26th February 2021
The Last Super Silk Lottery Draw
The winner of the very last Super Silk Lottery Draw is No: 84 Andrew Scott.
Congratulations to Andy and thank you to all who have supported the Super Silk Lottery over the last 6 years. In particular we would like to thank all at Canalside Radio for their support in announcing the winner weekly. We would also like to thank the Silkmen Supporters Trust for their support in helping to administer the lottery. We hope all the Macclesfield fans put their support behind the upcoming lottery being run by Macclesfield Football Club.
Regards
Marie, Andy and Rob
21st February 2021
Andrew Galloway and the Appeal
The Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) were absolutely heartbroken to learn of the recent passing of committed Silkmen supporter and much-loved volunteer Andrew Galloway at just 23 years young.
Andrew was a young man who fought through so many challenges in his young life, and yet was simply just a lovely young man who provided countless hours of dedicated service for the club that he loved unconditionally over the course of the last few years.
Andrew’s warm and engaging personality; alongside a disarming smile and infectious laugh ensured that he was a much loved character, and he possessed an extraordinary ability to improve the mood of all those around him in no time at all.
There was never any indication that Andrew wanted any other remuneration for his voluntary work other than the knowledge that he was helping OUR club. Andrew had his whole life in front of him and had no agendas other than to volunteer his time for the benefit of the club that he loved. I am also sure all who read this will be able to recognise and empathise with the unimaginable pain and grief that Andrew’s family are going through at this time.
Rob Trafford (Head of Communications at Macclesfield FC) has been in daily contact with Andrew’s family. What has become clear from Rob’s discussions with the family is that the devastating loss of Andrew, has been exacerbated by the stress of trying to find some way of finding the money to provide Andrew with the sort of funeral that he so much deserves.
In the opinion of the SST board, now is the perfect opportunity for all of us to show what Andrew did for our club is truly appreciated by the Silkmen family.
The SST aim to raise £4200 to help to pay for Andrew’s funeral and lessen some of the burden on the Galloway family, whilst also helping to provide Andrew with the kind of send off that he so much deserves. The SST are providing an initial £1000 donation to the appeal, and it would be wonderful if many of the Silkmen family contribute what they can to help us to achieve our intended target.
In order to do this you can follow the link below which will take you to the funding website, where you can make your contribution:
: gofundme.com/f/andrewgalloway
23rd January 2021
A New Announcement
Dear all
Firstly may I wish each and everyone a belated happy new year, and sincerely hope that you are all keeping safe and well in these unprecedented times.
The developments at the Leasing.com stadium (aka Moss Rose) continue at a relentless and extraordinary pace, and without a shadow of a doubt the stadium will look infinitely better when we finally get to see a Silkmen eleven on the field of play once again representing the town of Macclesfield with pride and passion.
Over the course of the last few weeks there has been discussion between the SST board and the Silkmen hierarchy with regards to how we can work in partnership to support Rob Smethurst and the operational board in their quest towards making Macclesfield FC a vibrant and successful football club. We want a club that clearly recognises the importance of listening to the voice of you the Silkmen fans as we hopefully go from strength to strength in the exciting times that lie ahead.
The prophetic words of Joe Koller on the SLE message board epitomised so succinctly as to how Silkmen fans are feeling at this time when he wrote the following words in response to Rob Smethurst’s new year message.
'Rob you gave us hope where there was none, you installed belief that the club would rise again when we had none. You have given this club back to the community and in return the community has put its trust and faith in you and the team and is not only right behind you, but travelling the journey with you. We all know that there is a long journey ahead and there will be ups and downs but we will travel the journey with you and share in the joy and disappointment as we work together to achieve the ultimate goal of a return to the Football League.’
Rob isr ploughing vast sums of his own money into this project, and we are keen to add our financial support. Rob cannot be expected to continue to shoulder sole responsibility for financing this exciting new journey. Over the past few weeks the SST board have spoken at length with the operational board of Macclesfield FC about how we can support this journey so here goes:
Please take care and stay safe ?.
Andy Worth
Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust
22nd January 2021
Super Silk Lotto Finishes
As of the 26th of February 2021 the Super Silk Lotto will be terminated. This is to make way for a new Macclesfield FC lottery, of which more details will be released shortly. All existing entries will be terminated from that date and the 327th and last draw will take place on Friday 26th February 2021.
