AndyFcum said:
Mr Orangupingu
The 750k from MCC is offered for a collaborative project between Fcum and Moston for the construction of joint facilities, for the benefit of both organisations and the wider community (plus funding from the FCUM development fund, FCUM community shares and UK Sport grant funding). Could I say that we thought we had a site in Newton Heath already to go after carrying out all the relevant studies, surveys and extensive dialogue and welcome events with people local to Ten Acres Lane, but Manchester Council withdrew funds at the 11th hour.
The Council has now offered us an alternative site but we are reallly not trying to dress up anything, many of us are Mancunians (yes really) many from Moston and nearby districts, like myself and we are also unlike most football clubs in or approach to the community. Here is the kind of community work we do at FC :
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/community.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/community.php</a>
Dont really think you you want the facilities to stay as they are? Surely we need to look very very seriously at how we support Grass Roots Football in this country, to ever have a chance of more English players coming through into the higher leagues. Thats before you look at the health, social and financial benefits to our communities it would provide. Maybe juniors' football tying up with a non-league team is one way forward.
However, we realise this proposal may not be implemented in Moston, but hope we can convince the people of Moston of its benefits.
But anyway, following the submission of the planning application in a few weeks, full details of the project will be available and everyone will at least be able to take a more educated and objective view of the benefits of the Moston Juniors/Fcum venture.
Have you read the thread and what I, and other posters, have said?
I know that FCUM originally had the TAL site and had been awarded £650k by the council. That then fell through.
Previous to this, £750k had been pledged to build changing facilities for Moston Juniors (MJs) on the park on which FCUM plan to build. I stated that MJs already had options for changing facilities; on Broadhurst playing fields on the opposite side of Lightbowne Road, and even on the same park in the old Surestart building. Hence, £750k does not need to be spent on new changing facilities as they are already there. Each team does not need facilities of their own, especially when there are facilities available for use, which I have just outlined. People (on the Facebook page) have said that MJs don't have any changing facilities and so have to get changed in their cars, I am pointing out that this is not the case, as you can see. Therefore, this not only negates FCUM's 'generous' offer to MJs (who hold the lease to the land for 25 years), it also means that the council should now (but for some strange reason can't) repurpose the money that was earmarked for the MJ's changing rooms, and give it to FCUM for the stadium build (yes it is the same pot of money), in order to allow FCUM to build on a brown site, NOT a GREEN site. This proposed build is just the easiest option for FCUM and the council, not for the residents.
Both on here, and on the Facebook page, FCUM fans like yourself have gone on about all that FCUM do for the community. It's apparent that FCUM don't really care about the community enough to consider brownsites that have been suggested countless times by numerous residents, as an alternative to building on GREEN land.
Why not fundraise some more to be able to afford to build some brownland around the area and build on there? That would show the community you mean business, but then again, I'm skeptical as to whether we are your main priority and not just the £750k dangled infront of you.
Quite frankly, I am getting tired of explaining that
what the residents of Moston want is to save the green parkland, not keep FCUM out of Moston. We welcome all that FCUM can offer the community, but not at the expense of our green land! I've even put it in bold for you.
Can you not see this?
And as for grass roots, pitches need improving, yes, no doubt about that. But are you suggesting that for grass roots football to develop, junior football clubs need to hand themselves over to larger football clubs like yourself? What is wrong with keeping the pitches as they are and maintaining them, like they used to be? Football clubs already have coaches and the like, and specifically to FCUM, there are lots of football clubs in the surrounding area they could affiliate with e.g. Oldham, Droylsden, Rochdale, Hyde, Bury etc. Grass roots football uses greenland as it should be, in its natural state and free for everyone to use. I have been in contact with people whos kids play for MJs, and they aren't too happy about this proposed build either and see it as FCUM muscling in on MJs and using MJs as justification for building their stadium (note these are not my words, just from people I've talked to who are involved with MJs).
P.S. I am female.
