Welcome to the Silkmen Supporters' Trust.

15th January 2020

This morning the SST had an observer in court 1, Rolls Building London. The Judge was ICC Judge Mullen.

The case was adjourned for 10 weeks as it was uncontested by HMRC. The reason given was that there had been several offers for the club. One has been accepted and there is proof of funds. The sale of the shares has still to be finalised.

We are looking forward to hearing from Mr Alkhadi very quickly on the prospective completion date of the sale.

9th January 2020

Silkmen Supporters Trust Crowdfunder Update

‘An additional route has now been set up for donations – Crowdfunder. It is still more cost effective ( no charges) and easier to access funds quickly by using the bank transfer details ( as per below). 

• Reference - Silkmen Hardship Fund
• Bank Account Transfer
• Coop Bank
• Sort Code 08-92-99
• Account number 65202513

However, for those who would prefer to use Crowdfunder please do so using the following the link below.

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/silkmen-hardship-fund

At Present the fund stands at :-

          Current donations to the SST Hardship fund           £13,011.00

          New Crowdfunder Page donations                            £     556.00

          Total Fund                                                                      £13,567.00

4th January 2020

Dear all

The Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) board were deeply saddened by the recent news of the resignations of Daryl McMahon and Steve Gritt, and I am sure that I speak for the overwhelming majority of Silkmen fans in wishing both Daryl and Steve all the very best for the future wherever this may take them, and with an assurance that they will always a very warm welcome should they ever return to the Moss Rose.  

Both Daryl and Steve (alongside Silkmen legend Danny Whitaker) have consistently demonstrated incredible professionalism and integrity throughout their time at the helm of our beloved club despite a wholly preventable yet appalling plethora of off the field circumstances, the most recent of which was the last minute cancellations by Mr. AlKadhi of travel and match preparations for the recent away fixtures against Forest Green Rovers and Port Vale.

It is also our understanding that despite recent media comments that all playing staff, player management and non-playing staff of Macclesfield Town Football Club had been paid in full and on time, that this was not the case. As a consequence, it appears apparent to we; the SST board, that Mr. AlKadhi no longer possesses the resources, financial acumen or integrity to support the club in the long term. We are of the belief that Mr. AlKadhi’s tenure at Macclesfield Town is now at an end, and selling the club as soon as practicable is the only viable option.

The SST board have been in regular contact with two very interested parties in recent weeks in fervent attempts to help broker a deal that will safeguard the future of our club. I am sure you can appreciate, they have not found Mr. AlKadhi particularly helpful, and concerns have been expressed that during January 2020, that Mr. AlKadhi will sell our most saleable assets in terms of players; keep for himself the solidarity payment from the English Premier League of around £225,000,and leave our beloved club high and dry and with little chance of any long term future. 

The SST board have made contact with the English Premier League, English Football League (EFL) and the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) in an attempt to ensure that any incoming monies are available only for the benefit of Macclesfield Town Football Club, and are not channelled elsewhere. A copy of the email sent to Richard Masters; Chief Executive of the English Premier League is highlighted below:

From: Andy Worth
Sent: Tuesday, December 24, 2019 12:07 PM
To: rmasters@premierleague.com; chiefexec@premierleague.com
Subject: Macclesfield Town Football Club

Dear Mr. Masters

I am the current Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) and write to you in my capacity in this role.

You may have seen some of the adverse publicity surrounding our much loved club. This relates to such issues as regular non-payment / late payment of wages to players and staff which has led to strike action on several occasions that led to the heartbreak of being knocked out of the FA Cup first round after fielding a mixture of youth team and loan players, and non-fulfilment of a fixture against Crewe Alexandra. As a consequence the club was deducted 6 points with a further 4 points suspended due to non fulfillment of fixtures, financial irregularities including late / non payment of wages to players and staff as well as late / non payment to other creditors which also includes football creditors. This has been compounded only last weekend, by the postponement of our match against Plymouth Argyle due to a zero capacity notice issued against our Moss Rose ground by the Safety Advisory Group. It is also of use to note the club have been in the High Court on a number of occasions recently with HMRC issuing winding up orders for non payment of PAYE. The latest matter has been deferred to the middle of January 2020.

It is our understanding that the English Football League (EFL) have been working with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and redirecting "central funds" to ensure players and staff are receiving some monies but with another pay day due before the end of December the players and staff are again wondering if they will be getting paid. As I am sure you can imagine this is of great concern to the players; particularly at this time of year. It is our view that the issues above are as a direct result of the majority shareholder Amar AlKadhi, who is in our opinion overseeing the demise and destruction of our club. Several Trust Board members and I met with Mark Rowan and John Nagle of the EFL several weeks ago  where we shared our concerns, and a conference call was held with them only yesterday.

We are aware that the Premier League make Solidarity Payments to EFL Clubs twice a year and in normal circumstances we believe that Maccclesfield Town would receive £225,000 early in the new year. The purpose of me writing to you is to provide an earnest plea to you to withhold this payment as we fear that if it is made it will just be taken out of the club by Mr. AlKadhi for his own purposes and it will not be used to support the business that is Macclesfield Town Football Club. We also wonder if these funds could possibly be redirected to an appropriate source in order to ensure that the monies can be used directly for the benefit of Macclesfield Town Football Club. We therefore respectfully request your careful consideration of our plea to withhold the Solidarity payment.

May I take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas and New Year, and thank you for taking the time to read my email.

