# Macclesfield Town F.C.
**Macclesfield Town F.C.** was an English football club based in [Macclesfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/macclesfield), Cheshire, nicknamed the Silkmen, which played in the [English Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-football-league) for 15 years before being wound up by the High Court in September 2020 over debts exceeding £500,000.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54177582) The club was first founded as Macclesfield in 1874 and reformed in its better-known guise, Macclesfield Town FC, in 1946 after the end of World War Two.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54177582) Its home was Moss Rose, a compact stadium close to the town center.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/macclesfield-town-national-league-efl-moss-rose-b737964.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded / reformed | Founded as Macclesfield in 1874; reformed as Macclesfield Town FC in 1946 after World War Two[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54177582) |
| Home ground | Moss Rose, later the Leasing.com Stadium under the successor club[3](https://macclesfieldfc.com/club/history/) |
| Football League | Promoted for the first time in 1997; spent 15 years in the EFL, briefly in the third tier, until relegation in 2012[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57163012) |
| FA Trophy | First winners in 1970 (2-0 v Telford United, 28,000 at Wembley); second win in 1996 (3-1 v Northwich Victoria); runners-up in 1989 and 2017[5](https://www.thefa.com/competitions/fa-trophy/about) • [6](https://www.thefa.com/competitions/fa-trophy/winners) |
| Final season | Relegated from League Two in August 2020 after the EFL won an appeal against a points deduction; 17 points docked in total over the season[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/macclesfield-town-national-league-efl-moss-rose-b737964.html) |
| Winding up | High Court winding-up order on 16 September 2020; debts over £500,000, including £190,000 in tax[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54177582) |
| Expulsion | Expelled from the National League on 29 September 2020, 13 days after the winding-up order[7](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54341314) |
| Successor | Assets bought by Robert Smethurst in October 2020; phoenix club Macclesfield FC formed[3](https://macclesfieldfc.com/club/history/) |
## Early history and non-league era
The club traces its origin to 1874, when a Macclesfield side adopted association rules; the club's own archive notes that the evidence for a team formally named Macclesfield at that exact date is thin, with early sides also using names such as Macclesfield Football and Athletic Club, Hallifield FC, and Macclesfield FC.[8](https://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/articles/articles/Time%20Line.pdf) • [9](https://www.thefootballnetwork.net/main/s261/st131078.htm) The modern Macclesfield Town FC was formed in 1946 after World War Two.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54177582)
**FA Trophy pioneer.** When the Football Association created the FA Challenge Trophy in 1969 for non-League clubs, Macclesfield Town, then [Northern Premier League](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-premier-league) champions, became the first winners, beating Telford United 2-0 at Wembley before 28,000 spectators.[5](https://www.thefa.com/competitions/fa-trophy/about) A second Trophy followed in 1996, a 3-1 win over Northwich Victoria, and the club also finished runner-up in 1989, losing 1-0 after extra time to Telford United, and in 2017, beaten 3-2 by York City.[6](https://www.thefa.com/competitions/fa-trophy/winners)
## Football League years
Macclesfield won promotion to the Football League for the first time in 1997 and spent 15 years in the EFL, including a brief spell in the third tier, before dropping back into the Conference (non-league's top division) in 2012.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54177582) The club returned to League Two in 2018 as [National League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-league) champions, but the promotion season began a period of financial difficulty that ultimately ended its existence.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57163012)
