Introduction
The result of the previous vote in October was sufficient to prevent the amalgamation of the two societies, but the sheer weight of opinion in favour of an amalgamation, across the majority of all supporters, encouraged us to try and make this amalgamation happen.
We are as committed as ever to making the project of restoring professional football to Gigg Lane work for the benefit of the town. It is now even more apparent than ever before that it is not possible unless the two societies agree to amalgamate and work as one football club to make Gigg Lane, and its football team, a true success.
Since the previous vote, both societies have continued to survive but not thrive. Gigg Lane presents the only immediate option for a Bury team to play in its own stadium, which we all acknowledge is critical to a football club’s long term success. The stadium is in fantastic condition thanks to the efforts of those volunteers who have restored it and operated it over the last year. However, no viable business plan exists that demonstrates a thriving community asset with Bury FC Supporters’ Society operating a new club in competition with Bury AFC, even if the National League System refusal was somehow reversed.
If senior men’s football is to return to Gigg Lane in August this is now the only opportunity for that to happen.
An immediate £1.3m rising to an estimated £2m+ of funding will be available but is entirely contingent on the amalgamation being approved. This will be lost if the vote fails again. Additionally, the government grant funding provided to purchase the Gigg Lane stadium is also at risk of clawback, as without an amalgamation there is no prospect of the funding conditions being met.
Only a handful more votes were required to exceed the legal 66% threshold in the previous vote. We hope that the stark reality of the situation this time will encourage those who voted positively previously to do so again, and those who voted against the amalgamation to change their minds and vote in favour.
On this occasion both societies are proactively supporting the vote to amalgamate. Board members have been asked to step down if they are not prepared to do this. They are fully appraised of the consequences of failing to secure a vote to amalgamate from their members.
There is a huge amount to be gained from an amalgamation of both societies. If we can agree to it we can be watching competitive men’s football at Gigg Lane as soon as August. If we don’t that won’t happen.
It is apparent that there is also an awful lot to lose. A failure by either society to secure a vote to amalgamate is likely to result in the loss of their ability to use the stadium in future. A vote to amalgamate is the only way to provide the certainty and security we need to progress.
Executive Summary
The Shakers Community Society Limited board and the Bury Football Club Supporters Society Limited board are recommending member approval for a statutory amalgamation of Shakers Community Society Limited with Bury Football Club Supporters’ Society Limited which will see both societies (the ‘Societies’) fold and transfer their assets into a new Community Benefit Society which will maintain a majority vote on the board of The Bury Football Club Company Limited which will own Bury Football Club (2019) Ltd currently trading as Bury AFC, the Gigg Lane Stadium, and the Intellectual Property Rights purchased with the Gigg Lane Stadium (‘the merger’);
The motion for the merger requires approval from eligible voters from both Societies, where each Society will hold two Extraordinary General Meetings, the second EGM being held between 14 days and one month after the first.
The votes will be done electronically, using a secure online system with independent oversight as part of the Extraordinary General Meeting’s called separately by each Society.
An eligible voting member of both Societies may participate in the vote for both Societies.
The merger, the change of name to Bury Football Club, and the change of stadium are subject to approval by the relevant authorities, including the Financial Conduct Authority, the Leagues and the FA so the vote is to approve these matters now and enact them as soon as is reasonably possible. They cannot happen immediately, but we are confident they can ahead of next season.
Process
To support the recommendation, the information presented to members of both Societies ahead of the previous vote will be recirculated, along with any supplementary information in the form of an FAQ. It is not expected that there will be significant amount of new information as the previous vote was predicated on an amalgamation starting ahead of the forthcoming season. There will be a brief opportunity to ask questions and each society will facilitate this with their members.
The key documents which will be provided are an outline of the future ownership and governance model and a financial business plan with accompanying notes.
The formal 28-day notice for the EGMs will be issued within the next 48 hours and it is intended that voting will be open for a minimum of 4 weeks in advance of the AGM, to allow for the highest possible voter turnout.
The first EGM where the results are announced will take place on 7pm Friday 5th May 2023.
