Gigg Lane Stadium Placed Up For Sale
Bury Football Club was placed into administration in November 2020 and now its Gigg Lane stadium has been placed up for sale in a bid to return football to the venue.
The 12,000‑seat stadium has served as the home of Bury since opening in 1885 but has not staged any matches since the club was expelled from the English Football League (EFL) in 2019.
Bury has been in administration since November and there are plans for the club to re‑enter the football league system. Mr Wiseglass, the Administrator, who represents Inquesta Corporate Recovery & Insolvency, has said that talks are taking place with a number of potential stadium buyers.
Mr Wiseglass is reported as saying that Bury FC is a club with a rich history and a loyal and enthusiastic fan base and it is hoped that a suitable buyer will be forthcoming to secure the future of football at Gigg Lane once again.
It is understood there may be an offer from a community interest group to purchase the stadium and trading name as a result of the chancellor’s announcement in the recent budget to provide matched funding for purchasing assets of community interest.
It is also understood that Mr Wiseglass is liaising with other potential parties interested in acquiring the business and assets.
Inquesta has appointed chartered surveying firm Fluerets to sell the stadium. Any sale would include the ticket office and club shop.
The last Bury match at Gigg Lane was the 1‑1 draw against Port Vale at the end of the 2018‑19 season, which saw the club promoted to League One. The future of the club, which reportedly owes more than £12.2m in unsecured debt, remains up in the air but it is hoped the stadium sale will return football to the venue in some capacity.
Following Bury’s expulsion from the EFL, a phoenix club named Bury AFC was formed by fans. The club currently plays in the North West Counties League but other Bury supporters remain hopeful that the original club can be kept alive.
