A Manchester United supporters' club based in Co Down has just been ranked the second biggest in the world.
Carryduff MUSC was founded in August 1991 by local resident John White and currently has 1,036 branch members.
They are one of 277 official Manchester United supporters’ clubs on the planet, comprising a total of 300,000 members.
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The biggest is Scandinavia MUSC which takes in members from a population of 28 million people covering Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Carryduff has gone from strength to strength over the past 31 years and prides itself on being a family friendly, cross-community club.
Founder Member and Branch Secretary John voiced his pride at the success of the club since its formation three decades ago.
He said: “I am so proud that Carryduff MUSC is the second largest official Manchester United Supporters’ Club in the world.
"I formed the Branch in August 1991 at a time when the spectre of The Troubles still hung over Northern Ireland. I moved to Carryduff in March 1989 from the Short Strand area of East Belfast.
I grew up in a nationalist area but I wanted to bring Catholics and Protestants together through their shared support of Manchester United. So, I placed an advertisement in the old Belfast Post newspaper and invited Manchester United fans to come along to a meeting at Maysfield Leisure Centre, Belfast and listen to what I had to say and explain what I wanted to create.
"Thankfully, I got the requisite number of fans, 50, to sign-up for membership which meant I could form an official Manchester United Supporters’ Club."
Carryduff MUSC is known worldwide through its close relationship with former manager and Old Trafford legend Sir Alex Ferguson who visited Carryduff three times for sportsman’s dinners.
One event Sir Alex was not able to attend was the Branch’s 20th Anniversary Dinner at the Europa Hotel, but in his place he sent Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs to celebrate with the Carryduff members.
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John also managed Ferguson's charity in Northern Ireland named in honour of his mother, The Elizabeth Hardie Ferguson Charitable Trust Fund, for 16 years.
Grants were given to local sports clubs to bring young Catholic and Protestant children together through their love of sport.
"It is a testimony to our members of the close knit camaraderie we enjoy as Manchester United fans where your background or religion is irrelevant. Our religion is Manchester United," John added.
"Indeed, it was Eamonn Holmes, our former President and ex-resident of Carryduff, who once said: “Carryduff Manchester United Supporters’ Club is neither green nor orange. It is red, Manchester United red.”
John has supported Manchester United all of his life and idolised George Best trying to imitate his boyhood hero kicking a ball about in Harper Street, Short Strand where he grew up during the Troubles.
He has spent the last 31 years organising Branch Trips to see Manchester United play at Old Trafford. Their last trip was on 30 October 2022, when Manchester United beat West Ham United 1-0.
Their next Branch Trip is Manchester City on 14 January 2023 and the club is appealing for new members.
John - who is the author of 20 books about Manchester United including 'Kicking Through The Troubles: How Manchester United Helped To Heal A Divided Community' - said: "Membership of Carryduff MUSC remains open to all Manchester United fans across Northern Ireland with free membership for children and pensioners.
"More information about the Branch can be found on our Facebook page or by emailing me for information about how you can join not only Ireland’s largest official Manchester United Supporters’ Club but also the United Kingdom’s largest Branch and now, the second biggest Official Manchester United Supporters’ Club in the World."
The Branch email is: whitedevil@btopenworld.com
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