The Silkmen Supporters Trust board and in particular the separate lotto committee of Andy Worth, Marie Grundy and Robert Stirling, with support from John Abbott and Myra Clark, would like to offer our sincere gratitude to the 259 people who supported the Lotto over more than 6 years. In that time, the Lotto went from strength to strength raising vital funds for Macclesfield Town FC as well as a number of local community partners, all through the voluntary efforts of dedicated Silkmen supporters.
The total raised amounted to in excess of £75,000, leading to regular cash injections to the football club predominantly focused on stadium improvements to improve the fan experience such as new kitchen equipment, pitch treatment, stewards radios, turnstile works, and a volunteers thank you event. Let us also not forget the 327 winners of the £100 weekly cash prize, which helped to significantly brighten their Friday’s after such a nice little windfall!
The Super Silk Lotto was extremely proud to contribute to numerous community partners during the 6 year period including David Lewis, Ollie's Army, Mac Activity Centre, Space4autism, Canalside Community Radio and Silklife Foodbank.
As part of the termination of the Lotto, there is also a retained surplus which will be split amongst a cross section of local community organisations helping Macclesfield people of all ages and backgrounds. Those chosen are as follows:
- Silklife Foodbank
- Age UK Cheshire East
- Speaking Up Speaking Out
- Cre8
- Packhorse Bowling & Social Club
- East Cheshire Eye Society
Any further surplus will be retained by the SST to go towards fan projects.
Thank you again to everyone associated with the Super Silk Lotto, a great initiative which has benefited many in the Macclesfield community.
Andy, Marie & Robert
Former Super Silk Lotto Team
For any future questions, please get in touch with membership@sstrust.uk or if you would like to join the waiting list for the new Macclesfield FC lottery, please email info@macclesfieldfc.com with LOTTERY in the subject line.
14th October 2020
Silkmen Supporters Trust Statement
Firstly may I take this opportunity offer both old and new members of the SST my sincere thanks for joining together on our journey to a bright new future for our beloved Silkmen. The SST will only get stronger with the more members that we have, and the recent surge in membership has been so amazing to witness.
We would now like to take this opportunity to congratulate Rob Smethurst on his acquisition of the assets of Macclesfield Town football club today. We were very impressed with what he had to say during yesterday’s press conference, and would like to make it clear that it is our intention to engage with Rob on a face to face as soon as possible to help to establish an enduring dialogue to the long term benefit of our Phoenix Club. We will then of course provide feedback as soon as possible.
We were absolutely delighted to learn of the news that our very own magic man; the iconic midfield maestro that is Daniel Philip Whitaker is to be the first ever manager of our phoenix club. Danny has not only proven to be a fantastic servant to the football club on the field, where he has developed the sort of legendary status akin to ‘Sir’ John Askey; he is also a really nice guy who is incredibly humble, and really deserves his chance to manage the club that he loves so much.
We are very keen to receive your views on how the SST can be more inclusive and effective. As a consequence, we are delighted that we can now provide the opportunity for Trust members to share their thoughts ideas and comments about how we can improve as a Trust via the link to the left hand side of the home page of the SST website entitled ‘We welcome your Thoughts and Comments.’
There are many ways that the SST can improve its inclusivity and effectiveness, especially by involving a wide range of people in SST activities, Going forward it is will be a challenge to redevelop our new club and we need active engagement by many fans, embraced by the idiom of ‘many hands make light work’. With this in mind and to facilitate this improved efficacy, the SST needs to develop a number of sub-groups in areas such as finance, marketing, fan liaison, membership, communication, legal issues and engaging with the local authorities. We will further refine this list in terms of club-facing requirements after discussions with the owner. All these groups would feed into an overarching SST board. We will be appealing for volunteers in the near future but if you think you can help in any of these areas please provide your contact details, and indicate in what area you feel that you will be able to make a valued contribution by going to enquiries@sstrust.uk
We would like to to get your views as to what name that you as fellow Trust members believe is most representative of a supporters group for the Silkmen faithful. People can send their suggestions in to enquiries@sstrust.uk by 22nd October 2020, and we will then undertake a poll to determine the most successful of the suggestions provided. It is important to note that even if the name is changed, we would retain our Supporters Trust status and details of the Silk lotto, bank details, etc would remain unchanged. We would also, remain under the governance of the Football Supporters Association (FSA). We are also acutely aware of the need to have an Annual General Meeting (AGM) in the near future, but feel that some leeway is required in view of the current fluidity of the situation regarding our beloved club. We have approached the Football Supporters Association (FSA) can support us regarding the proposed delay until a time where we have had the opportunity to engage proactively with the new regime.
