Macclesfield Town FC was formed in 1874 in the small town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play their home games at the 6,355-capacity Moss Rose stadium. Between 1874 and 1940 the club was known by a succession of names, including Macclesfield Football and Athletic Club, Hallifield F.C. and Macclesfield F.C. When competitive football resumed after the Second World War  Macclesfield Town Football Club Ltd was formed and the club gained their current name. Macclesfield  joined the Cheshire County League in 1946-47 and were founder members of the Northern Premier League, one of three leagues at the fifth tier of English football, upon its creation in 1968. Macclesfield were champions in each of the first two seasons of the competition.  The club finished as Northern Premier League runners-up in the 1984-85 season, and two years later Macclesfield's third Northern Premier League title resulted in promotion to the Conference. Sammy McIlroy took charge at the start of the 1993-94 season, and guided the club to the GM Vauxhall Conference Championship in his second season as manager.  The  club was denied promotion to the Football League because its Moss Rose Stadium did not meet the Football League  requirements of having a 6,000 total capacity including at least 1,000 seats by the League's deadline of 31 December 1994. Macclesfield won the Conference title again two seasons later in 1996-97, by which time the stadium had been upgraded and they were promoted to Division Three of the Football League in place of Hereford United. Upon gaining League status, the club turned fully professional.  The club stayed in the fourth tier of the Football League from 1999 to 2012, losing a play-off semi-final in 2005, before being relegated back into the Conference on 28 April 2012 with a 2-0 home defeat by Burton. Macclesfield Town returned to the Football League in 2018 but increasing financial problems contributed to a return to the National league in 2020 and the club was expelled from the National League in October 2020 bringing its long history brought to an end.