Bury FC's demise reminds us football isn't just about football—it's a whole culture

There is nothing like football to bring a community together—the highs, the lows, the local pride and the feeling of belonging and being part of something. When it unravels, as it has done at Bury FC, the fallout is devastating.

Floral tributes, a coffin, cards, flags, scarves, and handwritten notes have been placed at the gates of the beleaguered club—akin to the scene of a road death—after The Shakers were expelled from the English Football League on Tuesday night when desperate attempts to find new owners failed at the eleventh hour.

The UK football community is in mourning.

If Bury FC was a gallery or a museum, there'd be a national outcry—but football teams aren't seen as cultural touchstones, or an important part of history, in the same way as our traditional cultural landmarks and experiences.

But that is exactly what they are.

Sport—and football in particular—has the ability to stir the emotions in even the hardest to reach. Look at the outpouring of emotion when England beat Australia in the Ashes last weekend.

Popular culture such as cinema, pop music and sport are every bit as important as traditional culture such as art, theatre and classical concerts. There is perhaps a snobbery about its value, but the reality is football reaches out and touches millions of men, women and children in this country every weekend, giving them a sense of pride, a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging.

Acts of sporting greatness are capable of touching even the most stoic, grown men in a way it can be difficult to understand—reducing them to tears when even the deaths of their nearest and dearest cannot.

Bury is the first club since 1992 to find itself in this position. Accrington Stanley were expelled from the league in 1962, reformed in 1968 and returned to the Football League in 2006. Tweeting their support for Bury FC the club said yesterday: “It was a long road back, but we made it.”

So how have Bury found themselves here? The club, after all, has a proud footballing history, including two FA Cup titles and a record for goals scored in four divisions of the EFL.

The 134-year-old club found itself in a financially precarious position as far back as 2001, when problems linked to the collapse of ITV Digital took Bury into administration and close to folding. The day was saved by supporters who stepped in and raised enough money for the club to survive.

Bury appeared to return to form—becoming the first club to score over 1,000 goals in four divisions of the EFL—but in 2012 had a transfer embargo placed on them after getting into financial difficulties due to poor attendances.

In December 2018, Steve Dale bought Bury for £1 from previous owner Stewart Day, who had owned the club since 2013. He paid an outstanding tax bill to avoid a winding-up order, but a mortgage on Bury's ground at Gigg Lane had been taken out during Mr Day’s tenure and, back in May, loans were said to be rapidly accumulating interest—having risen to £3.7 million.

Bury's existing debts were exacerbated by the spending of huge amounts on player transfers and salaries, with some players reportedly earning £8,000 to £10,000 a week in order to maintain the team's footing after they were promoted to League One last season.

Putting it bluntly, the club spent way more than it was earning.

When larger clubs are demoted or have parachute payments to spend on players, smaller clubs struggle to keep up with their rivals' spending in order to maintain their league position let alone do enough to be promoted. If revenues don't arrive and the club can't sign new sponsorship deals or fill out match day crowds, clubs end up in financial distress.

With Bury we have seen a club with historical financial problems get further and further into debt while trying to keep up with its rivals. Although the buck stops with the board, the blame can't all be laid at the directors' door.

The role and remit of the EFL needs to be investigated and reconsidered. Currently the league allows owners to come in, put forward a business plan and buy a club but after that they are left to their own devices and continue unregulated.

Financial Fair Play rules mean wealthy, philanthropic investors, who might invest in clubs for personal reasons aren't able to—the clubs have to prove they are sustainable in their own right.

Sadly, Bury FC's plight seems to be the tip of the iceberg with around 20 per cent of EFL clubs currently living a hand-to-mouth existence. Bolton Wanderers have just been given 14 days' grace before they go the same way.

The EFL has to regulate and control the system if we want to prevent other clubs going out of business.

Finally, our thoughts must be with the local business owners in the town. It's not just the players, the fans, the staff and the wider club family who are suffering in Bury. Businesses will struggle without the trade brought in on match days. Pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants can survive the quiet months of the summer because in the past they've known they can count on match day incomes. How they will survive now is anybody's guess. Football isn't just a game, it's embedded in our culture.