Macclesfield Town FC, a community club with 146 years of history, is another North West football team on the brink of extinction.
In mid-September it was announced that the Silkmen were being wound up after Judge Sebastian Prentis heard in the High Court that a total of around £500,000 was owned to HMRC and creditors such as John Askey, a former manager of the club.
Recent times have been tumultuous for Macclesfield when reports surfaced early in 2019 that some players had not been paid in three months.
The team was subsequently relegated to the National League at the end of the 2019/20 season after being deducted points as a result of their financial difficulties and the numerous instances in which players went unpaid.
Fans have been frustrated with the continued influence and control of the majority shareholder, Amar Alkadhi, and believe the club would have been in a better position if the club had been sold at an earlier date.
ADVERTISEMENT
A petition calling for the removal of Alkadhi was set up by fans almost a year ago.
After the winding-up order was issued last week, the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST), who provided a loan of £10,000 to the club in April to ensure staff and players were paid, made it clear that they believed Alkadhi was to blame.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The SST are devastated by the decision of the court to wind up Macclesfield Town Football Club,” they said.
“The responsibility for this lies at the feet of one person – Amar Alkadhi.
“The only way forward now, and it may be a positive, would be to form a new club, just like Bury have done, debt free and without Mr Alkadhi.”
ADVERTISEMENT
It is yet another blow to footballing communities in the North West following the recent expulsion of Bury FC from the footballing league, and their subsequent threat of liquidation, as well as the precarious position of Wigan Athletic who fell into administration in July of this year.
Founded back in 1874, Macclesfield Town is one of the oldest football clubs in the country and have played their games at Moss Rose since 1891.
In the post-World War II era, where the club became known as Macclesfield Town rather than Macclesfield FC, the greatest period of success for the team came in the 1990s with former Manchester United midfielder Sammy McIlroy at the helm.
Taking charge of the team at the beginning of the 1993/94 season, Mcllory managed to steer the team to the top of the Conference and the promise of the English Football League in just his second season.
The Silkmen dominated the Conference, sitting top of the pack from November of 1994 until the end of the season, but promotion was unfortunately denied as their stadium did not meet the EFL requirements.
ADVERTISEMENT
The team were eventually promoted to the EFL following the 1996/97 season, winning the Conference by five points; a remarkable feat given the fact that the club trailed the top spot by fifteen points earlier in the season.
Mcllory’s reign also saw the FA Trophy return to the Moss Rose for the second time in the club’s history (with a win against Northwich Victoria at Wembley) and promotion in two successive years in the 1997/98 season and a second-place finish in Division Three.
The Silkmen’s fortunes faded in the following season, returning to the third division after being relegated. The season also saw the departure of Mcllory.
The years since have seen several big names take the reigns, including Paul Ince and Sol Campbell.
Perhaps most fondly remembered, though, is Keith Alexander, who took charge of the club between 2008 and 2010 before he unfortunately passed away while occupying the role.
ADVERTISEMENT
Alexander saved the club from being relegated to the Conference in 2008, extending the club’s run in the football league.
He is also widely regarded as a pioneer for racial equality in the game, previously becoming the first professional black manager in the EFL and the first professionally qualified black referee in England.
In recent years, Macclesfield dropped out of the footballing league twice, although there have been a few bright spots since the team were initially relegated to the Conference in 2012.
These included the first appearance in the FA Cup fourth round and a promotion back into the Football League in 2019, but the financial issues have slowly mounted over the years.
Now, the future looks bleak.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fans and employees alike are devastated that a club with such close ties to the community and a long footballing history is on the brink of collapse.
The club is yet to be officially liquidated, giving fans some small hope that a solution can be found.
But it is clear that the financial problems brought on by the modern game have resulted in yet another casualty, continuing a process of erosion in the game which leaves no room for the ‘little’ guys.
Sport
2024 Manchester Marathon raises £29 million for local economy and over £3.7m for charity
Danny Jones
Just under a fortnight on from the 2024 Manchester Marathon and the numbers are finally, with the annual race generating nearly £30 million for the local economy and raising over £3.7m for charity.
