Leaderboard

Supporters heading to Gigg Lane on Good Friday will notice a real change in the matchday experience! Behind the scenes, Bury Football Club, working in collaboration with catering partner The Difference Group, has made significant improvements to its food and drink offering across the ground. The result is a more varied, higher-quality selection designed to better serve fans and enhance the overall atmosphere on matchdays. Upgrades Across the Kiosks Inside the stadium, kiosks have seen a clear upgrade in both quality and choice. Supporters can now enjoy a range of new additions that go beyond the traditional football fare. Recent changes include the popular Bowen’s Pies, which were introduced and went down a treat at the last match. Even after ordering 50% more than usual, confident fans would love them as much as we do, they still sold out! We’ll ensure there’s even more on sale for our remaining fixtures, with both steak and meat & potato sold in all kiosks around the ground. At the Main Stand kiosks, fans can now enjoy a ‘Pie of the Week,’ with the first special – salt & pepper chicken – quickly becoming a fan favourite last week. Another exciting addition is giant samosas, served with tasty dips, offering a flavour-packed alternative for a Saturday afternoon treat. In the South Stand, the focus has been on hearty, satisfying dishes. Fans can enjoy options like black pudding with roast potatoes and peppercorn sauce, or chilli with roast potatoes – providing a more substantial choice for a filling matchday meal. And for fans looking to raise a glass, our very own Shakers 1885 Pilsner has now joined the beer van in the South Stand. Brewed exclusively for Bury fans, 1885 Pilsner adds the perfect complement to your matchday experience and gives fans even more choice when it comes to refreshments. Expanding Beyond the Turnstiles The improvements aren’t limited to inside the ground. Outside the stadium a range of new food vendors has been introduced this season to broaden the matchday experience even further. Fans can now enjoy a range of tasty options, from a jacket potato van serving healthy, loaded toppings to an Indian street food van bursting with flavour, there’s something for everyone. There’s also a hot drinks van offering artisan coffees, teas and hot chocolates to keep you warm. Perfect for grabbing a bite or drink on the way in — and yes, you can take your food and hot drinks to your seat and enjoy them while watching the warm-ups, ready for the action to kick off. This expanded offering helps reduce queues inside the stadium while also giving supporters more variety and flexibility. Speaking about the improvements, Casey Lynchey, Head of Operations & Community said: “Improving the matchday experience for our supporters is a huge priority for us, and the changes to our food and drink offering are a big part of that. We’ve listened to feedback from fans and worked closely with our catering partners to introduce more variety and better quality across the ground. It’s about making sure that a visit to Gigg Lane is enjoyable from the moment you arrive to the final whistle. We know we still have more work to do and we won’t rest until every single fan has the best possible experience.” Raising the Standard These changes reflect a wider commitment to improve every aspect of the fan experience. By working closely with its catering partner, the club is ensuring that food and drink at Gigg Lane matches the ambition and pride shown on the pitch. For supporters, it’s a simple but important upgrade: better quality food, a more varied choice and a matchday experience that continues to improve. With just three home games left this season, it’s all hands on deck as we chase another title and push for promotion – so purchase your tickets and come down to enjoy the upgraded matchday experience. Let’s all help drive the team to the finish line! View the full article

Our Head of Women’s Football, Casey Lynchey provided the latest updates on the women’s section at the club in yesterday matchday programme. As Head of Women’s Football at Bury FC, I am immensely proud of the progress we have made in recent years. What we are building is far more than a collection of teams; it is a clearly defined pathway, a thriving community, and a culture in which women and girls feel valued, supported and inspired to be part of our club. On any given training evening at Gigg Lane, the impact of this work is visible. Young girls take their first touches in a Bury shirt through our Bury Ballers and Wildcats sessions, teenage players grow in confidence and ambition, and adult women rediscover their love of the game, sometimes after many years away. Creating a genuine journey from grassroots participation to adult football has been a central focus of our efforts. We now proudly field girls’ teams across multiple age groups, from Under-7s through to Under-18s, as well as an FA-approved Squad Girls’ provision for teenage girls. At senior level, our women’s first team, reserves and development squad provide a clear progression route for those advancing through the pathway. Our first team is currently competing in Tier 5 of the women’s football pyramid within the NWWRFL, where they continue to demonstrate resilience and ambition. This season, they have secured valuable points against respected local rivals including Bolton Wanderers and FC United of Manchester. These results reflect both the quality within the squad and the progress we are making as a club. Our reserves and development squads play an equally important role within this structure. The women’s reserves have gone over a year unbeaten in the league, are pushing for another league title and are firmly in the hunt for back-to-back promotions. They have also secured a place in the Greater Manchester Women’s Football League Cup semi-final, showing real consistency and quality throughout the season. If promoted, they will join the first team in the North West Regional League (Tier 6). The newly formed development team, made up mainly of young and upcoming U21 players, have had an excellent first year in the Women’s Football League. Their progress has been impressive, and they have now reached their first divisional cup final after a strong 3–2 win over Salford United. With eight women’s recreational teams and five women’s vet’s teams, this section has become one of the most diverse and well-established parts of the club. It reflects our commitment to providing football for every level of ability and ambition, ensuring genuine accessibility. Our recreational programme offers a structured, supportive environment for those new to the game and those returning after time away, while our thriving vets section demonstrates that passion for football continues well beyond traditional pathways. Together, these teams showcase our inclusive ethos and reinforce our reputation as a club that champions lifelong participation in football. Furthermore, we have recently introduced a women’s walking football programme, ‘Walk This Way’, funded by Bury VCFA. Our message is simple: football at Bury FC is for life. Our youngest female participant is just two years old, and we are proud to offer opportunities that extend well beyond traditional playing years. Each new team represents more than growth in numbers; it represents opportunity for women and girls in our town and beyond to play, compete, build friendships and develop through football. I am particularly proud of the strong female presence throughout the wider club. Women are not only participating – they are leading, organising and shaping the future direction of Bury FC. From important decision-making and leading match-day operations to community engagement and youth development, women’s voices are integral to our club. Visibility matters. When young girls see women leading, coaching, volunteering and representing the club, they see tangible examples of what is possible. What we are building is sustainable, inclusive and ambitious. Above all, it is driven by passion – passion from players proud to wear the shirt, from volunteers committed to our vision, and from a club that recognises the importance of equal opportunity. As we continue to grow and evolve, I firmly believe that the most exciting chapters are still ahead. View the full article

