Hyde United’s all important goal at Broadhurst Park last Saturday did more than just condemn FC United of Manchester to defeat. It effectively ended their title hopes – which denied them automatic promotion – and left the fan-owned club facing some high-pressure play-off games as their only remaining route out of Step 3 in the English football pyramid.
For a club like FC United, a win in the play-off could be a lifeline.
Their manifesto sets out the vision plainly: the club was created “to create a sustainable club for the long term which is owned and democratically run by its members, which is accessible to all the communities of Manchester.” Seven core principles underpin everything – from one-member-one-vote democracy to a commitment to remain a non-profit organisation and to “avoid outright commercialism.”
There is no wealthy backer absorbing losses in the background. When the club needs money, it asks its members. Their most recent crowdfund initiative was set up to help improve the drainage and pitch at Broadhurst Park.
According to the club’s website, they have recently secured a £130,000 grant from the Football Foundation to improve their ground, but need to raise £40,000 as a club to unlock the funding, and are asking their fans to give whatever they can afford.
That is the financial reality of life at Step 3.
The results on the pitch and the income off the pitch is directly correlated. Ahead of the 2022/23 season, the club’s own board communications stated clearly: “There is a direct correlation between performances on the pitch and overall success of the club. If we’re winning and playing entertaining football then attendances go up, people spend longer in the bars, buy a new hat or scarf, put more in the barrels, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
The playing budget at FC United is a story on its own. In a board statement published in 2022, it was revealed that FC United’s playing budget sat in the bottom quarter of the Northern Premier League – ground build debts and an inability to raise sufficient advertising revenue have made their budget uncompetitive, with players increasingly choosing higher financial offers from rival clubs. A £25,000 crowdfunder was launched simply to allow the manager to keep a squad of 18 rather than 16.
Back in 2022, the club’s business plan set an ambitious target; promotion to the National League North by 2024/25, backed by a planned 23% increase in the playing budget. The reality was a 17th place finish, making this season’s promotion push all the more important.
The financial gap between the two levels is stark. A club at Step 3 can access up to £150,000 in Premier League Stadium Fund grants over five years. At Step 2, that rises to £250,000. Bigger opponents mean bigger away followings through the turnstiles, and the National League North’s stronger commercial profile opens the door to sponsorship deals that simply aren’t available at this level. FC United’s average attendance of 1,667 already dwarfs the Northern Premier League average of 756, and remarkably, it exceeds the National League North’s average of 1,277 too. The fanbase is already there. Promotion would simply give it a bigger stage and a bigger financial return. For a club where a 10% drop in attendance can wipe tens of thousands of pounds from the annual budget, every step up the pyramid counts.
Resting on the play-offs now, they have the chance to get back into the National League for the first time in seven years.
FC United head coach Mark Beesley was clearly disappointed after the title-defining defeat to Hyde, but says they have to move on:
“It was a flat performance from us, which – considering the circumstances – is hard to fathom. But now we just have to go away, lick our wounds, find out why and move on,” Beesley said.
“We have got to look at the positives, and how far we have come [since last season]. It was not quite good enough to win the league, but the fact we were a shout to win the league after 39 games is a good achievement, and we have just got to pick ourselves up and get ready for the play-off game on Tuesday.”
The semi-final opponent adds an extra spice to the pressure. Warrington Rylands are managed by former FC United boss Neil Reynolds, who was in charge for six years at the club, until he was replaced by Mark Beesley in September 2024.
The ambitions of securing promotion and strengthening their finances now rest on 90 minutes against the manager that once shared those ambitions. Tuesday night’s game at Broadhurst Park is not just a play-off semi-final. It is a defining moment for FC United’s long term financial and sporting ambitions.