People United Day on Saturday 29th October - FC United v Gloucester City

People United Day is FC United’s annual celebration of the diversity of our local community and reinforces our proud and principled commitment to develop strong links with that community and be accessible to all and discriminate against none - This year’s People United Day will take place at Broadhurst Park on Saturday 29th October when FC are at home to Gloucester City.



People United Day is the club’s annual celebration of the diversity of our local community and reinforces our proud and principled commitment to develop strong links with that community and be accessible to all and discriminate against none.

It provides a welcome reminder that racism or any other form of discrimination will not be tolerated at FC United because we believe that all people should be able to enjoy football without fear of intimidation or abuse.

This year’s People United Day will take place at Broadhurst Park on Saturday 29th October when FC are at home to Gloucester City.

The very first People United Day in October 2006 memorably saw over a thousand young people attend the game against Glossop North End at Gigg Lane including many young asylum seekers and refugees.



The “FC United Against Racism??? banner was carried around the pitch by a group of the club’s junior members at the head of a pre-match parade of dozens of homemade banners and flags celebrating diversity and supporting refugees and asylum seekers and was given a wonderful ovation by a crowd of more than three thousand.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM 2006

Since then People United Day has been an annual event in the FC calendar and down the years has featured displays of art, photography, drama, poetry and banner making all promoting the theme of people from different backgrounds working and living together.

This year’s People United Day will also feature a special friendly match between a team from United Glasgow FC, comprised largely of refugees and a team from the Freedom from Torture charity and will take place on the 3G pitch adjacent to the ground following FC United’s match against Gloucester City.

The special friendly match will kick off approx 5pm and will be contested for the Alan Henning Trophy. Alan, you may recall, was the taxi driver and aid worker from Salford who was captured and killed by Islamic State while trying to deliver aid to the occupied Syrian city of Al-Dana in 2013; a humanitarian who lost his life trying to help those in need. His daughter will say a few words and present the trophy.

Freedom from Torture provide clinical support, including medical consultations and psychological therapies, for victims of torture who arrive in the UK as asylum seekers having endured the kind of pain and suffering that the rest of us can probably barely imagine.

One of the many strands of FC United’s community work involves a group from Freedom from Torture attending weekly football sessions at Broadhurst Park. The eight regular attendees plus three others will make up their team on the day.

Some FC supporters may remember United Glasgow FC visiting FC United a few years ago at Gigg Lane when many of the team enjoyed a warm pre-match welcome in Course You Can Malcolm and they went on to play in a tournament in Leeds the following day which they won.

The driver of the bus that brought them to Manchester that day, Andy Cheshire, is now FC United’s Community and Education Manager and Andy has been instrumental in arranging this fixture. A return match in Glasgow as part of Refugee Week in June next year is planned and Andy hopes that these friendly matches will become regular fixtures in the calendar.

United Glasgow FC was formed in 2011 to primarily help refugees and asylum seekers but they now welcome players from all nationalities, genders and walks of life bringing together individuals with a shared love of football who may otherwise never have met. Just like FC United they take a principled stance against all forms of discrimination and are committed to providing affordable football. This video explains more about the club;



This year’s People United Day will also see the FC United working with around two hundred local school children to educate them on the involvement of refugees in football, both locally and globally, and also to discuss the benefits of supporter ownership and the uniqueness of FC United as a football club in the UK and further afield.

Following last year’s exhibitions at the ground on People United Day we have received a small amount of funding to put together two more exhibitions this year; one on the involvement of refugees in football and the other on supporter ownership of football clubs.

Once again, People United Day promises to be a cracking, heartwarming day and its celebration of diversity and clear anti-discriminatory message is as much to do with what this football club is about as winning leagues and snaffling the occasional late winner.

People United Day
Saturday 29th October kick-off 3pm
FC United v Gloucester City
Broadhurst Park
Lightbowne Road, Moston,
Manchester M40 0FJ

The match is pay on the gate and all are welcome to attend.

Admission is £9 Adults, £5 Concessions* and £2 for under 18s

*Concession prices apply to: Over 60s / In receipt of Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance / Student with a valid NUS card

Saturday 29th October kick-off 5pm
Alan Henning Trophy – (Special Friendly Match)
Freedom of Torture v United Glasgow FC
3G Pitch at Broadhurst Park
Lightbowne Road, Moston, M40 0FJ
(This special friendly is FREE to attend)

We are encouraging everyone to spread the word about People United Day.

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