A bid to acquire Gigg Lane and bring back football to the stadium has won Government funding.
Today it was announced that Bury Football Club Supporters Society will be granted £1 million from the Community Ownership Fund towards plans to buy the club and ground from the administrators.
It aims to transform the 12,500 seater ground into a cherished asset for the whole community, providing facilities for the men’s and women’s teams, youth football, local schools and the public.
Bury football ground will be brought back to life after fans were handed £1 million of government levelling up funding to buy the club’s historic Gigg Lane stadium.
The intervention by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is a huge boost for football fan power and for Bury’s loyal supporters, who have been working tirelessly to get their beloved club back up and running.
The club, nicknamed The Shakers, was expelled from the English Football League in 2019 after 125 years of membership and placed into administration just over a year ago.
The grant from the Community Ownership Fund (COF) will help get football back to Gigg Lane for the 2022/23 season.
Gigg Lane is one of the world’s oldest professional football stadiums and has been home to Bury FC since the club’s founding in 1885.
The vital funding has been awarded to Bury Football Club Supporters Society and will transform the 12,500 seater ground into a cherished asset for the whole community, providing facilities for the men’s and women’s teams, youth football, local schools and the public.
The COF is backing communities to take control of much-loved local assets that might otherwise be lost, and is a key tool in the government’s mission to level up across the United Kingdom.
Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove said:
The collapse of Bury FC is a stain on English football and the result of the game being ripped out of the hands of the supporters and communities who made it what it is by big business and corporate interest.
I pay enormous tribute to Bury’s supporters, who have shown incredible resolve in their fight to bring their beloved club back to life. By helping rescue the historic Gigg Lane stadium, we are helping to put power back into their hands and securing a cherished asset for the wider community.
Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, leader of the council, said: “Today an important milestone has been reached in the plans to bring Gigg Lane back into use. The council has been supportive of the bid to the Government and are delighted it has been successful.
“The next important step is to ensure the whole town is united behind one club – this is vital if we are to see the eventual return of the football league competition to the town. It is also critical if we are to make a success of returning to Gigg Lane. The council will continue to work with all parties to try and make this a reality.
“In addition, the council will consider making a financial contribution towards the costs of bringing Gigg Lane back into use; this will, of course, have to be underpinned by a viable business plan for both the footballing operation and the stadium site. We remain confident that with a united effort we can make a success of it.”
