BURY Football Club is to extend its partnership with Bury Council in a £112,000 deal.

As part of the agreement, the Bury Council name will stay on the Shakers’ shirts for the 2012/13 and 2013/14 season and there is an option to extend the partnership if both sides are pleased with how the agreement works out.

Meanwhile, Gigg Lane coaches will be doing work across the borough with a view to improving people’s health. Council bosses want club staff to encourage people to take more exercise. They also want the club to make “socially excluded groups” feel part of the community by getting them to take part in sports sessions.

These groups could be single parents, obese people, smokers and ethnic minorities.

The thinking behind the deal is that taxpayers could save money because Bury FC’s work might reduce the work that health and social care system need to do.

In a report to be considered by the council’s ruling Executive committee at a town hall meeting on Wednesday, the council’s adult care representative, Cllr Rishi Shori said: “In return for investing £56,000 per annum in each of the next two years, the council will expect a rate of return.”