Deal done for sale of Macclesfield Town FC ground
Specialist property adviser, Christie & Co has advised on the sale of Macclesfield Town Football Club’s Moss Rose ground.
The club has been bought by local businessman Rob Smethurst. Former Blackburn Rovers player, Robbie Savage, will be involved on the board as head of football operations.
In September, the club was wound up in the High Court with debts of more than £500,000.
It had been relegated from League Two into the non-league football pyramid the previous month after being docked points for breaches of regulations over non-payment of wages.
Christie & Co advised Charles Ranby-Gorwood of CRG Insolvency & Financial Recovery, LPA Receiver in connection with the sale of the ground.
Mr Smethurst aims to preserve and rejuvenate the club, while building relationships within the community, working closely with schools and providing free coaching and access.
He said: “I recognised the need to revitalise a club that is so very important to Macclesfield, the fans the community, and presents the opportunity to create jobs within the local area and to hopefully get Macclesfield Town FC reinstated into the lower divisions at NWFCL level.
“We’re looking forward to becoming an integral part of Macclesfield and the local footballing community here at Moss Rose.”
Jon Patrick, director and head of leisure and development at Christie & Co, said: “This is potentially a very good outcome for the future development of Macclesfield Town FC and is another example of where our marketing platforms have been able to reach out in short-order time to a variety of prospective buyers.
“From our initial appointment to completion the sale took a mere 16 working days, which is a phenomenal turnaround.
“In the wider leisure market we are seeing an array of businesses being brought to the market and have been encouraged by the strong levels of interest from a wide range of buyers, despite restriction on viewings due to COVID-19.”
Macclesfield was founded in 1874, then reformed as Macclesfield Town FC in 1946 following the Second World War.
Born in Macclesfield, Mr Smethurst also owns 10th-tier club Stockport Town.
He runs Pro Football Academy, the Wilmslow-based coaching academy with more than 50 centres across the country, with capacity to coach around 3,000 players each week, aged four to 16 years of age.
