Dear Members,
We have been asked to issue the following statement on behalf of the benefactors. This statement represents the view of the benefactors.
As outlined previously the Society will as promised, await the outcome of the vote and will follow the mandate of our members.
Benefactor Statement
“On behalf of Bury FC Benefactors Limited that helped acquire Gigg Lane and the history, trading name and memorabilia of Bury FC, we would like it to be clear that the vast majority of us fully support the merger proposals currently being considered by BFCSS and Shakers Community. All benefactors are Bury supporters and in many cases took a leap of faith that once the Stadium and Bury FC trading name were acquired the collective fanbase would support a merger if the terms were fair and balanced. We believe the proposal of a new start for both Societies with a new Society run by a newly elected Board and a team called Bury FC playing at its historic home Gigg Lane achieves this and we encourage members to vote in favour.
All Benefactors have a demonstrated history of business acumen and have contributed willingly from their personal savings. This has allowed us to provide support and also demonstrates our knowledge of commercial viability. We believe the merger is by far the best outcome from a football and community perspective. Failure to merge introduces considerable risks for all parties without any specific benefits. Gigg Lane needs capital to be fully restored and, operationally, the larger the fanbase the more successful the team can be; not to mention the additional community benefits we can deliver. Having two clubs and a split fanbase dilutes this considerably and ensures continued division when ultimately we shared a love of the same team.
The objections seen on social media seem to boil down to perceived bad behaviours and dislike of certain individuals. We’d urge all parties to put the past behind us and view the bigger picture of returning a successful team to Gigg Lane. When something seems too good to be true, it usually is, if being a Bury supporter has taught us anything over recent years it is surely just that; those suggesting a No vote leads to a better outcome are not being realistic in our view. We’ve had a very difficult few years but have the possibility to look forward together, so we therefore encourage members of both Societies to vote in favour of the merger.”
