History

Macclesfield Football Club is a successor to Macclesfield Town FC which was founded back in 1874.

Macclesfield Town was liquidated and expelled from the National League in 2020 because of debts of over £500,000. Its assets were put up for sale – including the Moss Rose Stadium on the Rightmove property website.

In October 2020, the Stadium and all remaining assets were purchased by Robert Smethurst with the aim of returning professional football to Macclesfield by creating the phoenix Club, Macclesfield FC.

Smethurst appointed the Welsh former professional footballer Robbie Savage as Director of Football, with Silkmen legend Danny Whitaker ascending to the role of First Team Manager.

In addition to this, Smethurst also invested heavily in upgrading the Stadium to improve the commercial viability of the new Club. At the time of writing, the investment stands at over £4 million.

In May 2021, it was announced that Macclesfield FC would be placed in the NWCFL Premier Division for their inaugural season.

Robbie Savage also announced that the Club would be partnering with his Foundation in order to offer free tickets to all its participants in a bid to encourage youth attendance.

On 31 July 2021 Macclesfield FC played their first competitive match – a 1–0 home win against Burscough in the NWCFL Premier Division which was witnessed by 2,018 people.

Leon Arnasalam wrote his name into the history books that day, as he became Macclesfield FC’s first-ever goal scorer.

The Club’s first away match was on 3 August 2021. In what proved to be an encapsulating affair, four Tom Clare goals saw The Silkmen claim a share of the spoils in a 4 – 4 draw at Winsford United.

On 7 August 2021 Macclesfield FC played their first Emirates FA Cup match, beating Burscough 4–0 in the Extra Preliminary Round, but were then eliminated from the competition in the Preliminary Round losing 6 – 4 at Squires Gate.

On 11 September 2021, Macclesfield FC played in the Buildbase FA Vase for the first time – losing 3 – 2 at Northern Counties East League Premier Division side Winterton Rangers in the First Qualifying Round.

The Club was featured in a two-part BBC Sport documentary, entitled “Robbie Savage: Making Macclesfield” which was first broadcast on 13 November 2021 and has enjoyed over three million views to date.

In March 2022, Macclesfield FC became the first Club within the top nine tiers of English football to secure promotion.

An emphatic 4 – 0 victory against Ashton Athletic on 12 March clinched the title – with Danny Whitaker’s side ultimately finishing fifteen points clear of second-placed Skelmersdale United.

In addition to this, many of the Club’s other teams also enjoyed a vast amount of success during their debut season – with the Women’s First Team lifting the Cheshire Women’s & Youth Football League – Championship East title and the Under-16s side claiming a unique quadruple.

Last season saw a continuation of the Club’s exponential rise, as they secured the Northern Premier League – West Division title at the first time of asking.

Back-to-back promotions was sealed following a 3 – 1 home victory against Trafford on 1st April, with Macc going on to win the division by fourteen points.

Their success came at a price however, with Danny Whitaker relieved of his duties after a 2 – 0 home reversal against Guiseley in the Buildbase FA Trophy.

Former Warrington Rylands Manager David McNabb was installed as his successor, yet his tenure was to be short-lived before he stepped-down due to work commitments.

Neil Danns then took charge of First Team affairs – assisted by fellow player and former Premier League midfielder, Mark Duffy.

The Silkmen would enjoy a remarkable run that saw them unbeaten in their last twenty-two league matches as they stormed to the West Division title.

Skipper Laurent Mendy, together with Tre Pemberton, Neil Danns and James Berry were all named in the Northern Premier League – West Division Team of the Season at their prestigious end-of-season Awards Night.

Berry also claimed the Golden Boot and the Player of the Season Award to cap what was a sensational season – both on an individual and collective basis.

Macclesfield’s Women’s First Team also continued their successful start, by winning the League Cup and the Club also secured a whole array of accolades at youth level.

Going into the 2023/24 campaign, The Silkmen committed to keeping on their upward trajectory, with Mark Duffy taking over as Head Coach after Neil Danns departed for Tranmere Rovers over the summer.

Despite this, Duffy was relieved of his duties in October 2023 and was replaced by former Hull City and Ipswich Town defender Alex Bruce.

Bruce would take The Silkmen into the play-off places before departing for Salford City in February 2024 and was replaced by former Warrington Rylands Manager Michael Clegg.

Under Clegg, The Silkmen reached the Izusu FA Trophy semi-final, where they were narrowly beaten 2 – 1 by Vanarama National League side Gateshead.

Courtesy of finishing as runners-up in the Northern Premier League – Premier Division, The Silkmen also qualified for the play-offs.

After a 3 – 1 semi-final victory against Worksop Town, Macclesfield were denied promotion when they were defeated 2 – 1 by Marine at the Leasing.com Stadium.

Shortly after, Manager Michael Clegg stepped down from his role and was replaced by Robbie Savage.

The Club’s Women’s Team did secure yet another promotion however, as they continued their progression up the football pyramid.

The 2024/25 campaign is one which the whole Club is embarking on with both optimism and belief.

This has been exemplified with reference to a wealth of summer signings – all brought in to spearhead the Club’s latest promotion bid.