Bury:Bringing football back

clive

A documentary released today on BBC iPlayer

Contains strong language.

When Bury FC collapsed last August 2019, a group of locals made it their mission to bring football back to their town - against massive odds. Bury FC was one of the oldest clubs in English football. It had been at the heart of the local community for more than 130 years. When it was expelled from the English Football League, it hit the town hard. A group of fans decided to do something. They launched a new club - a team ‘by the fans, for the fans’. BBC Three followed Chris Murray and his friends for 12 months, getting amazing behind-the-scenes access to the birth of a new football club and seeing what it really takes to make dreams a reality. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08sw2w0/bury-bringing-football-back

Johnnysummers5

Very good luck to Bury.

MuttleyCAFC

Yes, all the best to them. The EFL absolutely hung them out to dry when a bit of flexibility would have gone a long way. As football fans we need to give them all the support we can.

clive

It is a very good documentary, interesting the divided supporter base, one lot backing the phoenix club, the other lot waiting for the resurrection of the original club.

Off_it

Just watched this documentary and then read the owners "statements" on the (original club's) website.

Jeez. Our old mate Roland loved a website rant, but at least he didn't go banging on about the war and BBC licence fees. Truly bizarre.

Chris_from_Sidcup

Off_it said:

Just watched this documentary and then read the owners "statements" on the (original club's) website.

Jeez. Our old mate Roland loved a website rant, but at least he didn't go banging on about the war and BBC licence fees. Truly bizarre.

I still don't get why Dale is sticking around. What's he hoping for?

They're a club without a league, i don't think they own their ground (or it has a lot of debt tied to it) and don't have a squad. Why hasn't he just walked away?

Rudders22

I watched it last night and had fond memories of going there to see Charlton play there. Little did I know at that their GK who kept making save after save we would sign for a £1 million soon after. It was very frustrating that the ground is still there but Bury itself can't be reformed. 

Addickted

Watched this when it was first available and watched the opening 20 minutes last night.

What a piece of shit that Dale is. Is there some sort of Northern Business school that pumps out this type of businessman/investor? Is one of the modules "How to be an utter cnut to people and still make money"

Love going to towns and football grounds like Bury. Always a great weekend away with your mates, much friendlier atmosphere (until you get in the ground) and far more preferable to me than going to the big Clubs.

Let's hope they make it back and soon.

Algarveaddick

Off_it said:

Just watched this documentary and then read the owners "statements" on the (original club's) website.

Jeez. Our old mate Roland loved a website rant, but at least he didn't go banging on about the war and BBC licence fees. Truly bizarre.

That kind of thing seems to go down very well with a certain type of person. Maybe he was happy to try to get a small majority on his side?   

PopIcon

I watched this last night, was it part of a bigger series? I didn't think it was very well made. Needed to be fleshed out.

LenGlover

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

Off_it said:

Just watched this documentary and then read the owners "statements" on the (original club's) website.

Jeez. Our old mate Roland loved a website rant, but at least he didn't go banging on about the war and BBC licence fees. Truly bizarre.

I still don't get why Dale is sticking around. What's he hoping for?

They're a club without a league, i don't think they own their ground (or it has a lot of debt tied to it) and don't have a squad. Why hasn't he just walked away?

The prospect of selling it for development perhaps? I doubt if it is in negative equity and the longer no football is being played there the sooner the brown envelopes come out seeking planning permission as the reasons for refusal become evermore diluted.

Dale really does come across as a shitbag. I wonder whether Farnell was behind him with his hands up his arse pullng his strings?

Has he (Farnell) been struck off yet?

Off_it

To be honest I thought Dale just came across as completely clueless and more than a bit mad.

Would like to have seen more about how they got into the mess in the first place. It wasn't him that racked up all the debt in the first place and although he was saying he didn't even know Bury had a football club at first and he "wasn't an ATM", they didn't seem to try and nail him down as to WHY he did get involved in the first place, if all what he said was true.

Then went on the "official" website after and saw the three bizarre statements on there. They would be "funny" if it wasn't all so tragic.

Addick Addict

The programme brought home just how hard it is to get a club back to where it was. But for the grace of TS.

cafcfan1990

AFC Wimbledon managed to do it but it’s going to be so difficult to replicate. Wimbledon we’re coming off the back of a relatively successful period and seemed to be backed. AFC Bury seems to be split and doesn’t have the financial support to go and get 5/6 promotions over the next decade. It’s a shame but I think they are gone now. Hopefully that realism means more support is found for the Phoenix club. 

PragueAddick

For those asking for more depth on the subject, the same guys involved in this have produced a multi-episode podcast, Out of Our League. I have only got to E3 so far but its very good. And it features more than one contribution from our very own @Weegie Addick