If the vote is approved, a second confirmatory motion will be issued for approval 14 days later. This will simply seek confirmation that the motions voted on should pass and again will be conducted electronically.
There are a small number of remaining confirmatory diligence items required before the merger completes, if approved. Some of these may be undertaken before the vote completes and some, such as the provision of any funding which is contingent on a merger, will be undertaken after the vote.
The exact wording of the vote will be the same as the previous vote subject to the new EGM dates which are reflected in the calling notices.
On behalf of Bury Football Club Supporters’ Society and Shakers Community Society Limited
Bury FC Supporters’ Society Statement
Further to the joint communication regarding our intention to proceed with and promote a second vote we wanted to go into more detail as to our reasoning for this decision. The vote is to combine both supporters societies, Bury Football Club Supporters Society (BFCSS) and Shakers Community Society (SCS) into a single new society, to take Bury FC forward next season, an amalgamation.
The aim is for all the fans that supported Bury FC up to our expulsion from the EFL in 2019 to support a team representing the town in the future. An amalgamation of the two societies allows all the fans to be reunited. A single team supported by the whole fanbase has the greatest chance of success in both the short and long term, climbing the leagues in a financially responsible manner, representing the town as a whole, at its historic home.
An amalgamation opens the door to the football team playing at Gigg Lane to be called Bury FC, so a positive vote would give us the chance for this to happen from the start of the upcoming 2023/24 season. We have strong indications from the meeting with the Secretary of State that the Government would also back this, a compelling proposition for the return of Bury FC.
It would enable the remaining funding of circa £300k from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to be drawn down as the benefactors have agreed to provide a further £300k only if an amalgamation happens.
Bury Council confirmed that the £450k is still available subject to an amalgamation.
It would enable the funds of around £350k which Bury Football Club 2019 Ltd (Bury AFC’s limited company) have prudently accumulated since their formation, to be made available to the new amalgamated society.
This income of well over £1,300,000 will enable various works at the stadium to go ahead as soon as possible and provide financial security for the future.
A 3G pitch installation within the shortest possible timeframe will also be revisited as this is vital for income and community engagement going forward.
We will be looking to upgrade the facilities and to modernise hospitality areas beneath the main stand so that they are wheelchair accessible and the stadium can be used as a sporting venue seven days a week.
Without the aforementioned funding, none of this is possible.
Voting no to this proposal puts the club and ground at risk, this would likely be out of our hands.
A business plan had been prepared in advance of the previous vote to deal with the situation in the event of a no vote. The viability of this business plan was based on the assumption of a requisite number of fans attending home matches and on a break even scenario for the stadium without football. Based on the first vote where only a few hundred fans voted not to amalgamate, we now believe this is extremely risky proposition and based on optimistic forecasts which may or may not happen, there are simply too many unknowns.
Over the last few months we have all become aware of financial pressures on the most basic utilities and inflationary costs which affect us all in our pockets. This will directly impact supporter numbers and running costs of the club putting financial pressure on our ability to continue trading without combining resources. Huge debt and mismanagement is what put paid to our club in 2019, please do not allow that to happen once more through optimism for an alternative plan.
We worked extremely hard with the benefactors and our local MP, James Daly, to secure the £1,000,000 grant from the Government. The grant was contingent upon us seeking an agreement with Bury AFC to secure the best possible future for football in our town and to enable the return of Bury FC. When you are dealing with awards of public money it brings a great responsibility which should override our own personal views and reflect the whole community of Bury bringing the maximum benefit to all, not just football fans. This is about our wider community and the businesses in Bury.
By voting no, our access to further funding would be greatly reduced, and there is a high chance that the Government could seek to recover their funding due to us defaulting on the conditions of the Grant Funding Agreement ‘GFA’, meaning the stadium would be lost once again, we cannot allow this to happen. The funding is conditional on seeking an agreement with Bury AFC and meeting additional milestones, like the 3G pitch, or it could be at risk. The BFCSS Board accept that these outcomes were not sufficiently communicated to members during the last vote, we accept responsibility and can only apologise to all supporters for this. Upon a successful vote, we would be put back on the path of compliance with the GFA and can agree new timelines with DLUHC.
