Macclesfield Chairman Discusses All on Title Win
Tue 5th April 2022 | Macclesfield | By Alex Thrower
‘Sustainable’. That’s the word Macclesfield Chairman Rob Smethurst has behind every decision made at the recently crowned Premier Division Champions.
Having finished the season with a remarkable run of 10 consecutive league wins, the phoenix club- who have Robbie Savage as Director of Football- can look forward to life at Step 4 next campaign.
Speaking before the Cheshire club were presented with the Premier trophy following Saturday’s 4-2 win over AFC Liverpool, Smethurst has been impressed with manager Danny Whitaker’s side on the pitch as well as the progress the club has made off it.
“When I saw the ground for sale on Rightmove, I thought there was something I could do about it,” he laughingly begins.
“What happened to Macclesfield Town was heart-breaking and I just wanted to make a difference. It’s going to take a long time for the club to get back to where it was, but this season has been a fantastic start. The infrastructure we’ve been able to get in place after a lot of hard work from everyone has laid the right foundations.
“We have an academy of 39 teams now, with approximately 500 kids involved and that wasn’t there before. We had an ambition of building a self-sustaining football club and we’re doing that. Having a 4G pitch has been essential. The FA needs to re-examine their position on artificial pitches, they should be allowed in the EFL as they’re such a key source of revenue for clubs.”
The impressive work done at the Leasing.com Stadium also includes a 12,000sqft gym and Smethurst believes the club has attracted new fans, which is supported by the fact their first season as a club brought a remarkable average home attendance of 2,971. He was also quick to acknowledge that not everyone has been thrilled by the club’s presence.
“When we were looking to bring more fans along on a Saturday, we looked at our Under 7s first. If they come to games with their parents, friends, and wider family, then we’re drawing in good crowds and it’s obviously positive for the finances as well,” he continues.
“Grassroots clubs, The Savage Foundation, and the fact we’re involved with 14 schools now means we have over 1,000 kids play at the ground during the week. So, we have fans coming from everywhere.
“As a football team we’ve not always felt very welcomed, which was upsetting to see when you’re trying to bring a club back and you’re able to take a huge number of fans to away games. We understand the expectations have been enormous on us, we seem to have been a lot of side’s cup final, but some of the behaviour has been despicable; we’ve had stuff thrown at cars, flares on the pitch and a lot of abuse.”
Despite the animosity often felt by The Silkmen, Whitaker’s side have excelled on the pitch, reaching 94 points from their 40 league matches, losing just four times. While Skelmersdale United gave Macclesfield good competition for the top spot, the title was won with three games to spare and Smethurst knows how important the club’s first promotion is.
“If we hadn’t won the Premier, we may have lost a bit of support so it’s that momentum that made it so important to get promoted this year,” he notes.
“We weren’t always calm and confident; it was the coaches and players that really turned up to get us through. It wasn’t until we beat Padiham the week before winning the league that Robbie (Savage) and I began to feel it was going to happen. I think the squad has gelled now, we’ve gone through a lot of players to get there and each one has been part of the club’s success. We’ve been planning for the next step already, so we want all the players to be prepared for that.
“My ambition is to move back up the leagues and find our level as quickly as possible, but that’s not meant in a cocky way, it’s what we need to do to keep the club sustainable.”
The Macclesfield born and raised Smethurst also believes Savage, and everyone involved in the club deserves recognition. He finished:
“We were paying wages from January 2021, we didn’t put anyone on furlough as we wanted to support the community, despite not having any means of revenue for eight months. We had to go through a lot of trials and once the season started, I think he (Savage) realised we needed the right players to compete.
“Without him the club would never have happened, he’s there every day. He’s constantly tweaking and planning for the future. His work ethic is incredible.
“We’ve come from virtually nothing and built a sustainable football club in nine months, it belongs to everyone associated with the team, from the players and coaches, to people working in the office, to the fans and the community of Macclesfield.”