The ‘wish list’ tread on Wraggs to Riches provided some very useful food for thought for the SST board, and we are now looking at what our fellow Trust members would most like to engage within a crowd funder initiative as we move forward as a club. With this in mind we would be grateful if you would post your suggestions by 22nd October 2020 as to what causes you would most like for us to crowdfund for. This can be done by going to home page https://www.sstrust.uk/ and placing your suggestions in the ‘We welcome your Thoughts and Comments’ box.
There clearly has to be some benefits for being a member of the Trust, and so we are exploring a number of avenues that would emphasise the importance of your membership. Please keep your eyes peeled for an update on this in the very near future. The time has come for us to look forward rather than backwards, and the next few years could prove to be one heck of an exciting journey back up the football pyramid, so are you ready to join together to provide a unified supporters group to evoke change and shape the future?
#OURTOWNOURCLUB
Andy Worth,
Chairperson of the Silkmen Supporters Trust.
13th October 2020
Latest Statement From The New Owner Of Macclesfield Football Club
A full statement from the new owner of Macclesfield Football Club
6th October 2020
An Addition to the Statement
The SST have been contacted by Mr Rob Smethurst who states it is he who is buying the club not ProFootball Academy. He believes the transfer of assets will be completed by Friday. He would like to reassure fans that his aspiration for the new Macclesfield Town is for the team to climb the leagues to its natural position.
He wants to meet with fans as soon as feasible and he wishes it to be known that he is a Macc lad!
6th October 2020
Silkmen Supporters Trust Statement
Discussions have been ongoing between a number of parties about the future of the Moss Rose and Macclesfield Town FC. We note from Twitter today that it appears that Rob Smethurst has purchased the assets of the club. We look forward to meeting with Rob in the coming days to fully understand his plans for our club.
The Silkmen Supporters Trust wish the MTFC fans voice to be heard. In this respect we desire that the new management’s objectives will include:
Following the recent liquidation the fans do not want owners who:
Place the club in financial difficulties and take money out of the club.
The National League has served that Notice of Expulsion on the Official Receiver responsible for dealing with the Club’s affairs.
As the Club’s expulsion will be effective on Monday 12th October, in the meantime, the Club is suspended from The National League competition and its three fixtures during that period are postponed. The matches affected are 3rd October (home v Bromley), 6th October (away v Boreham Wood) and 10th October (away v Aldershot).
29th September 2020
Latest Update After the Council Meeting on Monday 28th September 2020
Patrick Birch of the SST and Mike Rance of the CST briefed Macclesfield Town Council of the current situation regarding the Football Club on the evening of Monday 28th September 2020. Here are transcripts of what they said.
Patrick Birch:
I am here today representing the football club and the supporters organisation. We work closely with the Community Sports Trust (CST) which Mike will speak about next.
Twelve days ago, Macclesfield Town, with its illustrious 146 year history, was wound up. Little point going into detail on how this came about. Best to focus now on what happens next and the help we would like from you the Town Council.
The upside, If there is an upside to the current difficult situation, is that we now have an opportunity to build a thriving football club at the heart of the community.
Just think what the football club brings to the town:-
the club puts Macclesfield on the map nationally and contributes to our visitor economy
the club is a place where local businesses can sell and advertise their products.
the club is a place where, when we get it right, everybody is welcome, a place where great memories are made, where people feel happy ( which helps tackle issues like social isolation and loneliness) ,a place where they can acquire new skills and qualifications (NVQs etc)
We want a football club' that operates at the highest possible level of football but most important we want a football club back at the heart of the community - where the ‘town helps the club’ and the ‘club helps the town.’ That’s where we all want to be.
The Mayor asked us to be clear what help we would like from you, the Town Council.
3 things:
Several more actions bound to follow but try these for a start.
These are difficult times for football in Macclesfield. There are lots or reasons to feel down and despondent.
But I hope here I have highlighted an opportunity - the opportunity we have to restore the football club's place at the heart of the Macclesfield community and together to achieve great things that help the club and help the town.
Thanks for listening.