Should you wish to contact me, my mobile number is: **********

Yours faithfully

Andy Worth

Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust   

We will of course provide any pertinent updates, and please be assured that we will continue to lobby all relevant individuals in pursuit of the objective of ensuring the long term future of Macclesfield Town Football Club that is under the custodianship of an individual/s who care about it’s importance not for financial gain, but with regards to its importance as an integral aspect of the cultural heritage of the town of Macclesfield.

We will also work relentlessly to ensure that local and national media coverage is given to ensure that the issues surrounding our club remains firmly in the public eye.

We believe that it is totally unacceptable that Mr. AlKadhi continues to remain virtually silent on the highlighted issues, and are of the view that as a sole director (in law) that Mr. AlKadhi has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the company. The SST board have subsequently taken the opportunity to  approach a number of shareholders with a shareholding in excess of 5% to encourage them to request an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) which would effectively ensure the presence of Mr. AlKadhi to answer appropriately probing questions from other shareholders about how well (or not) the club is being managed.

What we cannot understand is how a club with one of the smallest budgets in the EFL can perform so woefully as a business when it effectively receives over a million pounds a year from the EFL and English Premier League before even taking into account of revenue from gate receipts, sponsorship etc. It is of use to note that the SST are also seeking legal advice from someone who has experience in legislative issues within the world of football and have regularly liaised (and will continue to do so) with Cheshire East Councillors and Member of Parliament for Macclesfield (David Rutley) in our quest for a successful and viable future for Macclesfield Town Football Club.

There really does appear to be no right and wrong answer as to whether people attend or boycott football matches at the Moss Rose at this present time. It really is a matter of personal choice, although it is of use to note that both of the interested parties that the SST board have spoken with, have urged supporters to attend games in support of the players, management and non-playing staff who have been so magnificent in such adverse circumstances during this very difficult period. 

What is much more important is that there is no in-fighting between our loyal fan base as this only plays into the hands of Mr. AlKadhi. We must stand as one in our fight for OUR football club that would ultimately be in the hands of a custodian that recognises how precious OUR football club is to so many people.

With this in mind, I urge you to lobby your local councillors / Member of Parliament, and never lose sight of the fact that we may lose some battles along the way, but if we work together we WILL win the war!       

#OURTOWNOURCLUB

Silkmen Supporters Trust Board Members

25th December 2019

Dear all

I write to you as chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) to provide you with an update as to what we; the SST board have been doing as a means of trying to make sense of and trying to facilitate the most positive outcome possible for our beloved club at what is one of the darkest times in it’s illustrious history.

• On Thursday evening, the SST were approached by the football club to see if we could provide any financial support towards safety testing that would ultimately lead to a safety certificate which would ensure that the crucial home games against Plymouth Argyle and Grimsby Town could go ahead, and prevent any further sanctions from the English Football League (EFL) that could potentially seriously jeopardise our future within the elite 92 clubs of the Football League. There was unanimous support for us supporting this initiative and as a consequence the SST provided £2000 towards the tests with immediate effect. Sadly, the game against Plymouth was postponed but we were delighted to note that it has been helpful in ensuring that we have received a safety certificate for the forthcoming home fixtures against Grimsby and Cambridge United to go ahead.

• There have been discussions held with the Member of Parliament (MP) for Macclesfield David Rutley who is a regular attendee at the Moss Rose. David has been working hard behind the scenes, and has held regular dialogue with majority shareholder Amar AlKadhi, Cheshire East Council and the EFL to see if he can provide some positive support / influence on helping the Silkmen through these turbulent times. David and I have agreed to maintain regular contact over the next few difficult weeks as we search for a more brighter future for our football club. It is of further use to note that David advised me that staff from Cheshire East had even come in from their Christmas holidays on Monday to resolve all the issues surrounding the safety certificate and on behalf of Silkmen supporters everywhere, I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to them for their willingness to go the extra mile on behalf of our football club.

• My colleagues from the SST board, John Abbott, Robert Wilson and I met with senior EFL representatives Mark Rowan and John Nagle at EFL headquarters in Preston several weeks ago where we raised a number of issues / concerns and John (Abbott) undertook a conference call on Monday 23^rd December 2019 with Mark (Rowan) and John (Nagle) to provide them with a comprehensive update on the latest issues surrounding the football club. Jon Smart, who has proved to be an excellent spokesperson for the SST and Silkmen supporters in local and national media in recent weeks; is engaged in regular dialogue with Joe and Nicole Sealey who remain passionate about having the opportunity to play a part in a successful future for our club. I spoke at length to majority shareholder Amar AlKadhi on the afternoon of Friday 20^th December 2019, with regards to issues relating to such matters as update on potential buyers of the club, the HMRC bill, ensuring prompt payment of players, points deduction and the recent safety certificate issue. Amar was coy with what he said, but I understand from the context of what he said that he is clearly ready to sell in the near future and move on as soon as practicable. Amar spoke of three interested parties (we all know one of them) and that he was very hopeful of paying staff on time (which would be aided by getting the games against Plymouth and Grimsby on) and that he was disappointed by the points deduction which he felt was harsh and was in the process of looking at appealing the decision. The HMRC tax issues remain an ongoing issue which Amar is committed to resolving.

