Silkmen offering support to fans
Club keeping in touch with supporters during lockdown via Community Call Scheme
SILKMEN supporters may not have had the chance to see first-hand the exciting developments at the Leasing.com Stadium - where phoenix club Macclesfield FC is swiftly taking shape.
Fans may not have had the chance to meet with new owner Rob Smethurst or Head of Football Robbie Savage since their successful takeover back in the autumn of 2020.
But the club is taking great strides to ensure the lifeblood of the club is not forgotten during the difficult days of lockdown.
Macc’s Community Call Scheme, first rolled out during the initial lockdown last spring, came into its own over the weekend with a Valentine’s Day message for followers – your club loves you!
Conscious of the effects lockdown has had on the mental health of people across the community, club representatives have been telephoning supporters and local people to check in on them, have a chat and do what they can to provide a positive connection.
“There’s a lot of people out there who love this club and have done for many years and have supported the club through thick and thin. But right now, it’s about how the club can support them,” said Macclesfield FC’s Head of Communications, Bob Trafford.
“At present, it’s not about winning games of football, it’s about being a true community club. Let’s have it right, as a community this is probably the most mentally taxing time we will ever experience in our lives.
“The idea for the Community Call Scheme was formed when we were in the first lockdown; when we were living in a very different world - not only in the wider sense but also at the football club.
“It was just an idea to reach out to those people who have supported us for so many years in so many brilliant ways, to try to support them as they had supported us.
“I’d read something – and it sounds a little quirky – but it resonated, and it said ‘when you can’t do what you do, you do what you can.’ So we can’t welcome people to the ground, we can’t give them a game of football - but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything.
“It’s been great to head this up, as there are so many amazing people out there. In the world we’re living in at the minute, whether we admit it or not, people are wary of the stigma of mental health and perhaps find it difficult to open up about it. But the people we have been speaking to have been so appreciative when we’ve called and messaged them, and it’s been a great thing for us to be involved with.”
Conversations have inevitably touched on football – but not exclusively.
“We’ve been chatting about anything and everything! The club has received plaudits for doing this, but the people involved in this at our end get so much out of it as well – it’s very much a two-way thing,” said Trafford.
“The conversations themselves can be anything; about the world in general, how people are acclimatising to it, what lockdown restrictions mean for them and when we could come out of it. But if there’s one thing we talk a lot about, it’s football! Macclesfield fans are renowned for their passion, they went to see the club in its old guise for years and obviously with everything that is happening at Macclesfield FC there’s a lot to talk about. So primarily we’re talking football, we’re talking people’s passion – The Silkmen – to make conversation and to make people realise that although we have to keep our social distance, they are far from being alone.”
With Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to announce plans to move out of lockdown this week, the end will be in sight for many. But Trafford is aware not everybody will be relieved by the idea of returning to ‘normal’.
“I’m no scientist, but I think we’ll find, as we move out of lockdown and take a step back from it, there will be a mental health crisis,” he said.
“So I think, if there’s one positive to take at the minute, it’s the fact that more people are now talking about mental health - because more people are affected by it. When you look at the long-term situation, and coronavirus has been unimaginably horrible on so many levels, there is a silver lining to emerge from this chapter in our lives, and it’s that more people will be prepared to talk about things like depression. It’s the hardest thing in the world for some people to talk about, and nobody has to – but sometimes it can make such a difference if you can reach out and say ‘look, I think I’m struggling with anxiety, with depression, with loneliness.’ Sometimes, it’s just about making that contact.
“The roadmap out of lockdown is a hugely positive thing – we all want to get back to normal, or whatever normal will look
‘Right now, it’s not about winning games, it’s about how the club can support the fans’
like. But for people with underlying anxiety and depression, they might not be viewing it as a positive to the extent others are because the question is, have we forgotten what ‘normal’ is like? How long ago is it since we all last worked together in the office, or had a pint with our mates in the pub? For some, going back into those situations where they have to socially interact with potentially a lot of people again, could fuel anxiety.
“We’re all looking forward to coming out of lockdown, but we do need to bear in mind those who will need a bit more time to acclimatise to the new normal.
“Our message is clear and that is, we will help and support everyone as much as we possibly can as a football club. If there is anybody out there who for whatever reason is feeling a bit low, a bit anxious or who needs a little bit of help, send an email to me at bob@macclesfieldfc.com and we’ll make sure someone gets in touch with you.”