Full name | Macclesfield Town Football Club |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Silkmen |
Founded | 1874 | (as Macclesfield)
Ground | Moss Rose |
Capacity | 6,355 (2,599 seated) |
Chairman | Mark Blower |
Manager | John Askey |
League | National League |
2016–17 | National League, 9th of 24 |
Website | Club home page |
Macclesfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. The club currently plays in the National League, the fifth tier of English football.
The club was formed in 1874 and play home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium. They were members of the Football League from 1997 until 2012, playing in the Second Division (now League One) in the 1998–99 season.
A football club was first formed in Macclesfield in the mid-19th century, but played rugby union rules. In 1874, the club adopted the rules of the Football Association. Between 1874 and 1940 the club was known by a succession of names, including Macclesfield Football and Athletic Club, Hallifield F.C. and Macclesfield F.C. When competitive football resumed after World War II, Macclesfield Town Football Club Ltd. was formed and the club gained their current name. The club joined the Cheshire County League in 1946–47, playing their first game after reformation on 31 August, 1946, a 2–0 defeat to Buxton. The club's form in the remainder of the 1940s was largely indifferent, with the exception of a Cheshire League Challenge Cup win in 1948. The 1950s proved more successful, with four trophies in as many years from 1951–1954, including the club's first Cheshire League title in 20 years in 1953, though the team's fortunes faded in the latter half of the decade.