Their new stadium looks quite impressive(building is ongoing, it's not due to be finished until December)... please log in to view this image
What a brilliant achievement and it would restore all faith in football if they could make the Premier League. They would definitely be my 2nd team.
Where did they get the money/finance to build that ? Looks like it will be 1 decent stand which can incorporate functions, conferences, etc and 3 sheds. edit: small conferences....
The fans have raised £2m, the balance came from - £550k Manchester City Council, £750k Sport England, £150k Football Foundation Stadia Improvement Fund, £500k Football Foundation Community Facilities Fund, £300k Government grant, Community Assets and Services Fund, they also have an additional £500k Manchester City Council loan fund if required.
No idea, but probably not, I suspect the money comes out of funds specifically set aside for developments like this.
Just goes to show, with the right attitude and dedication Hull City could be (re)born on a park pitch!
I don't know about the council grants - usually the amounts available are quite small - but the Sport England grant would have to be from their "iconic facilities" funds as the maximum available through them on other schemes is £100,000. To qualify for this they would need to offer facilities for at least two sports up to a very high standard. The Sport England grants will not require repayment.
Time to take football back from the spivs Letters in today's Guardian: When a pair of tickets for West Ham’s opening game of the season against Tottenham costs the same as a standing season ticket for Bayern Munich, it’s clear that the “customers” (Editorial, 20 October) have gained nothing from the Sky TV revolution that’s put untold billions into dodgy players’ and dodgier owners’ pockets. Not only are we ripped off at every opportunity, we have to put up with kick-offs at ridiculous times to suit armchair and pub audiences. Premier League football is crying out for a democratic fans’ revolution, but while we wait for the glorious day, uber-capitalist Richard Scudamore and the other suits who run it could at least impose a £25 maximum admission charge for all clubs so that the average fan could more easily afford a match ticket. Such a measure would preserve the competitive advantages of the bigger grounds and would hardly be noticed, given that gate receipts are small beer in comparison to TV revenue. I realise the chances of this happening are on a par with those of my beloved Hammers winning the Champions League, but one thing they can’t take from us is that we can still dream. Bert Schouwenburg London • Your editorial on football democracy mentioned fans on the board, fan-owned clubs and for fans to have more say in our game. There is a shining example of this and we’re called FC United of Manchester. Far from FC United “being over by Christmas”, as our detractors once prophesied when we were formed in 2005, we move in to our new £6m home soon – £2m towards the cost of the ground was raised by the fans themselves. We are a co-operative, all major decisions are taken by the owners (the fans), we vote not to have a sponsor on the shirt and voted on admission prices and for fans to pay what they can afford for season tickets. Football is pricing out working-class fans, especially youngsters. It’s now a birthday treat for them to watch their club when it should be a birthright. Fans of all clubs should not let petty rivalries stop them from organising together to take back the their game from the greed merchants, spivs and crooks of the modern game. Alan Quinn Manchester Good to see Sunderland fans getting a refund on tickets after their team’s poor performance (Sport, 22 October). Perhaps this idea could be extended and made retrospective. After nearly 40 years’ watching Crystal Palace, I’d be owed a small fortune. Michael Cunningham Wolverhampton http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/oct/22/time-to-take-football-back-from-spivs
I think that model for a football club is great at that level , very interested to see what happens if they get a few more promotions
I know/knew a fair few Manc FC Utd fans. These were formerly hardcore Utd fans who simply couldn’t stomach Glazer and what had happened to their team. They were utterly dreading the day they enter the Football League. ‘That’s when all of the bullshit starts’ was the general response. That said, I doubt they'd refuse promtion to the FL - but it'll be interesting to see how they deal with it.