The Curious Case of the Missing Trophies – and the Fans Who Still Hold Them for “Safety” For us as Bury FC supporters, 27 August 2019 is a date that will forever be etched into our memory. On that night, the English Football League (EFL) convened, voted, and expelled our club from its ranks, ending 134 years of continuous membership and stripping one of England’s oldest football institutions of its league status. It was early evening when representatives from our supporters’ group Forever Bury arrived at Gigg Lane. Some of us came to comfort devastated fans who had gathered at the stadium, others to liaise with the media and keep those at home updated on last‑ditch negotiations with prospective buyers. For many of us, the atmosphere was one of disbelief – supporters dazed and broken, struggling to comprehend what was happening to our beloved club. Amid the chaos, one Forever Bury representative recalls taking a call from colleagues working behind the scenes on a potential rescue deal when they were quietly approached by a supporter, away from the crowds. Their concern wasn’t about the takeover talks, but something more tangible: our club’s history. This fan admitted they had already worked with members of staff to remove some of our club’s most precious items – including the recently won League Two Runners‑Up trophy – and had hidden them “in their loft for safety.” Their fear was that, with the club in financial freefall, historic memorabilia might be sold off, lost, or even destroyed. This was not an isolated act. Weeks earlier, another supporter had driven his work van to the Carrington training ground and filled it with our club’s possessions – framed photographs, posters, training equipment and other artefacts. They later told Forever Bury that these items were being kept in a lockup at their business premises, again, in an effort to “protect” them from being sold off to pay debts. In the months and years that followed Bury’s expulsion, our fanbase itself fractured. Some of us walked away, unable to bear the pain. Others poured their energy into the phoenix club, Bury AFC. Many remained in limbo, still yearning for the identity, history, and pride tied up in Bury FC. For all of us, the sense of loss and betrayal will never fully heal. Meanwhile, the fate of much of our club’s memorabilia – trophies, shirts, photographs, and other artefacts collected since its formation in 1885 – remains uncertain. While some items have been recovered, others are still believed to be in the hands of individuals who insist they are safeguarding them. Our club’s Heritage Committee has made repeated attempts to catalogue and reclaim assets on behalf of the community. The aim is to preserve them collectively, not privately – to ensure Bury’s legacy belongs to all of us, not a few individuals who believe they alone can decide the future of our history. Why write this article?Because the time has come to return the missing history that binds our club together. These items – the cups, the medals, the photographs, the shirts – are not possessions to be hoarded in lofts or hidden away in businesses. They are community assets, symbols of a shared past that belong to every one of us who has ever stood on the terraces at Gigg Lane. It is not for one individual to decide what happens to our history. That responsibility belongs collectively to us, the fans, and to representatives such as the Heritage Committee, whose role is to safeguard, support, and preserve the legacy of Bury FC for future generations. So this is an appeal, not an accusation. We urge those who hold these priceless pieces of our story – particularly the 2019 League Two Runners‑Up trophy, the last piece of silverware lifted before expulsion – to return them to their rightful home: our club and our community. Until they are returned, the story of Bury FC remains incomplete. And just as the fight to restore our club has always been a collective one, so too must be the task of restoring our history. A Way ForwardWe want to make clear that this is not about blame, but about reconciliation. If you currently hold items of our club’s history, we are more than willing to act as mediators and help ensure they are safely returned to the club. You can remain anonymous – your identity will not be disclosed. All we ask is that you take the step to give these pieces of history back to where they belong. If you are willing to return items, please reach out to us using the clicking this link: Contact Us or emailing us via enquiries@uptheshakers.co.uk. Together, we can restore these symbols of our heritage to their rightful place – for our club, our fans, and our community.