‘Capital of football’ Manchester could host the Football Blogging Awards for 20 years to come after the roaring success of the annual event at the National Football Museum.
The ceremony recognises and rewards bloggers for their dedication to the sport with a number of Manchester City and United websites shortlisted.
Co-founder Anthony Cooper said there was no better location to hold the event than in Manchester after the third of its kind was held last week.
“Of course Manchester is the capital of football. You’ve got the Premier League champions and the most successful club in the world ever,” he said.
MANCHESTER PRAISE: Awards co-founders Richard Green (left) and Anthony Cooper
“It’s the perfect venue. We’re based in Manchester, and we’d never take it anywhere else. We’d love to hold it here every year for twenty years.
“Tonight we’ve had Coventry, Bradford, and even bloggers from San Francisco – we’ve helped unite the world in some way.”
More than 300 people from 25 countries attended the FBAs with the number of votes via Facebook, Twitter and the official website almost doubling from 2013.
Fans were given the opportunity to select a winner in each of the 11 categories and more than 60,000 votes were cast for the 1,000 nominees.
Judges also chose a winner and the panel included The Times Chief Football Correspondent Oliver Kay and Daily Telegraph sports reporter Luke Edwards.
Manchester-born MCFC Forum edged out city rivals RedCafe for the judges’ vote for ‘Best Football Forum’ and founder Mike Devlin, amusingly from Trafford, described the lengthy creation.
“I got 12 other people, disciples if you like, involved – I don’t what that makes me but I never gave myself a name!” he said.
DREAM TEAM: (L to R) Mark Reid, Andy Savage, John Stanhope, Mike Devlin
“It was part of another forum and in 2010 I decided that it wasn’t going to be run like that anymore so I created a new one.
“We want good conversation about the club on the forum, not just random posts – it’s quality over quantity.”
MCFC Forum was one of three City blogs nominated along with The Maine Blues for ‘Best Young Football Blog’ and Your MCFC for ‘Best Social Account’.
United bloggers were represented through Adam McKola, Mr Flying Pig HD, Man Utd Bulletin, Utd Before Fergie, Full Time DEVILS, The Man United Girl, and MUFCLatest.
After winning the award Mark Reid, one of Devlin’s ‘disciples’, described the relationship MCFC Forum have with Manchester City and their readers.
“We’ve had some really positive things from the club – we have our own Q&A sessions with ex-players and ex-staff and the club have helped with some of that,” he said.
“But most of it comes off our own back – they have their own media content, so it’s difficult to compete with that.
“The people who use it seem to like it and we allow them to have a massive input into the way we develop.”
