MACC
- THE FINAL PUSH |
As you have probably heard, Macclesfield Town were hit with a huge fine from the FA at the end of last year, which was compounded by the need to pay it by the end of January 2006. Time is running out fast for them to meet the deadline and they need the help of all football fans. You may have already visited Macc websites and donated to them but if not, take a few minutes to read the message below from Macc fan Gary Jackson and, if you are able, see if you can help them out. For some background on the fine see David Conn's article from The Guardian at the beginning of the month. Macclesfield Town Football Club have less than two weeks to go before the deadline to pay the FA nearly £300,000 or face insolvency. The Silkmen fans and the club have been busy fundraising since day one but now the donations are needed more than ever for the final push towards the fine. Last month Macclesfield Town were hit hard by the F.A. who ordered the Cheshire club pay them in the region of £300,000 by the end of January. This took the form of a fine and repayment for offences relating to the building of the new stand. Two of these charges, which incorporate almost 80% of the full amount, the club still strenuously deny. It was immediately clear that a club the size of Macclesfield Town, and indeed most other organizations, would struggle to raise that sort of money in the draconian six week timescale given by the F.A. The Club and its supporters both moved swiftly to begin the seemingly insurmountable task of raising the required money. The club announced last week that we have raised a total of around £50,000. Macc chairman Rob Bickerton said "It's gone okay, most of the money we've had so far has been through donations. We had around £50,000 by last Wednesday (11th Jan) but obviously it's hard to give an exact amount when a lot of it is in 10 pence pieces! "We have a big mountain to climb. We can see the top and are working hard to get there, but I couldn't say if we'll get there or not." There are currently many ways to donate money to Save Our Silkmen. They are the following: 1) The Save Our Silkmen Pixsale Website Visit www.saveoursilkmen.co.uk and donate £1.25 per square towards the SOS fund giving you a square on the Pixsale website with your message of support. You can buy as many squares as you want. Businesses, Companies or your own website can advertise on the Pixsale website for just £75 for a space of 40 squares. The Save Our Silkmen Pixsale website will be up and running for years to come so it will guarantee a constant stream of visits to your websites. A Save Our Silkmen Pixsale League Table has been created showing all the clubs that have donated to this scheme. From Gravesend and Northfleet to FC St Pauli and Sale Sharks! Fans from across the world have already pledged their support. The aim of the Pixsale website is to raise £10,000 before
midnight on January 31st. You can help buy buying a square or three
or twenty. 2) Donate by Cheque Cheques for donations should be sent to the following address: SILKMEN SUPPORTERS' TRUST Please make cheques payable to SILKMEN SUPPORTERS' TRUST. Please include a stamped, addressed envelope if you require a receipt. Important: Names of donors and sizes of donations will be kept anonymous unless you explicitly tell us you don't mind either your name or the size of your donation being used in publicity. For more information visit www.silkmen.org.uk 3) Attend the Fans United day at the Moss Rose. One of several initiatives being run by the club is a decision to host a Fans United day at the Moss Rose at 3.00pm, Sunday January 29th when the club face Carlisle United in a League Two clash. A Silkmen Supporters Trust spokesman Mike Griffiths said: "All supporters of Macclesfield Town feel that the FA have been unjustly ruthless in the size and timescale of this punishment. We are working hard to help raise the money and want to support the Club's move to create this Fans United Day. We hope that supporters from across the country will come and enjoy the day with us. Our four games since Christmas have seen 20 goals so it could prove to be very entertaining for the neutral even if the loyal fans fingernails don't last the full 90 minutes! "The day will also involve a collection for our newly formed Silkmen Supporters Trust who have pledged to help Macclesfield Town raise the £300,000 they need by the end of the month." Fans United days have proved to be incredibly successful in the past as the football family turn out to support one of their own who are undergoing a crisis. Events at Cambridge and Wrexham last year attracted 1,000 and 1,400 extra supporters respectively. Supporters of all clubs are invited to attend the game wearing their
own team's colours to show their support for the Silkmen in their
hour of need. So there you go. Three ways to help Save Our Silkmen. You choose the right one for you or even better - choose all three. Thank you for reading (that’s if you got this far) and a big thank you to those that have or will be donating to Save Our Silkmen! Onwards and Upwards Gary Jackson |