Bury Merger Passed

A merger between Bury FC and Bury AFC has been backed by fans.

The agreement means FC Isle of Man should be playing away at Gigg Lane next season as the new team plans to play in the NWCFL Premier Division.

A previous attempt at a merger failed last October, but this time 90.1% of the Bury FC Supporters’ Society and 97% of Bury AFC members voted to form one club to play at Gigg Lane from next season.

Bury AFC fans proved a big hit on the island when several hundred of them travelled over for the Ravens’ brilliant 3-2 win in the final weeks of the 2022/23 season.

A statement from the Shakers’ Community Board said: ‘This vote preserves the old and the new, history, present and future, nothing and nobody is lost or left behind. It was never a choice between one thing or another.

‘Voting yes means voting for both. It means everything. It means all of us. It will take all of us to make the future work, so it was the only way to set us off on the right track.

‘A more direct route would have been easier but we would have learned less along the way. We now know more. We know how to play an active role in our football club. Our sense of agency has never been stronger. All this makes us better prepared. And the curving track still got us home.

‘Thank you to everyone who voted and thank you to all the people who kept us going during some difficult times. We look forward to seeing you all at Gigg Lane for the start of the new season.’