Mike Rance:
I’m here as Chair of the Macclesfield Town Community Sports Trust. We’re a charity that has operated from Moss Rose since 1997 when we were first promoted to the Football League. We’re solvent and will survive the loss of the football club, at least in the short term. We have equal rights with the Football Club to operate our business from the Moss Rose under the terms of the Club’s 1990 sub-lease.
As you may not be as familiar with us as you are with the club I’d like to use this opportunity to give you some background on who we are and what we do.
We're currently funded by national football charities, including the Premiership and EFL trusts and by some local benefactors. We provide support to a wide range of organisations from nurseries and primary schools to care homes for the elderly, addressing a health and wellbeing agenda.
We also run a successful Community Football Academy in partnership with All Hallows’ Catholic High School and Macclesfield College and currently have 100 students studying Sports Science A-levels or BTECs and playing for our various teams in College and EFL Community Leagues. Just last week we played in the final of the 2020 Football League’s Community & Education Football Alliance National Cup and beat Swindon Town at the FA Headquarters at St George’s Park to bring home the trophy!
Sadly, the lack of modern open field community facilities in Macclesfield means that we have to play most of our "home" games at Egerton Boys Club in Knutsford or Platt Lane in South Manchester which illustrates well just how important the Moss Rose is to the town.
We’ll find it difficult to survive without a "parent" Football Club over the longer term and fully support the concept of a much needed Community Stadium. We’ll do all we can to help realise this vision".
Thank you for your time.
The Town Council:
The Macclesfield Town Councillors responded very positively. Mayor Sarah Bennett-Wake said, 'Macclesfield will not let the Silkmen go'.
Cllr. Mick Warren said he hoped that discussions with Cheshire East would be taking place later this week to secure Community football here at the Moss Rose.
Cllr. Neil Puttick stressed the active role the Town Council can play in the development of the Community club encouraging everyone to get involved. In particular he highlighted the great work of the Community Sports Trust (CST) with people of all ages.
Cllr. Fiona Wilson stressed the importance of the viable business plan for the development of the Moss Rose and the assistance Town Councillors could offer with fundraising.
Cllr. Jackson felt in these challenging COVID times Macclesfield won't be the only football club experiencing financial difficulties. A return to grass roots football is the answer for Macclesfield and the way we should go.
Cllr. Hutchinson expressed the view of all Town Councillors that they were passionate about the club and would do whatever they could to help.
The football club is at the heart of the Macclesfield community. The Town Council resolved to get involved immediately ('early doors') to ensure the right way forward both for the club and the town.
26th September 2020
Latest Statement
Dear all
Firstly thank you very much to all of you who have joined the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) over the course of the last few days which demonstrates how much our beloved Silkmen means to so many of you. We hope that many of you will have seen that there is also an opportunity to join the Super Silk Lotto which has the sole intention of raising funds for the benefit of the football club in whatever guise it takes going forward. Links to joining the SST and / or Super Silk Lotto will be provided below.
Joining the SST ; Join the Silk Lotto
Many of you will be anxious to know if there has been any developments since our last statement and we will endeavour to tell you what we are aware of to the time of this statement. We can categorically clarify that Mr AlKadhi made no attempt to rescind the winding up order, and that the most appropriate way forward would appear to be the formation of a phoenix club. As has been noted in social media, the football club is now up for sale with written offers due in by 12p.m. on Monday 28th September 2020, with a requirement for a non-disclosure agreement and proof of funding cited as a pre-requisite for any interested parties.
In the midst of all the uncertainty, one beacon of light has been the impassioned rhetoric from Joe Sealey. Joe as made it clear that he has fallen in love with the club; has hailed the fans ‘the best I’ve ever come across’ and wants to have a board full of local businessmen who are also fans, and has also mooted his desire for fan representation. We spoke on the afternoon on Friday 25th September 2020 with sources close to Joe who spoke of his continued commitment to the cause, and that both Joe and his business advisors were ‘exploring a number of avenues currently and hope to further progress things next week. It’s hard to say too much as still a lot to do.’
At this time we have no information regarding any other bidders, and we clearly recognise that supporters are anxious for some good news after the horrors of the last several years. It is of further use to note that Patrick Birch from the SST alongside Mike Rance from the Community Sports Trust (CST) will be speaking with local councillors at the behest of the Mayor of Macclesfield, Sarah Bennett-Wake, on Monday 28th September 2020 and we will of course provide an update on this as soon as practicable.