• The Hardship fund currently stands at £12,991 which is an incredible effort and those who have benefited from the fund are immensely grateful for the support given. We completely understand that the expensive Christmas period is upon us, but every penny matters and you can make a difference by accessing the hardship fund in the following ways:
•  
• Reference - Silkmen Hardship Fund
• Bank Account Transfer
• Coop Bank
• Sort Code: 08-92-99
• Account number: 65202513

However, for those who would prefer to use Crowdfunder please do so using the following the link below:

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/silkmen-hardship-fund

At the forthcoming Boxing Day encounter with Grimsby Town, we are hopeful of helping to raise money for the Hardship Fund by having buckets around the ground where people can donate. Every single penny we raise would be meticulously accounted for and added to the fund, which we are so grateful for and I offer my sincere thanks in advance of this.

• The SST board have been delighted to support the team in a number of ways including providing short term high quality training facilities and post -training food. We have also contributed towards a recovery session following the Bradford City game which proved hugely beneficial, and have committed to two more of these over the course of the busy Christmas and New Year period. The SST does not have a bottomless pit of money, and as I am sure you can appreciate we have spent a not inconsiderable sum of money in recent weeks and months. You really can make a difference in a number of ways, whether this is by joining the SST itself, joining the Super Silk Lotto, the Silk Pledge or signing up to Easy Fundraising which costs nothing but actually helps to make money for the SST.

I will finish by taking this opportunity to wish each and everyone of you a very happy Christmas and a wonderful new year ?.

THIS IS OUR TOWN OUR CLUB

Yours Sincerely

Andy Worth

Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust

20th December 2019

2019 SST Minutes of the AGM

2019 SST AGM Minutes of the Open Meeting

Winners of the SST Christmas Raffle:

Steve Littler

Alan Boothby and Sheila Grant

Gail Faye

Terry Hunter

Veronica Gough

Neil Jackson

Sean Crowe

Bowlings Butchers

13th December 2019

Silkmen Supporters Trust Latest Update

Dear all.

Please forgive the delay in providing a contemporary Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) update but as I am sure you can appreciate we are involved in many things at the moment.

1) The current donations to the Hardship Fund as of today stands at £12,411 and we have had £1,364 this week including nearly £300 in cash that was provided by very generous donors at the SST AGM on Monday. The benefit of receiving money in the form of bank transfer, paypal, cheque and cash means that money is instantly available as and when needed.

2) There is obviously monies that have been transferred into accounts of playing and non-playing staff in the form of a flexible no interest pay-day loan, and the heartfelt gratitude we have had from those who have benefited has been both touching and heartwarming. We WILL NOT be publicising the names of those who have benefited or the amounts loaned to respective individuals as we believe these issues should remain confidential.

3) John Abbott, whose professional integrity is without question, is managing the account, and his accounts are so meticulous that anyone could view them anytime and would see that they are accounted for to the last penny.

4) A crowd funder is set up and ready to go although John and I have very limited experience / knowledge of. The downside of such an approach is the interest charges and that the money is not instantly available. However, we acknowledge that people would like to contribute in such a way, and as soon as it goes ‘live’ we will update everyone on the website.

5) We will look to provide a regular update (probably weekly) of the combined amounts in the respective parts of the hardship fund.

6) Thanks so much for all those who have contributed or intend to contribute as it really is making a massive difference to the lives of those who have and will make use of the hardship.

7) The minutes of the SST Annual General Meeting will be made available on the SST website, Star Lane End Facebook page and Wraggs to Riches as soon as they have been approved.

8) John Abbott, Robert Wilson & I met with senior officials from the English Football League (EFL) on Thursday with the support of Deborah Dilworth from Supporters Direct. The meeting proved useful in clarifying a number of issues and we will provide you with an update from that meeting as soon as possible.

Yours Sincerely

Andy Worth

Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust

26th November 2019

Registered Office:             

Macclesfield Town FC

125 London Rd

Macclesfield

SK11 7SW

26th November 2019

The Silkmen Supporters Society Ltd

Annual General Meeting

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Silkmen Supporters Society Ltd will be held at 19:45 on Monday 9^th December 2019 at  

McIlroy Suite, MTFC, Moss Lane, Macclesfield.

The agenda for the meeting is given below.

All Members and supporters are invited to attend but only Society Members are entitled to vote. The Annual Report and Associated Financial Statements (item 2) are available through the Society website (www.sstrust.uk ).

Agenda

1. To hear the notice convening the meeting.
2. To receive and adopt the Financial Statements (including Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet and related Report) (Resolution 1) for the 12 month period ending 30^th June 2019.
3. To note the outcome of the invitation to Members to consider nomination to the Board of the Society and to introduce the new Board.

Resolutions

In order to progress the business of the meeting, the following resolution will be proposed for adoption:

RESOLUTION 1

The Members of the Silkmen Supporters Society Ltd present at the General Meeting held on 9^th December 2019 receive and adopt the financial statements prepared by the Society’s Independent Examiner and the Report of the Board for the year ended 30 June 2019.

Click here for the SST Annual Report for 2019

23rd November 2019

As many of you know, the SST set up a ‘hardship fund’ last week for MTFC players and non-playing staff  struggling financially, as a result of continued late payment of wages. We wanted to provide some temporary support, if required,  to help in whatever way we can until the contracted amounts are fully paid. This is an intolerable situation which has gone on for far too many months at our club  and it’s not fair.

