The first club to enter the newly formed Lancashire Amateur Football League did so in 1903. Taking the name of the professional/business club in the town, Bury Athenaeum rather surprisingly lasted just six years despite a reasonable number of achievements to their credit. A further effort to set up a football team from the Athenaeum Club became a victim of the outbreak of WW1 after just a single season of competition. Bury Doric’s as it was called did not restart after the 1914-18 war.

So not until 1921, February 28th to be precise, did a further attempt to enter a team in the L.A.L. occur and as the Secretary’s minutes records, 18 members attended a meeting at the Derby Hotel in the centre of Bury (now demolished) and passed the resolution “That an Association Football Club be formed and application be made for membership to the Lancashire Amateur League”. The members seemed to find some difficulty in agreeing a name for the newly formed club and the discussion of the topic had to be suspended. Later in the evening a proposal by R. Taylor and seconded by R.A. Catterall suggested the title BURY AMATEUR ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB and carried. Despite the use of the singular word ‘amateur’ the Club is often referred to as Bury Amateurs.

For their first ever season in 1921 a ground had been acquired at the Old Golf Links on Manchester Road but only rented and not purchased. The failure not to purchase a suitable ground in the earlier years of existence of the Club would be felt in later years. A substantial number of members felt that the future lay in becoming the Soccer Section of the well-equipped and organised Bury Sports Club and approaches were made. The two merged in 1925 but it was not to be a happy partnership. Even so, the arrangement lasted until 1934 when a new ground was sort off Manchester Road in Redvales, Bury.

The split with Bury Sports Club was due to the success of Bury Amateurs on the field, they naturally wanted to be independent of the Bury Sports Club but yet still an integral part of the host set-up. After three seasons settling in Bury Amateur A.F.C. took over the Central Section (virtually the L.A.L. until 1929). Season 1923-24 saw them pick up the Division 1and 2 titles and they repeated their success in the following 1924-25 and 1925-26 seasons.

An influential member of the early years both on and off the field was Major George B. Horridge and as Club President he inspired the Club. A distinguished officer and from a family with industrialist and business interest in the town, he also held the position of 1st Team Captain. Later in life, his playing days over, he became the President and major shareholder in the town’s professional club.

Lancashire Amateur league Clubs as a matter of course always entered the Lancashire Football Association Cup but with rare success. Quite often the cup ended up on Merseyside and being drawn against a Liverpool side usually signalled a short campaign. In 1926 and with the Championship side enjoying league success Bury Amateurs did well to draw with the holders from Liverpool, Marine F.C. To lose the replay 9 – 1 must have been a bitter pill to swallow.

The following year saw an amazing goal scoring feat. Amateurs’ player Norman Tattersall, playing for Lancashire against Birmingham scored seven, an amateur record at the time. The result 10-2 to the Red Rose County must have been very satisfying and particularly to the Bury player who scored 7 goals. Entries in The Lancashire Evening Post read “Within just one minute of the start of the game at Deepdale, Tattersall had scored two goals and completed his hat-trick in a mere two and a quarter minutes. What a way to start a game!” As was often then, Tattersall missed his train at Bury and had to travel to Deepdale by taxi from Bolton almost missing kick off.

Another newspaper article told the story of a supreme triumph for both the Club and the LAL. The year was 1929 and the Manchester Guardian allocated no less than sixteen column inches and a photograph, reporting the Lancashire Amateur Cup Final played between Bury Amateurs and Liverpool opponents Collegiate Old Boys. The report was written in true guardian style and makes wonderful reading. Most important of all of course was the result, a 3-1 victory for Bury despite having gone one behind after only six minutes. It is hard to imagine but the final generated such interest that 2000 people turned up to watch. Played at Wigan Borough’s Springfield Park the report tells us “Liverpool sent a special train of I Zingari League enthusiasts, South-East Lancashire sent its best lungs to cheer Bury, and Wigan was represented by not a few white mufflers.” Stuart Hall eat your heart out.

1936 found the Club yet again on its travels and this time the Warth Riverside Ground became home. Lying as it did between the River Irwell and the Bury-Manchester electrified railway, a hefty clearance out of play meant either the ball floated away down the river or somebody dicing with death retrieving it from the lethal live third rail. During this pre-WW2 period the Club had the fortune to have services of an outstanding goalkeeper, Ken Whitehead. Such was his talent that on three occasions he wore the much coveted keepers jersey for the England Amateur International XI, all were victories.

The disruption caused by WW2 took time to clear but the Club picked up two immediate post-war honours, winning the combined section in season 1945-46 and the Central Section Championship in 1947-48.

The early sixties found a young twenty-year-old left-winger working his way through the lower teams until he reached the First XI. His footballing ability was reasonable but his speed phenomenal. So quick in fact that encouraged by the local athletic club, he gave up soccer and took up sprinting. Despite very poor local athletic facilities Barrie Kelly reached the top and represented his country at the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico. For several years he held the European 60 metres Indoor Record. Pity he didn’t stick at football he may have helped Amateurs out of what had become a very baron spell in terms of success.

Season 1965-66 found the Club without their ground. An adjacent paint manufacturing company needed further room to expand their business and the two football pitches through the railway arch suited them ideally. Fortunately at the time, Bury was the base for the Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment. Often the barracks were empty but were maintained for when the Regiment returned from their duties in overseas. The facilities included a large playing field, changing accommodation and a large gymnasium. With the softening of the Cold War the barracks came under control of the local authority and sadly what were superb facilities deteriorated badly. Despite the disappointments a period of success was on the horizon.

Promotion to Division 1 was followed by immediate relegation and made for a mixed start to the eighties. On the recommendation of The Lancashire F.A. Amateurs appointed their first ever Manager/Coach and decided to put team matters in the hands of one person as opposed to a Committee. Stephen Slotwiner, known affectionately as ‘Slotty’, he went about reviving the Club in his own enigmatic way. Aiming for the top, the all-round improvement he brought to the Club soon showed itself and in season 1984-85 the club finished with both the Premiership title and the L.A.L 1st X1’s Challenge Cup. Even without Slotty a third Premiership place and a further taking of the 1st X1’s Challenge Cup made for a satisfactory end to the 1989-90 season.

The 1990s saw the break up of the successful 80s side as players were cherry picked by clubs offering a higher standard of football. Even though the Amateurs had to dig deep to keep going they always turned out a1st and reserve team week in, week out, mainly through the hard work of stalwarts such as Milton Colman, RoyLindon, and Pete Holden.

The return of several explayers stabilised the club and with the amalgamation of the club with junior club Drinkwater Warriors Bury Amateurs have gone from strength to strength with the club boasting 15 junior sides and 4 adult sides.