Football is set to return to Bury’s Gigg Lane ground for the first time in four years after two separate fan-led groups voted to merge.

Bury FC were expelled from the English Football League — after 125 years — in 2019 amid rising debts, in the wake of a failed takeover bid.

Some fans then went on to form Bury AFC, who have represented the town in non-league football ever since and continue to play at Stainton Park, home of Radcliffe FC.

The original Bury FC continued as a fan-led business entity and completed a purchase from the administrator in 2022, but until now, they have not had a team to play.

Members of both Bury FC Supporters’ Society and Bury AFC have agreed to merge together and return to their historic Gigg Lane stadium from next season.

There was a previous attempt to merge the two groups in October 2022, but it fell short of the two thirds majority required.

But a second vote on Friday May 5th saw both groups approve the motion by more than 90%.

The vote also showed 97% in favour of making Gigg Lane the club’s home, with 92% in favour of returning to the name Bury Football Club.

The move means the club now qualifies for necessary local council and government funding, with a reported £1.3m available.

Of the sum, £450,000 will come from Bury Council and the rest from the government’s Levelling Up fund.

A statement from Bury Football Club Supporters’ Society said: “What we are building is for those who will look back and be proud of the work we as volunteers have put into establishing this club as a shining example of a sustainable fan-owned football club.”

Bury AFC, who were set up by the Shakers Community, tweeted: “We are delighted to announce that the vote to amalgamate The Shakers Community and Bury FC Supporters Society has passed by an overwhelmingly positive margin.”

Bury FC’s official Twitter account also tweeted: “This is the reason we never died. Not just saved by fans, but now owned by fans.”

Bury FC were booted out of the Football League in August 2019 as they faced substantial unpaid debts and a last-minute sale of the club fell through.

The club will return to the football pyramid in the ninth tier, taking up AFC Bury’s place in the Premier Division of the North West Counties League, after the club finished fourth this season.

It will be a fantastic return for the fans and members of the historic club — who won the FA cup in 1900 and 1903.

Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow completed the Leeds 10k over the weekend, with Sinfield pushing his former team-mate and friend in a specially-adapted wheelchair.

Burrow was tragically diagnosed with motor neurone disease back in 2019, and in the following years has managed to raise millions of pounds for charity.

The Rugby League legends joined their former team, Leeds Rhinos, to raise money for the Leeds Rhinos Foundation and the Rob Burrow Centre for MND appeal.

Sinfield said it was ‘brilliant’ to complete the course with his good friend when speaking to the media afterwards.

He told the BBC: “It’s been a while since we have been able to do some sort of running or activity.

“We have been waiting on this [wheelchair] to get delivered, it’s our first run with it today and we came 39th.

“Thankfully it stayed in one piece and hopefully he enjoyed it, I know I did.”

Sinfield added: “A lot of people were clapping, I think Rob has been such a huge inspiration to everybody that people have been really happy that we have been out on the course for it. It’s been a really nice day.”

Sinfield took charge of a team that ran seven marathons in seven days to raise more than £2.7m for motor neurone disease research back in 2020.

A Championship footballer has come out as gay, making him the first current professional footballer in Britain to do so.

Blackpool forward Jake Daniels, seventeen, said he has received ‘amazing support’ from his teammates after opening up about his sexuality. 

In an interview with Sky Sports News today, Daniels said his original plan was to wait until he had retired before coming out, but says he felt ready to ‘be myself’ after ‘such a long time of lying’ about who he is.

He said: “But I just knew that was just such a long time of just lying and not being able to have what I want.

“For a long time I’ve thought I would have to hide my truth because I wanted to be, and now I am, a professional footballer. I asked myself if I should wait until I’ve retired to come out. No other player in the professional game here is out.

“However, I knew that would lead to a long time of lying and not being able to be myself or lead the life that I want to.

“Since I’ve come out to my family, my club and my teammates, that period of overthinking everything and the stress it created has gone. It was impacting my mental health.

“Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally.”

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A post shared by Official Jake Daniels (@officialjakedaniels)

Daniels said he knew he was gay at around the age of five or six, but admitted that he initially believed football and being gay didn’t mix.

He explained: “So all the way through my life I was like, ‘It’s fine, you’ll get a girlfriend when you’re older and you’ll change and it’ll be fine’.

“And as you do get older you realise you just can’t… and it’s just something you won’t be able to do.

“I’ve had girlfriends in the past to try and make all my mates think I’m straight, and it was just a massive cover-up. So it has been a struggle.”

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A post shared by Official Jake Daniels (@officialjakedaniels)

And speaking of when he first told his teammates, Daniels said they were ‘kind of shocked in a way’ and asked why he didn’t tell them earlier.

He said: “The captain was one of the main people I told and he was just asking loads of questions about it and was like ‘I’m so proud of you’.”

He added: “Everyone has been so supportive and so proud of me and it just shows what a bond we have as a team and everyone is like a family to each other.”

Daniels is the first British male professional footballer to come out as gay since Justin Fashanu in 1990.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzelsperger also came out as gay after his retirement in 2013.