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Broadhurst Park update, September 2014

Broadhurst Park update, September 2014Welcome to the September blog update.

The work continues at Broadhurst Park and you can see the ground really starting to take shape with the pitch now laid and buildings and stands being erected. The timber cladding on the outside of the structure is being fitted, the windows are going in and the curtain wall at the main entrance is in place. The front of the ground is being cleared ready for landscaping, the road is almost complete and about to be tarmacked and work on the artificial pitch is due to start next week. We’re making good progress.

We’ve extended and improved the drainage on the two grass pitches and these are nearly done. The FC Diggers group has been working on improving the drainage in that area. Drainage from the artificial pitch and grass pitches goes into the clough at the south of the site where a pond had been clogged up but this has been improved by the work of the Diggers and the pond is to be further renovated. These real improvements to the drainage of the clough area and the ponds will dramatically improve the wildlife habitat and we’ve been pleased to be working with the Friends of Broadhurst Fields and the city council to achieve that. You can help out with this work by volunteering your services at diggers@fc-utd.co.uk

The old stand from Northwich Victoria for the home end at the St Mary’s Road end of the ground is due on site before the end of September. We anticipate that it will take about five weeks to erect the stand then five to six weeks to join the stand to the main stand roof and fit it into the rest of the ground. In the meantime and in parallel the car park work will continue at that side of the ground. The turnstile block work has also been started in each corner of the ground ready for the installation of turnstile units which have been manufactured by north Manchester firm Broughton Controls.

The building now has two lifts installed. There is one passenger lift at the front of the building to allow access the first floor and a second goods lift at the south of the main building that links the kitchen with the bar and food storage areas. Both lifts have been supplied and installed by FC sponsors and members Ansa Elevators for the cost of installation only. This has provided a significant saving to the club for which we are extremely grateful.

The members’ site visits to the ground have been a fantastic success. Over 200 co-owners and volunteers have now visited the site as part of these visits. Because of the shortening daylight hours, Thursday 18 September will be the last evening visit, however we will continue to hold tours on the Saturdays when we have a home game until further notice. The current tours are of the building site and those who donated to our recent Crowdfunder appeal who booked a tour of the ground will be the first to see the completed building.

To book a place on a site tour email John England here and stating the day you wish to attend. Remember that you do have to be a paid up member to take part in the tours so if you have yet to renew your membership for the new season then there is no better time than now to do it.

We will give a full report on the progress of the Broadhurst Park project at our co-owners meeting to be held on Wednesday 24 September at the Central Methodist Hall, Oldham Street, Manchester starting at 7pm.

Away from Broadhurst Park, following meetings with the football management staff, we have restructured and announced some changes to the names and structure of the teams we are running this season. We now have newly named reserves and youth teams as part of our ongoing policy to promote and encourage youth at the club. At FC United we already have a very good record of player development of which we are justifiably proud. As a club we aim to assist all players to reach their full potential and achieve their playing ambitions including stepping up to play professional football where appropriate. This will continue under the new structures we have and we have already seen some new faces appearing in the first team with more to follow as the season progresses.

Speaking of new faces, the recent new signings announced by Margy were very good news and a testament to the work of the manager, coaches and scouts that goes on behind the scenes in attracting players to the club. Hearing new signing Andy Welsh say that he was looking forward to being part of "this football revolution in Manchester" is a reminder what we are achieving on and off the pitch at FC and that is due to all of our efforts - supporters, volunteers, partners, staff and players. Thank you to everyone for all their efforts, it really helps to make a difference.

We’ll have another update in early October.



First Posted ~ 15:43 Sat 13 Sep 2014
News ID ~ 5707
Last Updated ~ 16:00 Fri 19 Feb 2021