In the blink of an eye, the United club established by Manchester United rebel fans has been 20 years ago

There is a famous saying that is often considered to be from the mouth of Manchester United legend Eric Cantona: "You can change your wife, change your political stance, change your religious beliefs, but you will never, never, ever change your team." Manchester United Football Club fans are an exception. They were disappointed with the development trajectory of their beloved Manchester United, so they formed a new team as they thought and brought Cantona over.

In 2005, after the Glazer family acquired Old Trafford Stadium through leverage, a group of fans who had long lost interest in the reality of modern football's highly commercialization was finally unbearable. The acquisition of the Glazer family put Manchester United clubs in huge debts and opened a painful period inside and outside the court, which became the last straw that broke the camels. The day after the Glazer family took over, dissatisfied fans held a rally in a curry house. A week later, they gathered at the Methodist Hall in Manchester City, and finally went to the Apollo Theater, which can accommodate 3,500 people, and they finally decided to go alone. On June 14, FC United of Manchester was officially established and the club was legally registered and established. The club’s guidelines are as follows: This will be a club that fans have all members, all members can join and have an equal say in decision making, and there will be no “complete commercialization”.

Founding member Adrian Seden told the media: "People are increasingly dissatisfied with the way football is developing, but Glazer's acquisition is the real big explosion."

United Club did not waste time. On July 16, 2005, they ushered in their first game - a friendly match against local amateur team Leaf RMI. In August, they officially joined the Northwest County League. The grounds, which started from scratch, required borrowing the venue and was funded by Bury Football Club to play at Giger Lane Stadium.

Now, United Club has more than 2,000 members, including former Manchester United captain Cantona, who joined the family in April this year. All members are charged an annual fee of £25 per year and have the right to vote on major issues ranging from jersey design (must be red and not negotiable) to ticket prices. The board of directors is elected, and the chairman is also elected. Everything at the club must be democratic and transparent, and these two words are completely opposite to Manchester United's reality. Since taking over football operations in February 2024, minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliff has fired hundreds of people in a series of layoffs.

In some ways, United has escaped from Manchester United's influence, but the two are always inseparable. In United's game, the songs you hear include both old Manchester United songs and new United. Some fans still occasionally go to Old Trafford, while others are determined not to pay a penny for the Glazer family and completely "quit" their love for Manchester United. But overall, United fans still love Manchester United. This season, as Manchester United drops to the lowest ranking in the Premier League all-time, this love has been tested even more than ever. In the early days of the United Club's establishment, some viewed its members as traitors and portrayed the separation event as an anti-Manchester United movement. But now, the situation has improved greatly. The most intense boycott against the Glazer family, "The 1958", recently joined forces with United Manchester Club to hold an anti-Glazer demonstration.

"Manchester United is as important to us as ever," Board member Paul Hurst told reporters. "We have opened our own path, but our stadium is a sacred place for Manchester United. We have United's own history, but we also have a history with Manchester United." Today, United plays at its home court, Broadhurst Park Stadium, which is also the center of the club community. For many regulars at Old Trafford, a big difference is that now the family can go to the game together – United's under-18 season tickets are still fixed at £21 ($28), which is much lower than the ticket price for a Premier League match – while others are attracted by this nostalgic fan experience, who can stand in the stands with beer in their hands to watch the game.

"I was 19 when United was founded and I couldn't afford the season tickets at Old Trafford," said former board member George Baker. "But for some people, giving up the season tickets they have had since the 1970s, for a daydream we never thought we could achieve, it was a bigger sacrifice."

In the early days of the club, people were worried about whether it would die midway. Twenty years later, it is safe to say that this question has been answered.

"People say we can't hold on to Christmas," said Sedon, citing a quote from former Manchester United striker and radio commentator Alan Golin. This sentence was later printed on the fans' T-shirts. Over the years, Gao Lin has also received Christmas "greeting cards" from United Manchester fans.

On the court, United once ranked among the English Sixth Division - National League North, but now it has returned to the 7th Division - Northern Premier League. It can be said that the team's most brilliant moment was entering the second round of the FA Cup. But United's achievements are far more than the stadium, and they are often regarded by clubs around the world as examples of success for fan-owned clubs. Posts on social media often receive comments from places like Chile and Indonesia.

