Silkmen chief pens open letter to fans
MACCLESFIELD FC owner Robert Smethurst has updated supporters on progression at the club in an open letter to fans.
The Macclesfield businessman, who took over the phoenix club in October, covered a range of topics from structural changes at the Moss Rose – now the Leasing.com Stadium – to the installation of the new pitch and development of manager Danny Whitaker’s firstteam squad.
In his letter, Mr Smethurst wrote: “I hope that you are well and are looking forward to 2021 as much as I am!
“It is going to be an incredibly busy year, but one which will excite every single one of us and to that end, I wanted to provide you with an update regarding just some of which we already. the progress
are making
MEMBERSHIPS
“WE now have over 700 members of our Club which is truly phenomenal and I would like to reiterate my personal thanks to all those who have signed-up already.
“Details of all members have been added to our database, with all packs to be sent out in July.
“This is not only to ensure that we provide members with what we believe to be a very attractive benefits package, but also to include a bespoke membership card which also acts as a loyalty card. This will allow you to build-up loyalty points within the Club Gym, Bar and Official Club Store for example in what represents another way in which we can reward fans for their commitment to us
“Clearly these will have to be synchronised with our IT systems before issue, but rest assured you will receive your packs well before the big kickoff!
SEATING ALLOCATIONS
“ALL seating will be replaced throughout the Club and this includes 200 new seats being installed within the bottom two rows of the Star Lane End. Standing will remain above this as was previously the case.
“Timescales indicate that this work will be completed within the next eight weeks - at which point we will be able to finalise our seating plan and begin the process of allocating seats to fans.
“As we have stated previously, every effort will be made to ensure that everyone secures their first choice preferences.
LEAGUE APPLICATION “MACCLESFIELD FC are now affiliated to the Cheshire FA and have also applied to join the 6 Steps of the National League
Football pyramid. After discussions with the FA and the North West.Counties Football League, a detailed application has been submitted to the NWCFL (non-league Steps 5-6) who will make a recommendation to the FA by February 1st. As a phoenix club our application has also gone direct to the FA and it is the FA who will decide where we play next season; there will be no decision before early April. A major reorganisation of Steps 4-6 was planned at the end of this season but in these Covid-blighted times many observers have expressed doubts about the leagues in Steps 3-6 being completed, complicating the landscape for MFC’s application. The wonderful response of the fans to the membership and season ticket schemes strengthens our case to be admitted into the nonleague pyramid but these are unique times.
FIRST TEAM SQUAD “DANNY Whitaker continues to work incredibly hard, as he identifies players to form our First Team squad and as soon as we can provide further details on this then rest assured, we will do just that.
PITCH
“WE remain on schedule for the pitch work to be completed in March, with our brand new 4G pitch fully operational by then.
CLUB BARS
“MORE details to follow on this, with planned completion set as the end of April - you won’t be disappointed I can assure you!
CLUB GYM
“WORK remains ongoing, with the planned completion date set for the end of August.
CAR PARK “RENOVATION will be completed within the next three weeks.
MAIN STAND CLADDING
“THE cladding on the Main Stand is set for renovation with work starting within the next nine weeks. This will also incorporate new signage and will certainly make the structure much more aesthetically pleasing!
ACADEMY
“AS you may have seen, our new Junior Academy is progressing at a rapid pace and we can’t wait to welcome a wealth of local youngsters to the Leasing. com Stadium in March.
RECEPTION AREA “THE area which was previously the Silkmen Cafe will be renovated into our new Club Reception, acting as a first point of contact for anyone visiting the Leasing.com Stadium
“Even from the above, you can see just how much work is ongoing at the minute and in many ways this is merely the tip of the iceberg!
“I hope that this has proved to be useful and I will provide regular further updates in due course.”