A second vote to merge Bury FC and Bury AFC has been announced to bring football back to Gigg Lane.
Members from FC’s Supporter’s Society and AFC’s Shakers Society will now have until May 5 to cast their vote.
Last year, the first attempts to create a unified organisation were blocked, despite a majority of members on both sides supporting a merger.
In a joint statement issued by the groups, they said: “The sheer weight of opinion in favour of an amalgamation, across the majority of all supporters, encouraged us to try and make this amalgamation happen.”
The belief remains that bringing professional football back to Gigg Lane will only be possible if the two societies work together harmoniously.
The news comes after Bury FC’s attempts to rejoin the football pyramid were blocked in February.
The statement went on to say that: “A failure by either society to secure a vote to amalgamate is likely to result in the loss of their ability to use the stadium in future.”
The financial consequences were also outlined, with up to £2 million worth of funding likely to be retracted if the merger was unsuccessful for a second time, along with a government grant.
With both groups preaching for a collective effort, the difficulty of this was outlined over the weekend when Gigg Lane was vandalised.
Rats appeared to be drawn over members’ names on a wall of a stadium, highlighting the divides that still remain between the two sets of supporters.
FC’s Supporter’s Society said they did not know how it had happened and added: “Volunteers are unable to keep surveillance of all areas of the stadium whilst managing hires but we are glad this has been quickly resolved.”