who owns macclesfield town football club

Macclesfield Town Football Club in its original form no longer exists as an active club: the limited company behind it was wound up in 2020 and its assets were sold off in liquidation. The football presence in the town is now effectively continued by the phoenix club Macclesfield FC, whose controlling owners are local businessman Robert Smethurst and his wife Sarah Jane Smethurst, both listed as persons with significant control in Macc Football Club Limited, the company behind Macclesfield FC.

Who owns Macclesfield Town Football Club?

(Quick Scoop) Strictly speaking, “Macclesfield Town Football Club, Limited” was the old company that operated the historic club, and that company went into compulsory liquidation in 2020. In the liquidation, the Official Receiver sold the club’s assets (stadium lease, intellectual property, etc.) to a new company, Macc Football Club Limited.

That new vehicle underpins the phoenix side now known as Macclesfield FC, which has taken over the footballing identity in the town. So when people today ask “who owns Macclesfield Town?”, they almost always mean “who owns Macclesfield FC?”

Current ownership snapshot

• The old Macclesfield Town FC company was wound up and is in insolvency; it does not have a conventional, active club ownership anymore.

• The assets were bought in October 2020 by businessman Rob (Robert) Smethurst, then owner of Stockport Town, via Macc Football Club Limited.

• As of recent corporate records, persons with significant control in Macc Football Club Limited include:
  • Robert Smethurst (PSC, director).

* Sarah Jane Smethurst (PSC, director).

In a high‑profile FA Cup run in early 2026, media repeatedly referred to Smethurst as the owner of Macclesfield FC, underlining his controlling position. In late 2025 he stepped back from day‑to‑day involvement but kept his shareholding, with club statements confirming that the shareholders (including him) remain in place.

Macclesfield Town vs Macclesfield FC

To keep the picture clear:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Entity</th>
      <th>Status</th>
      <th>Ownership / control</th>
      <th>Key dates</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Macclesfield Town Football Club, Limited</td>
      <td>Wound up, in liquidation[web:1][web:10]</td>
      <td>Formerly owned by Amar Alkadhi and others; assets sold by Official Receiver[web:3][web:1]</td>
      <td>Compulsory liquidation ordered Sept 2020; assets sold Oct 2020[web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Macc Football Club Limited (Macclesfield FC)</td>
      <td>Active phoenix club continuing football in the town[web:3][web:9]</td>
      <td>Controlled by Robert and Sarah Jane Smethurst as persons with significant control[web:6]</td>
      <td>Assets purchased Oct 2020; club entered league system from 2021–22 season[web:3][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

In everyday football talk, when fans online ask “who owns Macclesfield Town Football Club now?”, the accurate modern answer is that the original company is gone and the town’s club is effectively owned and controlled by Rob Smethurst (with Sarah Smethurst also a significant shareholder) through Macc Football Club Limited.

TL;DR: The old Macclesfield Town FC company was liquidated, and its assets were bought in 2020 by local businessman Rob Smethurst. Today, football in the town is carried on by the phoenix club Macclesfield FC, controlled by Rob and Sarah Smethurst via Macc Football Club Limited.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.