This year’s Adidas Manchester Marathon saw record numbers of runners and spectators as over 30,000 took part in the popular race, up by roughly 6,000 from 2023, and more than 125k turned up to line the streets of Greater Manchester.
As a result, these huge crowds spent upwards of £29.2 million at business around the city centre and around the 10 boroughs last weekend, serving as one of the most significant contributions to the local economy on the annual calendar.
Not only was this an approximately £8m increase on last year’s tally but, most importantly, a sizeable chunk of that went straight into both regional and national charities.
Beyond the boost to local vendors, the hospitality sector and retail businesses, over £3.7 million were allocated to charities such as Alzheimer’s Charity, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and The Christie.
Over £32,000 was also raised for the Trafford Active Fund, with £1 from every paid entry to the Adidas Manchester Marathon and Manchester Half donated directly to the initiative that benefits local sports clubs and organisations through Trafford Council.
Better still, with City of Trees selected as the chosen ‘Green Runner’ charity, the eco-friendly drive saw roughly 7% of participants opt out of receiving either a finisher t-shirt, medal or both.
The money saved in production goes towards maintaining woodlands and wildlife across Greater Manchester.
This year’s Manchester Marathon also helped produce some of the highest number of passengers on public transport in the city’s history, with a over 175,000 journeys made on Metrolink alone – the highest number of journeys ever recorded on a single day.
This was a 20% increaseon 2023’s race day (145k), spotlighting how the event continues to be more environmentally conscious as years go by.
With the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon confirmed to be taking place on Sunday, 27 April next year – and over 12,000 places already sold – the city can already look forward to reaping the economic and social benefits of hosting one of Europe’s largest, flattest, friendliest and most-loved marathons.
Featured Images — Adidas Manchester Marathon/The Manc Group
Sport
‘Enough is enough’: Marcus Rashford calls out fans for ‘months’ of abuse
Danny Jones
Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has put his foot down in a social media post, calling for an end to ‘months of abuse’ from both his own supporters and beyond.
It’s fair to say that the 26-year-old hasn’t been enjoying his best season in a United shirt and while he has had his moments this year – his goal against Arsenal and stunning opener in the Manchester derby, just to name a couple – he’s come under a lot of pressure from supporters.
Rashford previously came out to address the situation in a Players Tribune interview back in February, stating, “I can’t have people questioning my commitment to Man United”, but now the England international has reiterated the point after someone came to his defence on X.
Quoting a fan who wrote that “the way Marcus Rashford is being treated is absolutely disgusting”, calling the behaviour online and on matchdays in some cases as “cruel” and downright abuse”, he responded by declaring: “Enough is enough”.
The Wythenshawe winger has already labelled doubts over his effort levels, love and loyalty to the club “ridiculous”, reiterating time and time again that he’s a boyhood Red, but that hasn’t stopped people continuing to criticise him online.
Sadly, while he’s also insisted that he “can take criticism” and headlines when his performances aren’t quite up to scratch, the negativity hasn’t just been limited to social media and has been spilling out into the matchday stands.
Reports of Rashford being booed off the pitch by his own supporters at Wembley during United’s admittedly chaotic performance against Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-final were confirmed by multiple sources at the time.
Although he didn’t comment on the response from the travelling Reds at the time, it’s now clear he was abundantly aware of the frosty reception as he was substituted, with many within the fan base and beyond calling the decision to boo your own players “classless” and “shameful”.
With seven goals and five assists to his name across all competitions this season, it’s fair to say Marcus Rashford has been a far cry away from the heights he has managed to hit in recent years.
It was only last season that he hit a career-high record of 40 goal contributions, sitting as one of the most prolific players in all of Europe during another difficult season for the club, even managing to surpass club legend Andy Cole’s record.
Just goes to show how short people’s memories can really be – especially when it comes to football – and Erik ten Hag has already urged patience from his fans when it comes to his players, and not just his number ten.
‘The Beautiful Game’ is and always will be a fickle sport but it’s worth reminding of just how much the academy product has already delivered during his time at Man United. Anyone can have a tough season.