FC United of Manchester To Go On European Adventure

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FC United of Manchester have announced that they will be competing in an international football tournament that will feature eight non-professional football clubs.

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The clubs, from seven European countries, are famous for a variety of reasons including clubs that have been rebuilt and run by fans and clubs featuring significant social and cultural projects.

Aside from football the FENIX Trophy will also promote friendship between clubs from several European nations and, in the process, allow clubs from across the continent to share best practices within non-professional football. In short, it aims to build a European network of extraordinary non-professional football clubs.

The format of the tournament

The Fenix Trophy will run from mid-September 2021 to May 2022 with an initial group phase featuring two groups of four teams each that will play each other home and away on midweek evenings (either on Wednesdays or Thursdays) from September through to May before the tournament closes with the ‘Final 8’ phase in May 2022.

All eight clubs will meet in the seaside resort of Rimini, on Italy’s Adriatic coast, with clubs drawn against each other based on their group position to determine the final ranking of the eight clubs.

This means that each team will play seven matches in total – three home and three away games in the group phase before a final match in Rimini – and every match will be streamed live, and will be free to watch, on the tournament’s YouTube channel.

The club have thanked the Northern Premier League for giving them permission to take part in the FENIX Trophy. Any fixture against European opposition must also be sanctioned by the FA and they are in the process of obtaining the necessary approval.

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The draw

FC United fans will soon be able to plan trips to Amsterdam, Warsaw and Milan. 

The reaction 

Looking forward to becoming the first FC United manager to lead his side into European competition next season, Neil Reynolds told the FC United website: 

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“To have the opportunity to manage this amazing football club on a European stage is a dream come true for me.

“I’ve heard the tales of the club’s glorious European away days and now this squad will have the chance to experience it for themselves. I cannot be complimentary enough of the work that has gone on behind the scenes to pull off this major coup.

“My excitement levels have gone through the roof and I know this will be an experience of a lifetime for all involved. It will be tremendous to see the FC fans in Europe and I will be determined to make sure that we are not just there to make up the numbers. Success is what we strive for.”

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