## Collapse, 2019 to 2020
**Unpaid wages and sanctions.** In November 2019 the players went on strike over unpaid wages, and the club was forced to field a youth team in an [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) tie against seventh-tier Kingstonian, losing 4-0.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/macclesfield-town-national-league-efl-moss-rose-b737964.html) The EFL issued three points deductions between December 2019 and June 2020, for non-payment of wages or failure to fulfill fixtures against Plymouth Argyle and Crewe Alexandra.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/macclesfield-town-national-league-efl-moss-rose-b737964.html) • [7](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54341314)
**Relegation by appeal.** In August 2020 the EFL won an appeal against a suspended four-point sanction it argued was too lenient, bringing the deduction forward and relegating Macclesfield from League Two, with rock-bottom [Stevenage](https://www.edgepedia.org/stevenage) reprieved. The club had been docked 17 points in total over the season.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/macclesfield-town-national-league-efl-moss-rose-b737964.html)
**Winding-up order.** HM Revenue & Customs had first filed a winding-up petition in January 2019, and it was adjourned 12 times.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/macclesfield-town-national-league-efl-moss-rose-b737964.html) At a hearing on 9 September 2020 the court was told HMRC was owed £188,721.09 and eight creditors were owed £592,000, with a takeover by prospective buyer Robert Benwell said to be at an advanced stage.[10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54088646) On 16 September 2020 Judge Sebastian Prentis made a winding-up order in the [Insolvency](https://www.edgepedia.org/insolvency) and Companies Court, hearing that £190,000 was owed in tax, former manager John Askey was owed £173,000, and a financial lender was owed the same sum. Owner Amar Alkadhi had sought a further eight-week adjournment, claiming only £4,000 was due and producing a bank statement showing £1.1m of funds, but the judge said "nothing gives me comfort that the club can pay its debts in a reasonable period" and granted the compulsory order.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54177582) The National League expelled the club on 29 September 2020, four days before its season was due to start against Bromley.[7](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54341314)
## Successor club
In October 2020 the Moss Rose stadium and all remaining assets, which had been listed for sale on the [Rightmove](https://www.edgepedia.org/rightmove) property website, were purchased by the local businessman Robert Smethurst, who rebranded the club as Macclesfield FC with former Wales international [Robbie Savage](https://www.edgepedia.org/robbie-savage) as Director of Football and Silkmen legend Danny Whitaker as first-team manager.[3](https://macclesfieldfc.com/club/history/) • [11](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54526501) The new club entered the North West Counties Premier Division, the fifth step of non-league football, for the 2021-22 season, and won promotion in its debut season, clinching the title with a 4-0 win over Ashton Athletic in March 2022.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57163012) • [3](https://macclesfieldfc.com/club/history/) It has since won three promotions to reach the National League North, the sixth tier.[12](https://bbc.com.im/sport/football/articles/cx2n3x08dk1o)
## Honours
- [FA Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-trophy) winners: 1970, 1996; runners-up: 1989, 2017[5](https://www.thefa.com/competitions/fa-trophy/about) • [6](https://www.thefa.com/competitions/fa-trophy/winners)
- National League champions: 2018[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57163012)
## References
1. [Macclesfield Town FC wound up in High Court over debts exceeding £500,000, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54177582)
2. [Macclesfield Town: What next for fans of The Silkmen after losing the club they love?, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/macclesfield-town-national-league-efl-moss-rose-b737964.html)
3. [History, Macclesfield FC Official Website](https://macclesfieldfc.com/club/history/)
4. [Macclesfield FC: Reformed club to join North West Counties Premier Division next season, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57163012)
5. [A brief history of the FA Trophy, The FA](https://www.thefa.com/competitions/fa-trophy/about)
6. [FA Trophy Finals and previous winners, The FA](https://www.thefa.com/competitions/fa-trophy/winners)
7. [Macclesfield Town expelled from National League four days before start of season, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54341314)
8. [Macclesfield Town Football Club timeline, Silkmen Archives](https://www.silkmenarchives.org.uk/articles/articles/Time%20Line.pdf)
9. [A brief history of Macclesfield Town FC, theimps.ka](https://www.thefootballnetwork.net/main/s261/st131078.htm)
10. [Macclesfield Town: Silkmen given seven-day winding-up petition extension, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54088646)
11. [Macclesfield FC: Robert Smethurst takes over club as Robbie Savage joins board, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54526501)
12. [Robert Smethurst: Macclesfield owner steps down from National League North club, BBC Sport](https://bbc.com.im/sport/football/articles/cx2n3x08dk1o)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › Teams and sporting organizations › Football clubs of England and Wales › Football clubs of Northern England*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license