A championship-winning women's football team has vowed to fight moves by a rival to kick it out of its home stadium. Bury FC Foundation Women clinched the Lancashire County Championship on the final day of the season in May playing at Gigg Lane three years after the men's senior team dropped out of the Football League.
The club is due to play all its home games at Gigg Lane in the coming season after being promoted to the Premier Division. But claim as part of merger proposals between Bury FC and Bury AFC to get men's football back to Gigg Lane it has emerged Bury AFC want their women's team to move to the stadium too.
The move has triggered a robust response from Bury FC Foundation Women's team. In a statement it's committee said: "There is a women’s team already at Gigg representing Bury FC. They do not need replacing and any action to so does not represent the values that should be at the very heart of what is now a community facility."
But a spokesman for Bury AFC insisted they were "supportive" of the Bury FC Foundation team. and dismissed the claim as "rumour".
Bury FC Foundation Team is part of a huge network of teams of all age groups for both boys and girls. It was set up in 1996 and when the men's senior side went into administration three years ago they carried on playing.
Bury AFC was a phoenix club set up in the wake of Bury FC's demise. The men's senior side of the fan-owned club, who play at Radcliffe Borough's ground, won promotion from the North West Counties League First Division North - English football's tenth tier - last season. The club's women's team have also been promoted to the North West Women's League.
But hostile words have been exchanged as a divide emerged between the two factions - Bury FC supporters and Bury AFC fans. It was hoped the tension between the camps could be diffused with a merger. Two fan groups, Bury Football Club Supporters Society and Shakers Community Society, are proposing to unite to ensure men's football returns to its spiritual home in the town after a three year absence.
A merger of Bury Football Club Supporters Society - which helped buy Gigg Lane and Bury FC's assets including its name - and the Shakers Community Society - which founded Bury AFC - could see supporters finally unite behind one club again.
But a proposal by Bury AFC that their women's team moves to Gigg Lane too to replace Bury FC Women's Foundation has fuelled new tensions. In their statement Bury FC Women's Foundation says: "The Bury FC Foundation committee would like to make the following statement with regards to the merger discussions in relation to Bury FC and Bury AFC: It has been confirmed via a document and confirmation from the board of Bury Football Club Supporters Society (BFCSS) that Bury AFC have taken the stance that Bury AFC Women must be included in any merger in full and take the place of Bury FC Women as the Women’s team at Gigg Lane.
"Whilst we appreciate, they are affiliated to Bury AFC we would point out that originally, they were affiliated to Bury FC Foundation as the Women’s Veterans. In 2020 we were invited to meet with AFC to discuss the potential of transferring our Women’s team, Women’s Vets, Walking team and Disability teams across under the AFC banner. An offer that was declined due to the fact these teams already existed and had done so sustainably since 1996.
The Women’s Veterans team decided to go alone and move to AFC, subsequently creating a new Women’s team for AFC. As a committee we have no issue with the creation of Bury AFC, a great achievement by fans to replace a Men’s team that was taken away at the time from the town.
"However, this did not stop Bury FC Women continuing to exist and therefore did not need ‘creating’. Furthermore, Bury AFC currently finance their new Women’s team. Bury FC do not need to do this and have not done this in the past. Bury FC Women are self-financing.
"We always believed Bury Football Club would return and whilst waiting we continued to grow our club and to represent the community of Bury. We provide opportunities to play football for all in the community, incorporating boys, girls, women, men, vets, disability and walking football.
"We are not just one group of players, we are a community of players, parents, relatives, volunteers, sponsors and supporters. Originally formed in 1996 with one female team, named Bury Ladies FC. The club quickly grew and has continued to grow over the years to where we are now, with over 300 players providing football for all.
"During that period, a couple of name changes took place to accommodate the mix of football we were providing, Bury Girls & Ladies FC, Bury FC Boys & Girls and latterly Bury FC Foundation (Bury FC Women are one team of many teams within Bury FC Foundation). What hasn’t changed is our association and partnership with Bury Football Club.
The club is self-financing and not dependant on funding from Bury FC. Diana Golding, chairman of Bury FC Women's Foundation, said: "No one is saying we shouldn't have another women's football team in Bury but we are not being kicked out Gigg Lane after a 26-year affiliation with Bury FC. When Bury FC collapsed, we were able to continue as our finances weren’t affected. Our loyalty and commitment to the Bury community and Bury FC has never wavered regardless of a formal affiliation since 1996.
"The Women’s team has played at Gigg Lane many times, and in 2018 a formal agreement was made for them to play there and represent Bury FC as we have always done as a club, prior to this they played at Lower Gigg. Unfortunately, the folding of Bury FC in 2019 ended this agreement. The team was damaged by the closure of Bury FC, but because we function as a stand-alone club, we were able to bring the women back to the facilities the grassroots teams use and rebuild the team.
"When our women’s team were able to get back on to Gigg Lane at the end of the 21/22 season we were overjoyed. This is what we had been waiting for, Bury FC Women back where they belong. It was worth all our hard work as a community club, and many of our members where there for the big Gigg clean up."
The team lit the flame for football coming back to Gigg Lane whey they were the first to play in the stadium since 2019 when they beat Fleetwood Ladies 3-0 in a league game on April 24th this year. They then defeated Accrington Stanley 3-2 to a friendly before clinching the Division 1 championship by beating Clitheroe Wolves in front of a crowd of 655.
The team is scheduled to play its home games at Gigg Lane in the 2022/23 season. This summer the club has staged summer football camps at Gigg Lane in conjunction with Bury council.
Bury council has pledged £450,000 if the merger between Bury FC and AFC goes ahead to bring men's football back to Gigg Lane. But Diana said: "That is unfair - it is like blackmail. Bury FC owners have made it clear they can carry on without that money if need be."
Phil Young responding for Bury AFC said: "The statement made contains a number of significant inaccuracies and seems to be based on rumour and speculation rather than any fact. They were asked not to release this due to those inaccuracies but ignored the request.
"It is just plain wrong. The Foundation team are currently a completely separate football club and not party to any element of the merger. They operate under a charitable trust which by its very nature has to be separate and independent from the club. The simple truth is that we are keen to work with them and one of the parties involved in the discussion have asked to meet but that hasn’t happened yet.
"We have committed to supporting them. Within Bury AFC the Women’s teams are not separate from the Men’s team, they all operate under the same playing licence and within the same limited company so are an inseparable part of the club, hence why they will change name along with the men's team should the merger happen."
In response Bury AFC said in a statement: "With regards to communication from Bury FC Football Foundation earlier today and concerns around Gigg Lane and Bury AFC Women / Bury FC Foundation Women, please see the joint merger notes below which have been communicated by both Shakers Community (Bury AFC Community Benefit Society) and Bury FC Supporters Society earlier this month."
The merger notes said: "For simplicity and because of the costs and revenue are relatively small, we have not gone into any detail on women's football but the strategy is to continue the commitment to this growing part of the sport in the future. Bury has enjoyed success last season with Bury AFC Women's and Bury FC Foundation team and we wish to support this in the future."