Following discussions last November with DLUHC, the BFCSS board have taken advice and are seeking the best viable option to unify the whole Bury FC fanbase which has become fractured over the last year. After being advised by our solicitors and DLUHC, there are different options which would be considered as fulfilling the spirit of the GFA in seeking agreement with SCS. These included “Amalgamation” and “Transfer of Engagements”.
All parties agreed that the “Amalgamation” option was the fairest option to both societies as a new CBS is formed and both the old CBS’s transfer everything into that new CBS, which has a newly elected board, voted on by all members of both current CBS’s. The last vote was under these terms.
With the majority of eligible members voting for the initial proposal, we are seeking another vote to unify our broken fanbase.
We are now working with Bury AFC’s CBS board to enable the return of football next season as Bury FC, and everyone is committed to a positive future working together. We are looking to open the vote as soon as possible, working on making sure that it concludes by Friday 5th May 2023 (shortly after for the ratification vote) We hope that this statement gives you clarity and plenty of positive reasons to vote yes, so that we can look forward to watching football at Gigg Lane next season.
For those of you who may now say “we are better on our own” from either society or group of supporters, let us be totally clear, there is no other scenario which gives us this level of financial support to secure the future of Bury FC. By voting in favour of this amalgamation you are unlocking further substantial grants and funding from other investors and sponsors who would then see this as an investable project. Who would refuse over £1,300,000 investment into their club with no strings attached?
Bury Football Club was founded on 24 April 1885 after Aiden Arrowsmith, a local enthusiast, had brokered two meetings between church teams Bury Wesleyans and Bury Unitarians at the Waggon & Horses Hotel and the Old White Horse Hotel. It was agreed from the outset that the team should be professional. An amalgamation is nothing new and only history repeating itself, how you view this is your choice.
The BFCSS Board fully support the proposal to amalgamate and recommend all members vote in favour for the reasons outlined above.
This is the start of a bright new fan led future, an example to the whole of football, we should put all differences aside, thank Bury AFC for giving football back to a number of our fanbase during these years in the wilderness. However, should it be possible for the FA to grant it, Bury FC will now take the baton and go forward under the original name, combining the manpower, skills and assets of all supporters and volunteers. To do this we need all our members to vote YES and then say who they would like to vote onto the new board to represent them on the next stage of this exciting journey.
This is the truth of the situation, your vote counts, so use it wisely, Shakers Together.
Shakers Community Society Statement
Our board are fully supportive of the motion to amalgamate. We are as committed to this now as we were for the previous vote.
Whilst we understand there has been some disappointment and frustration, in the months since the first vote, it has also provided time for reflection and acceptance. This has brought this great opportunity back to us again, and we are grateful for the hard work and persistence of so many people who have kept this project alive.
As outlined in the joint statement, the decision is very simple. If Shakers Community members vote against the amalgamation we will lose the opportunity to ever return to Gigg Lane, with no realistic chance of another stadium being built in the town. We will also lose the goodwill of the wider football world, who were so supportive of us when the results of the last vote was announced.
We have to vote for the amalgamation to survive. We can’t control the Bury FC Supporters’ Society vote but we are encouraged that the people we have been working with over recent months can now see that they are in a similar position, and also they need to vote for an amalgamation to secure Gigg Lane.
We are confident we can make Gigg Lane work together, now and in the long term. We can unlock more funding and invest more into the stadium than it has had for decades.
We, as Bury Football Club, can be back playing at Gigg Lane for the start of the new season. A program of work is already underway to make sure that happens.
It will be a welcoming place for everyone. There has been complete agreement from all parties on this.
A lot of work has gone into the second vote, although only a little additional information has been added in the form of an FAQ as almost everything remains valid since the last vote. We will host a Zoom meeting for members as quickly as possible so that questions can be asked and we will do our best to answer them as fully as possible.