We initially set aside £3000 of our own funds for this purpose and left it open for others who might also want to contribute.  We have been overwhelmed by generosity of supporters who want to help . The fund now stands at a tremendous £10,650.

We have already been approached to help by certain staff and this has been done. On final receipt of October wages from the club in the last few days, some money lent has either been repaid or in the process of being so.

Others may still be struggling now or sadly may do so in the coming days and weeks and we would ask that they contact

Andy Worth (gmacworth@aol.com)  or

John Abbott (jamsol@btinternet.com )

or any other SST Board member , if they need any help at all. All requests will be dealt with in confidence,  properly , and sensitively.

We will keep the Fund open for long as necessary or until we, thankfully, have a satisfactory end to this financial and ownership turmoil at our beloved club. We will then either repay the donations, as much as we can, or if individuals donating prefer , retain the money in the SST for future appropriate projects.

If anyone still wants to contribute you can do so by -

Bank Transfer -  Co-operative Bank – Silkmen Supporters Trust – Sort Code 089299 Account Number 65202513 – Reference ‘Hardship Fund’

Paypal – Finance@sstrust.uk  – ‘Hardship Fund’

By cheque – post to John Abbott , SST, 6 Park Avenue, Poynton, SK12 1QY. Cheques payable to Silkmen Supporters Trust ( please write ‘Hardship’ on the back of the cheque)

By cash to any SST Board Member.

It would be helpful if you could please provide contact details for our records.

12th November 2019

Dear all.

I write to you in my role as Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters trust (SST) to provide you with an update that I sincerely hope that you will all find is of benefit to you. Over the course of the last several days, I have noted a number of posts on social media that I feel it is important to respond to and so here goes:

1. The SST are setting up a hardship fund on behalf of our fabulous playing and non-playing staff, and this will be will be managed via their account. The rationale for such an approach is that it will negate any percentage loss that an approach such as a crowd funder utilises, and will ensure that EVERY PENNY goes to where it should go to. The SST will be providing £3000 towards this fund (which we have referenced as the Silkmen Hardship Fund) and I sincerely hope that Silkmen fans everywhere will support this initiative. I can assure you that they will be meticulously managed by SST board member John Abbott. The account details are as follows:

• Reference - Silkmen Hardship Fund
• Bank Account Transfer
• Coop Bank
• Sort Code 08-92-99
• Account number 65202513

You could also send donations by post to:

       John Abbott

       Silkmen Supporters Trust

       6 Park Avenue

       Poynton

       SK12 1QY

2. The SST board have been in regular contact with Supporters Direct, and in our last email from them, we were advised that they would be looking to facilitate a meeting between the English Football League (EFL) and several SST board representatives to discuss our concerns regarding the current issues surrounding our club. I will of course keep everyone fully updated.

3. I spoke with our former MP (and current Parliamentary Candidate for the Conservative Party) David Rutley on Friday 8th November 2019 where I provided him with a detailed overview of the latest issues. David is a keen supporter of the Silkmen and regularly attends games at the Moss Rose, and he advised me that he had already written to the EFL regarding the recent matters surrounding the club and has requested that I provide him with regular updates which I have agreed to do. David made it clear that he would do all in his power to help, and clearly recognised the importance of a vibrant football club to the local community.

4. Discussions have been held with individuals with a significant shareholding in the club to see if they can help to facilitate an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of shareholders, and the outcome of the discussions have been promising.

5. Several SST board members have been in discussion with Joe Sealey, and were very impressed with his desire to buy the club, and his vision for the future of our beloved Silkmen.

6. The more members that we have the more powerful that we can be, and I echo the comments of Black_Knight on Wragg’s to Riches earlier today at 15:54 to join the SST and make us stronger and more powerful as we try to navigate the difficult few weeks that lie ahead.

Yours Sincerely

Andy Worth

Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust

5th November 2019

I would like to take this opportunity to update you all that Amar and I spoke over the weekend where we discussed issues around the continued late payment of our brilliant playing and non playing staff and any update regarding any potential investment / takeovers. The line was not great; Amar’s voice was often muffled, and I continually had to clarify what he was saying, but here is the context of what he said as I understood it:

• Amar spoke of how he had sent money into accounts to be able to pay the staff but that there are issues with the banks which have led to money not being successfully transferred into the account from which players are paid. Amar also spoke of how he is working hard to resolve this matter this week, and that he fully recognised and empathised with the negative impact that these issues were having upon playing and non playing staff. Amar also spoke of ‘ongoing legal matters’ that precluded him from giving much more detailed information and that the English Football League (EFL) had assisted in the provision of a solicitor to help to move things forward as quickly and amicably as possible.

• Amar acknowledged that there had been an expression of interest in buying the football club but that he was not interested in what he described as ‘window shoppers’. When I enquired as to what he meant by this term, Amar indicated that he had requested the interested party to demonstrate proof of funds, and that this had not yet been forthcoming. I asked if Amar had named his price to the interested party, and was informed that the discussions had not yet reached the stage where such matters could be highlighted!

As I ended the discussion, I felt that the responses from Amar contained so many vagaries (particularly in relation to the bank problems / legal issues) that it left so many questions unanswered, and I feel sure many of my peers will feel the same. I also urge the interested party to make themselves more visible in terms of who they are, and of the credibility /  genuineness of interest in our beloved football club. In the right hands, this wonderful little football club has so much potential to become a fantastic community football club which is integral to the fabric and future of our town.

