by AFC Wimbledon in 2002 and the short-lived AFC Barnsley
in 2003, but it was the formation of FC United of Manchester in 2005 that captured the
most headlines.
Ostensibly, Manchester United fans had little to complain about, sated as they were by a
constant diet of trophies. But nothing more clearly demonstrated their powerlessness as
supporters than the arrival in Manchester of the Glazer brothers in 2005. The US based
businessmen were allowed to arrange a leveraged buy-out of Manchester United, in the
process indebting the previously debt-free club to the tune of £790 million. It was felt that
Manchester United had been stolen away from the ordinary fan, and converted into a cash
-cow for overseas billionaires with no emotional attachment to the club.
Initially, protests took the form of a 'green and gold' campaign, with United fans drawing
attention to the club's endangered heritage by donning the colours of Newton Heath,
Manchester United antecedents from the turn of the twentieth century.
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