Macclesfield Chairman Discusses All on Title Win
Tue 5th April 2022 | Macclesfield
By Alex Thrower
‘Sustainable’. That’s the word Macclesfield Chairman Rob Smethurst has behind every decision made at the recently crowned Premier Division Champions.
Having finished the season with a remarkable run of 10 consecutive league wins, the phoenix club- who have Robbie Savage as Director of Football- can look forward to life at Step 4 next campaign.
Speaking before the Cheshire club were presented with the Premier trophy following Saturday’s 4-2 win over AFC Liverpool, Smethurst has been impressed with manager Danny Whitaker’s side on the pitch as well as the progress the club has made off it.
“When I saw the ground for sale on Rightmove, I thought there was something I could do about it,” he laughingly begins.
“What happened to Macclesfield Town was heart-breaking and I just wanted to make a difference. It’s going to take a long time for the club to get back to where it was, but this season has been a fantastic start. The infrastructure we’ve been able to get in place after a lot of hard work from everyone has laid the right foundations.
“We have an academy of 39 teams now, with approximately 500 kids involved and that wasn’t there before. We had an ambition of building a self-sustaining football club and we’re doing that. Having a 4G pitch has been essential. The FA needs to re-examine their position on artificial pitches, they should be allowed in the EFL as they’re such a key source of revenue for clubs.”
The impressive work done at the Leasing.com Stadium also includes a 12,000sqft gym and Smethurst believes the club has attracted new fans, which is supported by the fact their first season as a club brought a remarkable average home attendance of 2,971. He was also quick to acknowledge that not everyone has been thrilled by the club’s presence.
“When we were looking to bring more fans along on a Saturday, we looked at our Under 7s first. If they come to games with their parents, friends, and wider family, then we’re drawing in good crowds and it’s obviously positive for the finances as well,” he continues.
“Grassroots clubs, The Savage Foundation, and the fact we’re involved with 14 schools now means we have over 1,000 kids play at the ground during the week. So, we have fans coming from everywhere.
“As a football team we’ve not always felt very welcomed, which was upsetting to see when you’re trying to bring a club back and you’re able to take a huge number of fans to away games. We understand the expectations have been enormous on us, we seem to have been a lot of side’s cup final, but some of the behaviour has been despicable; we’ve had stuff thrown at cars, flares on the pitch and a lot of abuse.”
Despite the animosity often felt by The Silkmen, Whitaker’s side have excelled on the pitch, reaching 94 points from their 40 league matches, losing just four times. While Skelmersdale United gave Macclesfield good competition for the top spot, the title was won with three games to spare and Smethurst knows how important the club’s first promotion is.
“If we hadn’t won the Premier, we may have lost a bit of support so it’s that momentum that made it so important to get promoted this year,” he notes.
“We weren’t always calm and confident; it was the coaches and players that really turned up to get us through. It wasn’t until we beat Padiham the week before winning the league that Robbie (Savage) and I began to feel it was going to happen. I think the squad has gelled now, we’ve gone through a lot of players to get there and each one has been part of the club’s success. We’ve been planning for the next step already, so we want all the players to be prepared for that.
“My ambition is to move back up the leagues and find our level as quickly as possible, but that’s not meant in a cocky way, it’s what we need to do to keep the club sustainable.”
The Macclesfield born and raised Smethurst also believes Savage, and everyone involved in the club deserves recognition. He finished:
“We were paying wages from January 2021, we didn’t put anyone on furlough as we wanted to support the community, despite not having any means of revenue for eight months. We had to go through a lot of trials and once the season started, I think he (Savage) realised we needed the right players to compete.
“Without him the club would never have happened, he’s there every day. He’s constantly tweaking and planning for the future. His work ethic is incredible.
“We’ve come from virtually nothing and built a sustainable football club in nine months, it belongs to everyone associated with the team, from the players and coaches, to people working in the office, to the fans and the community of Macclesfield.”