Andy Worth

Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST)

Saturday 2nd November 2019

Dear Amar

As I am sure you are aware, Macclesfield is a small market town in the East of Cheshire with a wonderful football club that bears its name and boasts a proud and illustrious history. This fantastic football club of ours has so often achieved way beyond what could be expected of it with it’s ‘against all odds’ mantra; aided and abetted by a small but intensely passionate and loyal fan-base who follow their club through thick and thin when so many more glamourous teams such as Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool are literally only a short distance away. With this in mind I ask that you read what is written below carefully, and provide me with a detailed and timely response. 

Within the body of the email below, you responded to me three weeks ago with the assurance that a ‘comprehensive update’ would be received within the next few days. Over three weeks have now passed and I am very disappointed to note that no such update has been provided. Instead all we as Silkmen supporters see, is more distressing news about players taking legal advice / looking to cancel playing contracts with us in respect of the continued late payment of wages, and the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) requesting that the English Football League (EFL) implement sanctions against our beloved club!!

In view of the information above, I write to you request that you provide an immediate and comprehensive update as to what your plans are going forward  with regards to Macclesfield Town Football Club because in the eyes of the huge majority of Silkmen faithful we are hurtling towards the same fate that befell our friends and neighbours Bury F.C.

I therefore implore you to provide pertinent information about any imminent additional investment  / takeover that could help to provide some crumbs of comfort to Silkmen players, non playing staff and of course the Silkmen fans, as to how this recent dreadful cycle of events can be reversed.

I would be more than happy to speak with you about this matter over the telephone and am available from 2.30 p.m. tomorrow should you wish to speak with me in this manner. I look forward to a prompt and detailed response.

Yours Sincerely

Andy Worth

Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST)

In the early hours of Friday morning (1st November 2019), the above email was sent to Macclesfield Town Football Club’s majority shareholder Amar AlKadhi, where in my role as Chairman of the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST), I requested a contemporary update as to strategies that our majority shareholder Amar AlKadhi was looking to implement as a means of reversing this distressing pattern of late payment of our fabulous playing and non-playing staff at Macclesfield Town Football Club. This email has also been forwarded to Supporters Direct. It does not take a genius to work out that consistent late payments to employees of any business is likely to have a detrimental impact upon them. Just like you and me, the playing and non-playing staff will have mortgages, rents and childcare payments to make. They will need to put food and drink on the table for their utility bills and petrol in their car to get to and from work. These consistently late payments will undoubtedly affect credit rating and would most certainly negatively affect their health and wellbeing.

This is JUST NOT RIGHT!! The current management team and players (ably assisted by the brilliant non-playing staff) are doing an amazing job in emulating the ‘against all odds’ mantra that is so synonymous with our beloved club, and it appears to be the case that they are metaphorically slapped in the face for doing so. Sadly, I have received no response either verbally or via email from Amar and all I can currently visualise in my mind are that of Nero ‘fiddling while Rome burns.’ Putting aside the likely historical inaccuracies of such a statement, the context of occupying oneself with unimportant matters and neglecting priorities holds much kudos when considering the current climate surrounding our beloved club. 

The SST have received information from a very reliable source that there is bone fide interest in buying the football club, and all indications are that this interested party would be able to provide evidence that they have funds in place to meet any due diligence requirements of the English Football League (EFL). It is heart-breaking to see our wonderful little club consistently having it’s name dragged through the mud, and IT NEEDS TO STOP!! I therefore urge you Amar to tell us your plans to rectify the disgraceful treatment of playing and non-playing staff; ‘come clean’ about any potential takeovers, and help to prevent another Bury Football Club. We as fans must also do our part in protecting our club from becoming another Bury. With this in mind, I implore that you contact the EFL and make your concerns known to your Member of Parliament (MP) David Rutley; write to the Macclesfield Express and liaise with Silk FM and Canalside Radio. Let the wider community know that we care about our wonderful football club that is an integral part of our community. If we don’t, then we are just as culpable in not safeguarding our club from ignominy. On Saturday afternoon of 2nd November 2019, I will be at Brunton Park, the home of Carlisle United Football Club, roaring on those fantastic lads playing for my beloved blues (NOT AMAR ALKADHI) and with this in mind, I say #THISISOURTOWNOURCLUB!

10th October 2019

Andy Worth as Chairperson of the Danny Whitaker Testimonial Committee would like to  advise you that he is absolutely delighted to be able to tell all supporters that a limited edition testimonial programme will be on sale as from Saturday 14th October 2019 at the Port Vale home game.

This is a 56 page programme that charts Danny’s career and has lots of great articles from family, peers, supporters and of course the great man himself, and also lots of fantastic images from his playing career and from events during Danny’s testimonial year.

The programme is priced at £5, and can be purchased in the McIlroy Suite after the game where Danny will be available to personally sign the programmes. You can also obtain the programme from sellers around the ground during the half time interval. All the proceeds from the programme will go to Danny, and we will shortly be providing details of how the programmes can be purchased online. and particularly on the SST website.

24th September 2019

It has been a while since I last provided an update with regards to the work of the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) so here is some information which I hope that you find helpful:

1. Please see the below regarding the email sent to majority shareholder Amar AlKadhi on 11th September 2019 at 11.16p.m. in light of the concerns of many Silkmen fans regarding the latest saga relating to winding up orders issued by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC)

Dear Amar.

