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Bury FC left in limbo after application to join the North West Counties Football League was REJECTED as hopes of former EFL club returning to Gigg Lane suffered a setback
- Bury FC were kicked out of the EFL in 2019 due to financial problems
- The Bury FC Supporters’ Society had bought the club’s name and the old stadium.
- But the application to join the North West Counties Football League was rejected
Bury FC were left in limbo after their application to join the North West Counties Football League was rejected.
The Bury FC Supporters’ Society had applied to join the league, which represents the ninth and 10th tiers of English football, and wanted to play matches at the former EFL club’s Gigg Lane stadium.
The original Bury FC were kicked out of the EFL ahead of the 2019-20 season following financial difficulties, having just been promoted to League One.
The Supporters Society had secured an investment which enabled the Bury FC name, history, memorabilia and stadium to be bought out of administration.
They were aiming to start climbing the football pyramid again with the ambition of returning to the EFL within a decade.
Bury FC’s application to join the North West Counties Football League has been rejected – the club was kicked out of the EFL ahead of the 2019-20 season
The Bury FC Supporters’ Society had bought the original club’s name, history and stadium.
However, the North West Counties Football League (NWCFL) rejected their application because the business plan and governance structure did not meet their criteria.
The League was reportedly not happy either. Bury FC submitted their application just five days before the February 1 deadline.
“They have not met our criteria,” NWCFL Vice President Geoff Wilkinson said. Sun.
The Supporters Society will appeal the decision and apply to join the West Lancashire League, a secondary division of the NWCFL.
However, that could reportedly be scrapped on the grounds that Bury FC’s large fan base could cause security concerns in a league where most grounds are little more than playing fields.
It could be up to the Football Association to determine which league Bury FC fall into.
A separate club called Bury AFC already plays in the NWCFL and plays out of Stainton Park, the home of Radcliffe Borough.
Bury FC hoped to play under their original name and wanted to play at Gigg Lane
A Bury fan outside the gates of Gigg Lane after the club was kicked out of the EFL in August 2019
This Phoenix club won promotion from the NWCFL Division One North champion to the Premier Division last season and is currently fifth in the table.
Bury AFC is owned by the Shakers Community Society and there has been a sometimes bitter split between the various groups.
Last October, supporters were urged to vote in a poll to merge the Shakers Community Society and the Bury FC Supporters’ Society to form the Bury Football Supporters’ Society.
Had this happened, the team would have played at Gigg Lane under the name Bury FC.
However, the proposal failed to meet the required threshold of 66 percent of both partnerships.