Bury Football Club is an English association football club based in Lancashire since its inception in 1885. Two-time FA Cup winners at the turn of the 20th Century, they plied their trade within the English Football League from 1894 until 2019, when financial mismanagement resulted in expulsion from the EFL.
With the club and ground now pieced back together, they are again one and compete in the North West Counties Football League, Step 9 of the football pyramid.
Nicknamed the ‘Shakers’, their home Gigg Lane is a 12,000 seater stadium.
We spoke with Casey Lynchey, Community Development Officer at Bury FC about partnering with Pitchbooking to handle their community bookings.
"At Bury FC, we offer a brand-new 3G pitch at our ex-EFL 12,000-seater stadium, along with event space and room hire. As a new facility, we faced several challenges in setting up an efficient booking system. Pitchbooking has been instrumental in helping us establish a seamless online booking process, ensuring smooth operations and better facility management."
Why did you get in touch with us initially?
"As a newly launched facility, we needed an effective way to manage bookings for our 3G pitch. Without a dedicated system, handling reservations manually through phone calls and spreadsheets would have been inefficient and time-consuming. Pitchbooking provided us with an intuitive online platform, complete with extensive training to ensure we could operate it independently. Any initial queries were promptly addressed, allowing for a smooth transition."
How did our software help address the above issues?
"Pitchbooking offers an efficient and user-friendly system tailored to our needs. The calendar can be easily exported and shared with relevant staff, improving coordination. The online payment and invoicing system is straightforward, streamlining financial processes and making invoice management hassle-free."
Any key benefits of using Pitchbooking you can think of?
"Dedicated Account Management: Having a dedicated account manager, Kate, has been incredibly helpful in addressing setup-related queries and ensuring a seamless onboarding process."
"Internal Slot Management: We can block out specific slots for internal club use while making the remaining availability visible to the public for booking."
"Streamlined Financial Operations: The automated invoicing and payment system has significantly improved efficiency, reducing administrative workload."
*"Improved Organisation & Increased Bookings: Pitchbooking has simplified our scheduling process and eliminated manual booking errors. The user-friendly interface has also made it easier for customers to book, leading to an increase in reservations and enhanced facility utilisation." *
Any final comments for us?
"We highly recommend Pitchbooking to other community sports clubs looking for a reliable and efficient booking solution. Its comprehensive features, user-focused design, and ability to enhance operations and revenue make it an invaluable tool for any organisation aiming to improve facility management."