I hope that you are well, and sincerely hope that you can recall that you have said to me on a number of occasions that if I had any questions that I could contact you, and you would be happy to provide me with an appropriate response. As a consequence, I am writing to you to in my capacity as Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) to politely request that you provide me with a response to this email which has two elements.

·         In an email conversation dated 23rd July 2019 you indicated that you would be in touch within a few days about your availability to attend an SST open meeting where the new management structure would be discussed. I fully appreciate how busy you are, but would be grateful if you could advise me of dates of availability of yourself to attend an SST open meeting in the near future in your role as acting chairman / CEO. 

·         I am sure you can understand the angst of a number of our supporters around the news that the club have once again to appear in the High Court on the 23rd October 2019 regarding the proposed winding up petition by HMRC. In an article entitled ‘CLUB STATEMENT: TODAY’S HIGH COURT HEARING’ dated 14th August 2019 on the Macclesfield Town FC official website relating to the court hearing next planned for 11th September 2019, it was stated that ‘we would like to reassure fans that sufficient funds to clear this in full are available and the matter will be resolved before the hearing.’ 

Based upon today’s news this does not appear to be the case and I would be most grateful for your comments on this matter as soon as possible.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours Sincerely

Andy Worth

Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust

The initial response from Amar (received later that day) advised me to ‘enjoy the lovely football team we have this year’ after which I emailed Amar again to request further detail regarding the context of the original question, and Amar responded on the 12th September 2019 to inform me that he would look to facilitate a meeting the next time he is up in Macclesfield for a game, and would provide 48 hours notice. I leave you to make your own judgments on the responses received!

2. One of the fundamental objectives of the SST is improving the matchday experience of supporters, and nowhere is this issue more prevalent than with London Road where many of our long standing supporters situated within this part of the ground and loyal supporters have had to endure more than their fair share of change; much of it having been seen as detrimental in it’s effect. With this is mind, the SST are committed both fundamentally and financially towards a Butch’s Bar that not only provides a suitable watering hole for those supporters housed in London Road and Star Lane End, but also ensures that there is a lasting and appropriate legacy to the memory of ‘our 21’ Richard Butcher. Further updates will be available in the near future, but please suffice it to say that we, the SST are working very hard in partnership with the football club and external sources to secure a short and long term solution to this issue.
3. During the course of the pre-season, and into the early weeks of the close season, the SST have been providing valuable funds to the club to provide the necessary requirements to maintain / improve the condition of the pitch, a laptop to enable effective functioning of our excellent new scoreboard (kindly sponsored by local company Proseal) and radio equipment to facilitate optimum quality of delivery to the Silkmen faithful from the hugely popular media man at the club; Rob Trafford. More detailed information about this will soon be available on the official website and the SST website in the near future, and I can assure the SST membership that we are committed to receipt of shares to the value of every pound that we donate to the football club!
4. The Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) are proud to provide a significant supporting role to the Super Silk Lotto which has provided significant funds to the Silkmen cause since it’s inception and were absolutely delighted to have provided the sum of £500 to our charity partner for 2018/19 which was the SilkLife Food Bank which provides emergency food supplies to families in crisis in Macclesfield. The fact that there are over 100 new referrals every month pays testament to the demand for this crucial service which depends entirely upon voluntary financial and food contributions. For more information please telephone 01625 611121 or visit their website at www.silklife.co.uk
5. The Super Silk Lotto are pleased to announce that our charity partner for 2019/20 is in collaboration with Canalside Community Radio whose registered charity Phase One Training (charity number 1153671) is committed to providing high quality media focused training for young people between 11-25 years in and around North East Cheshire. The focus on radio facilitates opportunities for young people to attain a range of both academic and practical skills that will improve educational / employment opportunities and is particularly helpful to those young people who experience social exclusion, require rehabilitation into the local community and in need of work experience which is particularly relevant to those from local schools and youth organisations such as the i-macc youth club. More details on this are available by ringing 01625 557668 or via the website at www.phaseonetraining.org.uk. Please keep a look out for information about a forthcoming radio interview on Canalside involving members of the SST board.
6. In recent programme notes for the Crawley game I spoke on the SST page as to how there is currently around 10% of the Silkmen faithful who are members of the SST. It is without a shadow of a doubt that we are unlikely to have anywhere near the level of influence that we would like to have with majority shareholder Amar AlKadhi until that this percentage is somewhere in the region of 50% and that is a minimum IMHO. The SST has had it’s share of criticisms, some of which are fair and some of which are not, and I can completely empathise with the views of some Silkmen supporters that a number of the SST board members are also volunteers at the club, and there are concerns that this could impact upon how critically challenging we are as a group. As recently, last week this issue was raised during a podcast hosted by Jonny Barton that also included ex SST board member Ryan Cawley and Silkmen fan Jen Kelly.

7. The renowned American political commentator Mark Shields spoke of how ‘There is strength in numbers. The more individuals or organisations you can rally to your cause, the better’ and so the real challenge is to develop a supporters group that is able to attract a more substantial and diverse element of the fanbase that provides us the influence that is so crucial for the small but fabulous fanbase here at Macclesfield Town Football Club. Going forward, the SST may ultimately not be the medium which will help to secure this vision, and so I would urge the facilitation of an open meeting (ideally hosted by someone who can be considered neutral) in the very near future where we can then identify some constructive ideas as to how we can develop an effective and challenging supporters group of our beloved club whether this is in the guise of the SST or within a different format that ultimately achieves the goal of a vibrant and challenging supporters group.

