A review of this year to continue a tradition we set. A strange one when we are still in limbo to see what happens with buyout options for our club and ownership.
We are not even 3 years old yet and started from nothing, not a single follower or a direction. We just knew we had to do something, the silence was deafening from the club and those they speak to, that’s all we will say on this. We wanted to change and disrupt that for the betterment of all of us.
Some points from 2024:
- Formally launched FC58 the largest only true independent fan coalition at the end of October. We are still finding our feet and putting the foundations in place.
- Increased membership signups to over 72K with no promotion
- Scaled capabilities to send out newsletters to memberships.
- Officially recognised by the FSA & FSE
- Increased our trusted media contacts
- Made a massive impact in the FSA and networking with other active fan groups with the same ethos as ourselves #StopExploitingLoyalty
- Fan groups from other clubs reaching out to us for help knowing who we are and what we stand for
- Meeting with the club on our terms. We will never betray the fans, ourselves or our values that family instilled in us
- Surveys showing the strength of feeling on various issue to put pressure on the club. Particularly the 17/19 rule
- Organised protests at Everton and City across club boundaries with massive media coverage (press, TV, radio)
- Banners in the ground despite the clubs attempt to censor and move fans away from the tunnel area to stop those optics
- The development and build of a formal new website https://the1958.org
- Formally recruiting for roles in FC58 which will be put to members to vote (taken a little more time due to our involvement with the FSA). We will put focus on this early in 2025.
Here is an exclusive once we have the scaffolding, the organisation and structure in place. We will hand this over to the fanbase to run. That will be our parting gift. It’s important we don’t leave any rat sized holes for those who have any self-ambitions.
Like we have always said trust and credibility are paramount to us. For too long there are elements and groups in this fanbase who just want to look after their own interests at the cost of doing what is right.
Look back at one of our very first tweets we said we would prove ourselves with actions and values that we would be different. We did and we are.
All of the above is self-funded we are just a bunch of working-class lads who want to be proud of our club and respect memories of family who were proud of our club. Those memories live and burn in all of us.
United is about family, friends and community. It is more than just a number on a seat. It is more than the performance on the pitch.
We need to get our respect back on the pitch and just as importantly our dignity and standards back in our fan culture and terraces. Both of these are in the gutter and there are many reasons for this.
Sir Jim needs to make his intentions known to fans and not in secret cosy meetings. He and INEOS need to show they are different to the Glazers. They need to show they understand what our club means to us and not just a line on a spreadsheet.
Nobody knows more than us the state that’s been inherited by years of Glazer decay and mismanagement. We have been trying to educate fans on this for close to 3 years as have those who came before us. We warned of the Americanisation of our game on our very first podcast we did.
Penny wise and pound-foolish should not be an approach that’s taken. Our club is not a petrochemical business, it’s a cherished community asset.
Lose the fans, lose the stadium (maybe rename it), cut us loose of what we stand for (charities, community, families, next generation) then what do we have left? This is a pivotal time for our club. Lose the above and many will leave in droves and never return. Either through being priced out or out of disgust on how our club is moving forward.
The ownership needs to tread very carefully or they will lose the very thing that makes our club special along with clubs up and down the country. They will just have emotionless spectators in the ground on a day out. No ties to the club, the team, the players or our history. The United way will be no more.
This year we have massive ambitious plans and we will succeed. We will make the tough decisions for the greater cause of the future of our club, the future of our game and the future of the next generation.
Look after yourselves and those close to you.
See you all on the terraces and forecourts in 2025