Now, the younger generation of fans also regard United as their favorite. In recent years, the club has also talked more actively about the fan issues and the current situation of United. Chantal Adams, who runs United’s social media account, began her football career as a caddie at Broadhurst Park, where she rarely goes, despite living less than a mile from England’s largest club stadium Old Trafford..

"My dad is a season ticket holder at Old Trafford, but he has no money to take me there, so he can only go by himself," Adams told reporters. "Now we can go to United together."

"My father's generation believes that football is just going to watch games on site and experience community life. My generation believes that football is just a TV show. This concept is difficult to change."

For those fans who frequent Old Trafford Stadium, leaving this three-time Champions League team also means saying goodbye to a brilliant Champions League night, but the Phoenix Cup also satisfy their desires. This "Champions League" for amateur teams adheres to the community-centric concept and allows United to travel across Europe. In the 2023-24 season, they won the "Phoenix Cup" for the second time. Just like everything the club does, the Phoenix Cup is very different from UEFA's glamorous business world.

"The first Phoenix Cup was held during the 2021-22 COVID-19 pandemic. We went to the country to compete, which seemed incredible at the time," said Seden. "When our first game in Poland (versus AKS Zly), many young players had not received the COVID-19 vaccine, so they could not participate. Our equipment managers could only sit on the bench and even came on the bench."

The 2022-23 season, the Phoenix Cup final was held at San Siro Stadium - for many United fans, it was a sad place because the last time they came here, they watched the match that Manchester United was defeated by AC Milan in March 2005.

"That was a special moment," said United Manchester captain Charlie Ennis. "I was a Manchester United fan since I was a child, and the feeling of playing in San Siro is closest to really playing for Manchester United. Even Premier League players don't have the chance to play a final of a European event at San Siro."

United is most proud of its possession of the Broadhurst Park Stadium, the first new stadium in the UK owned by fans for football clubs. They have settled here since May 2015. This process is full of ups and downs. After Manchester United's spiritual home Newton Heath chose the site, they finally took root in Moston, near Manchester City's home court Etihad Stadium. While having a fixed residence is worth celebrating, the terms of the agreement with the city council were so bad that the board members in charge of the deal quickly resigned.

"There are a lot of legacy issues around the stadium," Baker said. "When I joined the board in 2016, half of my job was dealing with the terms of the lease. We couldn't hold car trunk sales, we couldn't hold concerts, we couldn't even play home games on the same day as Manchester City."

They successfully broke through the limit on the 3pm kickoff on Saturday, but because Manchester City Council loaned more than £1 million for the stadium, the amount was a constant financial pressure for the club. Every year, the club must raise between £70,000 and £100,000 to make ends meet.

And this is where the principles of the club face the biggest test. With the inability to work with lucrative jersey sponsors and no financial sponsors are willing to pay for it, United must take on this burden through collective responsibility. Fans can choose to donate monthly to the stadium or game budget, and the club's responsibility is to do what they can. The team captain Ennis's construction company undertakes the stadium construction at a discounted price. "It is a red line for fans to own 100% of the club, which is crucial to us," said Hurst. United's recent performances have been mixed; even if former Premier League striker Adam Le von Dere joins, it is not enough to make them ranked above 17th this season. Other clubs in the league have become professional, including champion Maggsfield, who have accumulated 109 points and are rushing all the way to upgrade. In contrast, United, which mainly plays amateur players, is at a disadvantage in the competition. However, there is a view that they are in their ideal position.

"The higher the level, the more compromises you need to make," Seden said, "but even at this level, it's getting harder to stay competitive."

Currently, the results on United are acceptable, but their main battle is to ensure financial security and continue to prove that it is possible to build different types of football clubs.

"When we formed this club, we were going to build it into what we wanted Manchester United to be," Baker said. "We will be the eternal story of how Manchester United fans develop their way."

"This club is ours, and it is our responsibility to keep it running. If it goes bankrupt, it's like a part of our body disappears."