Macclesfield F.C. is a successor to
Macclesfield Town. Founded in 1874, Macclesfield Town was liquidated and expelled from the
National League in 2020 because of debts of over £500,000. Its assets were put up for sale, including the
Moss Rose stadium on the
Rightmove property website. In October 2020, the stadium and all available assets were purchased by Robert Smethurst, the owner of
Stockport Town, with the aim of returning professional football to Macclesfield by creating the phoenix club as Macclesfield F.C. Smethurst appointed the Welsh former professional footballer
Robbie Savage as a member of the board for the new phoenix club with
Danny Whitaker as manager. He also invested in upgrading the stadium to improve the commercial viability of the new club. In May 2021, it was announced that Macclesfield would be placed in the
NWCFL Premier Division, the fifth step of the
National League system (ninth tier in the
English football pyramid), for their first season. Savage announced that the club would be joining with his foundation to offer free tickets to foundation participants to encourage youth attendance at the club's matches. Macclesfield entered the
FA Vase for the first time in
2021–22.
2021–22 season On 31 July 2021 Macclesfield played their first competitive match, a 1–0 win at home against
Burscough in the NWCFL Premier Division played in front of a restricted capacity sell-out crowd of 2,018; Leon Arnasalam scored the only goal. The club's first away match was on 3 August, a 4–4 draw at
Winsford United, also in the NWCFL Premier Division, with Tom Clare scoring all four Macclesfield goals. On 7 August Macclesfield played their first
FA Cup match, beating Burscough 4–0 in the Extra Preliminary Round, but were then knocked out of in the Preliminary Round losing 6–4 at Squires Gate. On 30 August Macclesfield defeated local rivals
Congleton Town 1–0 in the NWCFL Premier Division in front of a record crowd of 3,502,
James Berry-McNally scoring the only goal. The match was suspended for several minutes late in the second half due to crowd trouble. It was the first time the neighbouring towns had met in a league match since the 1964–65 season. On 11 September, Macclesfield played in the
FA Vase for the first time, losing 3–2 at
Northern Counties East League Premier Division side
Winterton Rangers in the first qualifying round. Macclesfield F.C. was featured in a
BBC Sport documentary film,
Robbie Savage: Making Macclesfield FC, broadcast on 13 November 2021, which followed the launch of the new club following the collapse of Macclesfield Town. Despite a relatively poor run of form at the start of the new year (L2, D1, W2 in January), a run of ten consecutive wins followed, in which 37 goals were scored and only four conceded. On 12 March 2022, Macclesfield secured the
North West Counties Premier Division title and promotion to the
NPL Division One West after a 4–0 win against
Ashton Athletic, becoming the first club in England's top nine tiers in 2022 to guarantee promotion. Macclesfield finished their league campaign on 2 April, 15 points clear of second-placed
Skelmersdale United.
2022–23 season In October 2022, with the club three points clear at the top of the NPL West Division,
Danny Whitaker was replaced as Macclesfield manager by David McNabb. McNabb stepped down in December 2022, with midfielder
Neil Danns being appointed interim manager. A 3–1 win against
Trafford on 1 April 2023 saw the club crowned champions and achieve back-to-back promotions.
2023–24 season During the summer of 2023, manager Neil Danns left to take up an assistant role at
Tranmere Rovers, and his assistant
Mark Duffy was named as the new head coach. Record goal-scorer
James Berry departed for a club record fee to join
National League side
Chesterfield. Luke Duffy joined for a record fee from
Warrington Town, and
John Rooney,
Wayne Rooney's younger brother, returned to the Silkmen having started his career with 41 league appearances for Macclesfield Town. Macclesfield entered the
FA Cup in the
first qualifying round. Victories over
Whickham,
Buxton, and
Warrington Rylands secured a place in the fourth qualifying round against
Alfreton Town. After four defeats in five games, including a 3–1 FA Cup defeat at Alfreton, Duffy was sacked as head coach on 27 October 2023, and was replaced by
Alex Bruce. The Silkmen entered the
FA Trophy in the third qualifying round; in the fourth round proper they defeated
National League opposition
Dorking Wanderers 5–0. Macclesfield were the only side outside of the National League to reach the semi-finals, but were knocked out of the competition in a 2–1 defeat at
Gateshead on 7 April. On 21 February 2024, Bruce stepped down as Macclesfield manager to take up a coaching role at
Salford City, and was replaced by Michael Clegg, previously manager at Warrington Rylands. Under Clegg, Macclesfield finished second, qualifying for the NPL play-offs, but lost the play-off final 2–1 to
Marine.
2024–25 season Ahead of the 2024–25 season prolific forward
Kane Drummond departed to
Chesterfield and
Luke Murphy was released. On 17 June 2024, Clegg left his role as manager by mutual consent, and Robbie Savage was appointed head coach on the same day. Notable summer signings included winger
Justin Johnson, midfielder
Danny Whitehead, who had four spells at Macclesfield Town, striker
Danny Elliott following his departure from
National League North side
Scunthorpe United, and goalkeeper Max Dearnley from
Buxton. The team began the season with a 1–0 win away at
Worksop Town and remained undefeated until a 2–1 loss away to
Mickleover on 28 November. 35 league goals from golden boot winner Danny Elliott and 23 clean sheets from Max Dearnley, helped the team to 109 points - a division and club record.
2025–26 season Savage signed a new two-year deal to stay as Macclesfield manager, but two weeks later, on 1 July 2025, opted to become
Forest Green Rovers' new manager and was replaced as Silkmen manager by
John Rooney. On 16 December 2025, forward Ethan McLeod died in a car accident while returning from a game against
Bedford Town. Following the accident, the club retired the number 20 shirt as a tribute to the former player. The club made history on 10 January 2026 by
beating FA Cup holders Crystal Palace 2–1 in the third round to become the first non-league team to defeat the defending champions since 1909 (when
Crystal Palace themselves, playing in the
Southern League, beat the holders
Wolverhampton Wanderers) and the first sixth-tier team to defeat a first-tier team in the history of the FA Cup. In the
National League North, Macclesfield finished 4th to reach the play-off places, and beat
Chester 2–1 in their quarter-final. ==Stadium==