Macclesfield FC are delighted to be able to announce a brand new initiative in the form of our Emerging Talent Group.
The Emerging Talent Group has been set up in honour of the late Ethan McLeod, who will forever remain a part of Macclesfield FC, and his legacy will live on here at the Leasing.com Stadium via this programme.
Sporting Director Jonathan Bull, leading the project, has remained close to Ethan’s family and has determined collectively that this is how all parties believe Ethan can remain a prominent part of the Club and his journey in football can be carried on those who are best placed to pursue a career in men’s football.
Our Emerging Talent Group will allow us to nurture existing talent within our Junior and Youth Academies, as well as being able to develop external talent identified with a future view to playing for the Macclesfield FC First Team one day in the future.
Players will be able to develop by playing for local Non-League sides at Steps Four to Six, to gain first-hand experience of playing Senior Football alongside their training programme here at the Leasing.com Stadium.
We have been able to identify a number of Clubs with whom we can trust to aid our Emerging Talent Group players with their development into Senior Football.
Cameron Bradbury-Allen and Jamie Walker, existing products of Macclesfield’s youth teams, ranging from the Youth Academy to the International Football Group, have both agreed terms to become the first additions of the newly formed squad.
Cameron and Jamie have both progressed at a rapid rate of knots, earning themselves appearances for the Silkmen’s first team in both league and cup action over the last couple of seasons respectively.
Each of these players currently sit on the periphery of Macclesfield’s first team, though require regular game time at a senior level in order to progress as individuals and as players.
Cameron has featured on the bench on a number of occasions this season, including for our greatest ever Emirates FA Cup upset against Crystal Palace, whilst Jamie is just beginning on the same journey having made an appearance from the side-lines in our final game of the 2025/26 season away at Radcliffe on Saturday 25th April.
A player who has experienced a similar journey and now progressed through to the Silkmen’s first team is Carlos Dos Santos, another player who the Club has a real belief in and are sure has long-term future in football and therefore wanted to ensure they are nurtured him in the best possible way, which our IFG programme did successfully.
Carlos has remained under the watchful eye of John Rooney, who promoted the utility man from the IFG programme at the beginning of the 2025/26 season and has included him in a number of league and cup games, whilst Cameron and Jamie have both enjoyed loan experience with North West Counties sides Stockport Town and Colne FC.
From all the players at a similar development phase and age group, Cameron and Jamie have been hand-picked as the role models for those aiming for a future in professional football.
As part of their onboarding, the young men have been offered an additional year’s contract to allow their careers to continue to flourish here at Macclesfield FC.
The project is designed to appeal to attract those who have the right physical and mental mindset to succeed, ensuring they are in peak physical condition with a desire to succeed in order to be mentored under the roof of the Emerging Talent team.
The squad will continue to be added to over the coming months with another 7-10 players already being monitored as prospective players for the programme, three of which have since been shortlist and are set to be offered contracts.
The team has begun to take shape, forming the basis of the squads which will likely feature in the Silkmen’s Trial XI taking part in three fixtures later this month.
The aim for each player taken on as part of the project is to then progress either into the First Team at Macclesfield FC or to be taken on by a Club at a similar level, if not higher, subject to having the values required to continue Ethan’s legacy as desired.
We also believe that the progress made by each of these individuals will by default inspire other players within our Academy and in other external academies to wish to join the programme, play alongside these model professionals and develop as both people and footballers.
