A Brief History of the Silkmen

Macclesfield FC has just been crowned champions of the North West Counties Premier Division for the 2021/22 season. But what exactly is the history of the team that the locals call "The Silkmen"?

The nickname "The Silkmen" derives from Macclesfield's rich history in the production of silk. The silk that the town manufactured during the 1700s and 1800s was world-renowned for being of the finest quality. During the early times of the club, a local benefactor would supply the club with football shirts made of silk from the leftover material that the mills would accumulate.

Based in the small market town of Macclesfield, just 16 miles south of Manchester, Macclesfield FC was formed in 1874. Although it is now officially known as The Leasing.com Stadium (find out why here), Moss Rose has been the home of the town's football club since 1891. 55 years later, the club was renamed Macclesfield Town FC and was part of the founding members of the Northern Premier League, the division below the National League. The Silkmen went on to win this league in its first two years. From the Northern Premier League, Macc Town managed to climb their way up the English football pyramid over a 29 year period, gaining promotion to the English Second Division in 1997.

Former Manchester United midfielder, Sammy McIlroy took charge of the Silkmen in 1993 in which he managed to turn the club around and guide them to the Conference League by his second season. Yet, the club was denied promotion to the Football League due to Moss Rose not meeting league requirements in terms of capacity. An upgrade to the stadium meant that by 1997 after winning the Conference title, Macclesfield Town FC was promoted to the Football League for the first time in its history. The promotion also meant that Macclesfield Town FC became a fully professional club. A second consecutive promotion the following year put Macclesfield into the second division of English football. This did prove to be too much of a challenge, however, and they finished bottom of the league in the following season. This would see the end of Mcllroy's reign as manager.

The club began the 2000s in League 2, where they would remain for just over a decade. During this period, 10 different managers took charge of the Silkmen where they had an average league position finish of 17th. Whilst managing to stay afloat for this long, the club eventually found itself relegated back to the National League in 2012. It would be six years of playing non-league football, amidst financial difficulties, before the club managed to return to the Football League.

Those faithful to the Silkmen were treated with a trip to Wembley in 2017 when the club managed to reach the final of the FA Trophy against York City. This would be the club's fourth trip to Wembley and their first time visiting the national stadium since its rebuild. It wasn't meant to be however for Macclesfield that day, as John Askey's side saw his team fall short in a 3-2 defeat, handing York City the FA Trophy.

The 2017/18 season saw them become champions of the National League and be promoted to League 2. Yet whilst things seemed to be improving on the pitch, the same could not be said for what was going on behind the scenes at the club as financial affairs continued to prove to be an issue for the Silkmen.

The club would play another two years of the Football League before being sent back down to the National League, after finishing bottom of the 2019-20 season. The club would soon then be expelled from the National League at the beginning of the 2020-21 season, as continued financial issues drove the club into liquidation.

Learn and read more about the end of Macclesfield Town FC and the rebuilding of the club here.

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