8. In relation to the comments above, I would genuinely urge us not to become divisive as fans, because any infighting between supporters provides individuals who wish to maintain or hold power at our club, the opportunity to utilise a strategy of divide and conquer to achieve their objectives.

9. We are ALL fans of our beloved club so please let us bang our collective heads together to identify what having strength in numbers and unity can really do for us.

10. I am Silkmen till I die!

 Andy Worth

Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust

7th July 2019

SST Statement

The Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) board members would like to give an update in response to recent events.

As a board we regularly meet to discuss issues that are on the minds of both the SST members and fans alike.We have most recently been seeking advice from an independent organisation, Supporters Direct, to assist us with raising such issues with the club. As per our last update we sought a meeting with the club’s majority shareholder, Amar Alkadhi, to question many of such issues. We used advice from supporters direct in the way in which to approach the meeting in which ultimately as a trust we wanted to be part of the solution to help resolve matters.

Nevertheless, whilst nice words and promises are all good to hear ultimately we can only hold the club accountable for their actions.

Since January 2019 it is has been evident that the club has experienced financial difficulties with the widely publicised late payment of staff (both playing and non-playing). We have also seen the club taken to the high court over the non-payment of HMRC (Tax) and Egerton (Training facility).

A group of players have now cited non-payment of two months’ salary (May and June) and subsequently added to the high court writ which the club response included the following line:

“Despite this we were disappointed by the actions taken against us by this group, due to the fact that some of the players involved have now moved on to other clubs, whilst others did not appear for the club once during their time with us”.

As the SST board, we would like to place on record both our wholehearted support of the players in seeking their outstanding wages and our condemnation of how poorly the club has handled the situation which has clearly provoked (and quite rightly) a reaction from many of members and fans alike. Ultimately people go to work to earn a wage to survive day to day and support their family, the club has broken its agreements with its employees and we can only encourage the club to do the right thing and settle the outstanding monies as soon as possible. We find the clubs handling of this situation unacceptable. We are also aware that on the 21^st June 2019 (as per companies house) the club has taken out a loan of £180k. We would like to discuss with the club what the loan will be used for, as we hope the outstanding debts to the players and the ground improvements can be satisfied ahead of the new season.  

We all want to see a thriving club that represents positivity on the local community, over the last season the club’s actions has alienated many former contributors to the club.

As the SST one of our next actions will be to seek a seat at the table to the management committee meetings the club advised us would be taking place this season. We would want more of a fans voice in directly being involved in the decision making process and ensuring fans concerns are heard. We have also discussed a couple of ideas on how as a trust we can interact more directly with fans, you will see a further statement on this matter in due course.

We have emailed the majority shareholder, Amar Alkadhi, to ask when the next management meeting is due to take place and whether we can have SST representation as part of the meeting so we can discuss directly these concerns. We hope by this point a chairman and/or CEO is in place to help manage the day-to-day running of the club as we were previously advised by the club they were seeking to fill these roles.

Finally, we share the frustrations that you all have and as a group of volunteers with the fans best interest at heart we can assure you we are working hard as we can.

SST Board

18th June 2019

Notes From Meeting With Amar AlKadhi

Held on
12th JUNE 2019
PRESENT: Andy Worth (Chair)
Andy Mellor
Chrissie Thompson
Bernie Rickman
Myra Clark
Amar AlKadhi
Robert Trafford

Tobias Phoenix

Marie Grundy

Andy opened the meeting by thanking all for attending. Andy expressed the desire for
the SST was to be part of the solution and not be part of the problems at the club. 

1. Why weren’t provisions in place over the last few months to ensure all playing and
non-playing staff were paid on time, and what provisions are being made for them to be
paid on time going forward into next season and beyond?

Amar explained that due to the position the club was in last season with a squad of 33
to pay and the number of players that were in accommodation, this put extreme
financial pressure on the club. It was also explained that there were issues of
contracted players who weren’t playing regularly not being moved on due to external
iinfluences which also put strains on the budget. It was explained that for the 2019/20
season the club are looking for a squad of 24 and would be looking at making better
use of the loan system.

Amar explained that the management structure of the club was being looked at. He had
always viewed MTFC as a community run club but this was no longer the case and the
club would now be run on a more businesslike format.

The budget was being looked at as each area of the workings of the club e.g. groundwork, office, catering etc were being asked for their anticipated budget for the coming season and the budgets would be set accordingly. This would give the responsible people their own budgets to work within, therefore making the budget more accountable.

2. How can we be expected to attract more quality players in view of recent publicity
surrounding consistent non-payment of wages?

Whilst we have signed around 4 new players and have other players already on
contract, the contracts being offered are changing. It was explained that players would
have financial rewards based on efforts put in at training Mon - Fri and match days. It is
hoped that this would encourage players to ‘fight’ for first team places on match days.

3. What plans are in place to deal with the issues surrounding the next court hearing on
26th June 2019 and what assurances can you give to fans that if they purchase a
season ticket that they will be honoured accordingly?

Amar explained that the situation around the proposed court hearing was in hand and
the money was available. It was pointed out that at least 12 - 15 other clubs at this level
were also in similar or worse situations to MTFC. It was felt that there were other
outside influences responsible for the negative press that MTFC have been receiving
from certain areas.

