WHEN I saw that Bury Council was withdrawing its sponsorship of Bury Football Club, I was saddened and worried.

Admittedly the council stepped in to help to club when it was in its hour of need, and the sponsorship continued for almost a decade. With the current cuts imposed upon the council, the withdrawal is understandable.

However, where does this leave Bury FC? It leaves a great financial hole that will need to be plugged. The problem for Bury FC is that many businesses are finding life very tough as a result of the recession. They will think twice about sponsoring small clubs like Bury, when the returns on their investments cannot be guaranteed. Bury FC may need to rethink their sponsorship policy. It may not be traditional, but a ground sponsorship may have to be considered. Also, instead of a single shirt sponsor, they could have two, three or maybe four companies on the kit — obviously at a lower cost to each business involved. I hope Bury can find another big sponsor, but maybe they may have to try something a little different.

Whatever happens, the next two or three years could be very telling for smaller clubs in general.

Steven Lomax Ainsworth Road Radcliffe