Please be assured that as soon as we are able to, we will provide further information.
SST Board
#OURTOWNOURCLUB
22nd September 2020
Latest Update from the SST
On the evening of Monday 21st September 2020 the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) engaged with representatives of the Community Sports Trust (CST) alongside a representative of the Fooball Supporters Association (FSA) via a Zoom meeting to discuss the potential options for senior level football in Macclesfield as a consequence of the enforced liquidation of Macclesfield Town Football Club last week.
At the time of this briefing we are still awaiting the outcome of whether Mr AlKadhi is able to pay what is owed to a range of creditors in an attempt to rescind the winding up order, and whether or not this has been possible should be known by Wednesday 23rd September 2020.
There was a clear consensus from all present that in the event that liquidation is confirmed; successfully resolving any issues of concern surrounding the lease of the Moss Rose stadium is fundamental to the success of any football team that represents the town of Macclesfield in the future. The SST and CST are committed to such a successful resolution.
We are also delighted to confirm that a representative of the SST board and CST have been invited to speak to the Town Council about the situation surrounding our football club by the Mayor of Macclesfield; Councillor Sarah Bennett-Wake.. We would like to offer our sincere gratitude to the Mayor for her kind invitation.
Please be assured that as soon as we are able to, we will provide further contemporary updates, and thank you for your patience.
18th September 2020
The Latest Statement
After the devastating news on Wednesday the SST are now urgently trying to pull together a viable future strategy and plan for the club we all love so much. To do this we need the help of all fans and any contribution you can make will be warmly received, appreciated and greatly valued.
These are awful traumatic times for us all and we all need to work together to keep our illustrious club alive. Obviously we need to consult and work with all interested parties to look for the best possible solutions available to the club.
The situation is still fluid and will probably be so for a few days, when we expect the end of Mr Alkahi’s tenure and the full extent of the legal situation will sadly be clarified. To date as we understand it the Official Receiver has received five bids for the club. Two are viable with the remaining three being from property developers.
Once we have clarification we can then decide the best way forward. It is imperative that we get this right. There is so much at stake and we appreciate the anxiety surrounding the future and the eagerness to help but currently we need to ask for patience.
For those of you who are looking to contribute to a fighting fund to aid the cause, we again ask you to remain patient with us. We are looking to set up a funding campaign with a major platform which we will launch as soon as we decide the best direction to assist the club.
In the meantime, a good number of people have become members of the Trust over the past 24/48 hours and we strongly urge others to join. We need as many members as possible to help us get through this nightmare. You can join by clicking on this link to our website:
Be assured we will continue to update fans as and when we have any information to give out. In the meantime the SST are currently dealing with and acting on information from the following:
The Official Receiver.
Cheshire East and Macclesfield Councils.
Community Sports Trust.
Football Supporters Association.
The FA.
The National League.
The EFL.
Various national and international newsrooms.
Thousands of messages on Twitter and other social media platforms.
Individuals offering their skills and help.
16th Septermber 2020
A Statement on Today's Winding Up Order.
The SST are devastated by the decision of the court to wind up Macclesfield Town Football Club.
The responsibility for this lies at the feet of one person – Amar Alkadhi.
We are currently looking into what actions we can take to save the club and as such will be seeking a meeting with the receiver as soon as possible.
In the meantime the SST will attempt to put together a rescue bid.
We ask all our fans to unite and get behind the SST. We therefore ask any fan with specialist knowledge to contact the SST, as soon as possible.
A Further Statement on Today's Winding Up Order.
Following on from the decision of the court to wind up Macclesfield Town Football Club, the SST has ascertained that a receiver has not yet been appointed and is unlikely to be appointed for a week or so.
This is a winding up, so the court will appoint someone, if it believes there to be any assets.
It is understood that Mr Alkadhi was told at last week’s hearing to provide proof of funding or a potential buyer but he was unable to do so.
There is no easy way back from this. The only way would to pay out all the money owed an option the SST are currently exploring.
The court ruling is in effect the end of the club in the present format.
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. To that end the SST will be contacting local councillors to preserve and protect the integrity of the Moss Rose stadium.
The SST would like to reassure our fellow fans that whatever happens the SST will not countenance Mr Alkadhi being involved in any shape or form.
The SST furthermore hope than the fanbase will unify behind whatever club we have in the future.