Bury FC Supporters’ Society (BFCSS) is urging its members to vote in a long-awaited poll to potentially bring professional football back to the town in the future.

Members of BFCSS and Bury AFC’s Shaker’s Community Society are being asked by the Football Supporters’ Association to vote in favour of a merger of the two clubs in the hope of bring elite men’s football back to the town.

The two societies announced the plans in July after the council pledged to provide £450,000 in funding to a unified Bury FC.

The historic club, established in 1885, was expelled from the English Football League in 2019 following long running financial difficulties.

If members of the two supporters' groups vote in favour of teaming up the new society will be called The Football Supporters’ Society of Bury and will be based at Gigg Lane. 

Voting instructions were sent to BFCSS members last week by independent e-voting company Mi-Voice.

In a statement on its website on Friday, Bury FC Supporters’ Society said: “As part of the proposed amalgamation process with Shakers Community (Bury AFC), we outlined that we will be working on our members mandate given at the voting stage.

“Now is the time to do that, from 7pm on Friday, October 7 you will receive an email from Mi-Voice the independent party who will be assisting with this voting process."

On Friday, October 28, the society will hold a "special general meeting" at which members will be asked to vote electronically, or by proxy ahead of this date.

For the merger to go ahead, two thirds of BFCSS voters must vote in favour of the proposals.

The statement added: “Due to the magnitude of the decision and the public scrutiny, the voting process needs to be fully auditable.

“Mi-voice are recommending that all voting is conducted online or electronically.

"There should be no ‘show of hands’ as this will not be auditable.”

“We would like to place on record a huge thank you to all our members, who have stuck by this long process, but we are now glad to be able to announce this information.”

Also last Friday, Bury AFC released a statement on its website advising its members to vote for the merger deal to go ahead.

The club's name would also change to Bury Football Club under the vote.

READ > Bury AFC members can vote to change club's name to Bury Football Club

Addressing members, the Bury AFC statement said: "The Shakers Community board are recommending that we move to Gigg Lane and change our playing name to Bury Football Club, and to do this we need to ‘amalgamate’ with Bury FC Supporters’ Society. These are the three motions you are asked to approve."