It was pointed out that the club would not be looking to signing new players if there was
any possibility of the club being given a winding up order.

4. What are the plans for London Road for next season when considering the changes
that first came into effect with the game against Stevenage F.C. on Saturday 23rd
March 2019?

We feel that this is a very important question to ask when considering that
we are aware through both social media and face to face discussions with fellow fans of
the negative impact that this has had on potential season ticket sales.

Amar informed the meeting that it was his decision not to publicise the closure of
London Road in advance. He expressed his regret for having to do this but that it was
no longer felt in the interest of the club to have visiting executives, players and players
families to be open to the level of abuse received. There had also been situations
where visiting officials had been physically abused, which could have led to the club
being fined.

With regard to the opening of this terrace next season; this is being held in abeyance as
the club have to do various ground improvements before the beginning of the season.
A number of plans have been submitted to East Cheshire Planning Department around
the dugouts to make them bigger to meet EFL regulations. There are three options:-

1. To make the dugouts deeper, which would mean losing the area behind the
current dugouts.
2. Making the dugouts wider similar to a ‘bus stop’ design which again would mean
losing some of this area.
3. To move the dugouts to the other side of the ground which would mean losing
some of the seating in the Moss Lane Stand.
Until the East Cheshire Planning department have given their decision then it is not possible to indicate what the exact layout of the London Road will be.

5. Who is responsible for the operational management of MTFC and is there a five-year
plan for the club?

It was explained that plans were being made to interview for a new Chairman and CEO.

There is an intention to have a senior management committee of 5 people with a CEO
controlling the day to day running of the club. Amar pointed out that this would be the
structure for the foreseeable future.

6. Is there money available to pay for the necessary ground improvements to meet the
requirements of the English Football League?

Amar informed the meeting that the money was available for the improvements.

7. There have been a number of rumours that there have been bids for the club in the
past. Would the club be currently up for sale to an appropriate interested party that has
the interests of MTFC at heart, and could you please give an indication of the sort of
figure you would be willing to sell for?

Amar confirmed that there had been 2 bids last season for the club. Currently the club
is not up for sale but should interest be made for another minority shareholder to come
in then that would be acceptable.

8. What are the plans for Butch’s Bar and will there be a meeting including key
stakeholders such as Gail & Richard Butcher, Dean Holmes & Robert Stirling and the
Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) who are committed to supporting the development of a
Butch’s Bar which truly honours the memory of our 21?

Currently there are no plans to demolish Butch’s Bar. There will be an inspection by
East Cheshire as part of their inspection of the ground. Providing the outcome is
positive then there will be plans at looking at ways in which some cost effective
improvements could be carried out.

It was stressed by a member of the SST Board that this should be communicated to the
relevant people, e.g. Dean Holmes and Rob Stirling as they have done an excellent job
increasing the revenue and provided a much needed facility for London Road and Star
Lane fans. Communication to be made by a club representative with Dean and Rob
explaining the situation.

9. In view of the difficulties experienced by fans at a number of games with regards to
getting into the game on time, are there any proposed changes to the ticketing system
for next season, and if so, what are they?

Amar indicated that the club was aware of the difficulties with the current ticketing
system and this is being looked into. Further information being provided by the club
ahead of the new season .

This information was welcomed particularly by one of the people who volunteers in the
ticket office present at the meeting. The decision to close London Road had put extra
pressure on the home ticket office due to the fact that there was only one place on
match days that tickets could be purchased and some of the abuse that the people in
the ticket office had to take had been unacceptable. Amar asked for his apology to be
passed on to the ticket office staff and explained that he was not aware of the impact his
decision had on ticket office staff.

10. As you are aware, the SST have been withholding financial support in view of our
concerns about the issues relating to the closure of London Road terrace. If the SST
receive satisfactory responses to the questions that are asked and are willing to
reinstate financial contributions to the club; can you please confirm that the SST will be
guaranteed shares to the value of future contributions that are provided?

IIt was explained to Amar the reason for the decision to withhold the monthly
subscription to the club. It was further explained that whilst the monthly payment was
not being reinstated; money was available should guarantees be given that any money
provided would be converted into shares for the SST. Amar stressed that he had
always agreed to the transfer of shares for cash and would ensure that this continues to
be the case.

Andy thanked all for attending, and thanks were expressed to Amar for the opportunity
to meet and provide answers to the questions posed.

22nd May 2019

SST Statement regarding a face to face meeting with Amar AlKadhi

On Thursday 16th May 2019, contact was made by email with Macclesfield Town Football Club majority shareholder Amar AlKadhi to request a face to face meeting with him to discuss a number of concerns with regards to recent events at the football club including such examples as persistent late payment of the wages of playing and non playing staff and the recent court hearing; how we will pay for necessary ground improvements and the future of Butch’s Bar.

On Friday 17th May 2019 Amar responded by email to advise that the club are currently in the process of sorting out issues from last season; sorting out player contracts and undertaking an extensive overhaul / reorganisation of backroom staff and procedures. Amar advised he would make contact again in a few weeks time.

The SST has sought assistance from Supporters Direct who have proved invaluable in helping to establish over 200 supporters trusts in the United Kingdom and facilitating a meaningful role for supporters with their respective clubs. They have vast experience at supporting clubs facing very difficult circumstances, and further information will be forthcoming over the course of the next few days regarding the next steps following further dialogue with Supporters Direct.

Andy Worth 

Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust