 | |||
| Full name | Morecambe Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Shrimps | ||
| Founded | 7 May 1920; 105 years ago (1920-05-07) | ||
| Ground | Mazuma Mobile Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 6,476 (2,247 seated) | ||
| Coordinates | 54°03′41″N2°52′02″W / 54.0615°N 2.8672°W /54.0615; -2.8672 | ||
| Owner | Panjab Warriors | ||
| Chairman | Vacant | ||
| Manager | Ashvir Singh Johal | ||
| League | National League | ||
| 2024–25 | EFL League Two, 24th of 24 (relegated) | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Morecambe Football Club is a professionalassociation football club based inMorecambe, Lancashire, England. The team plays in theNational League, the fifth level of theEnglish football league system.
The club was founded in 1920, and is notable for not experiencingrelegation from any league until 2023. For their first 48 years they competed in theLancashire Combination, winning the league title five times, in 1924–25, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1966–67 and 1967–68. They joined the newly-formedNorthern Premier League in 1968, remaining in that league until, under managerJim Harvey, a second-place finish in1994–95 saw them promoted into theConference. Having been beaten in the 2003 and 2006 play-off semi-finals,Sammy McIlroy led the club to promotion into theFootball League with victory in the2007 play-off final. In 14 seasons inLeague Two they reached the play-offs twice, achieving promotion after winning the2021 League Two play-off final. Following two seasons inLeague One they were relegated, and two years later they dropped again to theNational League. Both relegations were associated with financial problems and Morecambe were briefly suspended from league football during the summer of 2025, with closure of the club perilously close. However, a change in ownership saw debts cleared and the club survived.
In cups, Morecambe's biggest win was theFA Trophy in1974. They also won theNorthern Premier League President's Cup in 1992, and theConference League Cup in 1998. They have reached theFA Cup third round on seven occaisions, and theEFL Cup third round twice.
Nicknamed "The Shrimps" due to the coastal town's local speciality food, the club have played home games at theMazuma Mobile Stadium since moving from their original home atChristie Park in 2010. The club has rivalries with nearbyAccrington Stanley, with non-League neighboursLancaster City of the same council area, and otherLancashire clubs.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Morecambe F.C." – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Football in the town dates back to the turn of the 20th century; however, it was not until 7 May 1920 that Morecambe FC was formed after a meeting at the local West View Hotel. The club then took its place in the Lancashire Combination League for the1920–21 season.
Sharing grounds withMorecambe Cricket Club at Woodhill Lane during the first season, football proved popular, with crowds in excess of 3,000 for derby fixtures withLancaster City andFleetwood Town. Although success on the field was hard to come by, with the club languishing near the bottom of the table, at the end of the first season the club moved grounds to Roseberry Park. A few years later after the purchase of the ground by the then-President, J.B. Christie, the ground's name was changed to Christie Park in his honour. Those early seasons proved difficult, and it was not until 1924–25 that the club began to enjoy some success, claiming the league title for the first time; this was later followed by success in the Lancashire Junior Cup, beating old rivalsChorley after two replays, and in front of over 30,000 spectators.
Christie bequeathed the ground to the club in 1927 and also helped incorporate the club into a Limited Company with a then share capital of £1,000. The rest of the 1920s and the whole of the 1930s saw a constant struggle to keep football alive on the North West coast, with poor results on the field and little or no revenue off the field.
The post-war era saw an upturn in the Shrimps' fortunes with steady progress throughout the late 1940s and nearly all the 1950s, with a visible marked improvement when in 1956 Ken Horton was appointedplayer-manager. Whilst success was only just around the corner, the foundations for the future were being built. The Auxiliary Supporters club had been formed and with their help many ground improvements were undertaken, so that the on-field success dovetailed neatly with the off-field enterprise. Morecambe enjoyed success during the fourteen years from 1960. This included anFA Cup third round appearance in 1961–62, a 1–0 defeat toWeymouth; aLancashire Senior Cup final victory in 1968, a 2–1 win overBurnley;[1] and anFA Trophy success atWembley in 1974, a 2–1 win overDartford in the final.
The next 12 years were as barren as any previous period in the club's history. Attendances fell from a creditable 2,000 plus to a miserable 200 minus, with a visible decline in the club fortunes during that period. However, in 1985–86, signs of improvement appeared; the club's league position improved, and success in cups came as well over the next few years. It took ten years for the club to reach its ambition of promotion to theFootball Conference after many further improvements, not only to the ground but also to the club's structure. Their promotion at the end of the1994–95 Northern Premier League season came afterMarine's ground did not meet Conference requirements, so second-placed Morecambe took their place.
From their first Conference season (1995–96), the Shrimps became one of the leading teams in the league. OnlyWoking had a longer unbroken membership of the league at this time. The runners-up spot was claimed on one occasion and the play-off positions were narrowly missed twice. Also during this time, the club equalled its best appearance in the FA Cup in both 2000–01 and 2002–03. On both occasions the club facedIpswich Town, losing 3–0 and 4–0 respectively. Morecambe also defeated a few league clubs in the FA Cup, includingCambridge United in 2000–01 andChesterfield in 2002–03.
In November 2005,Jim Harvey suffered a heart attack during a league game at Christie Park againstCambridge United. The club quickly declared the appointment of acaretaker manager,Sammy McIlroy, a long-time friend of Harvey. After McIlroy's initial three-month stint as caretaker expired, he was given the job for the remainder of the season with Harvey expected to return on its closure. However, on his first day back as manager of Morecambe, Harvey was sacked by the club and McIlroy was appointed as permanent manager.
In the absence of Harvey, Morecambe reached the Conference play-offs. They lost toHereford 4–3 on aggregate, but McIlroy was appointed on a permanent basis in May 2006. The following season, Morecambe were promoted to theFootball League for the first time in their history after winning theConference play-off final, beatingExeter City 2–1 atWembley on 20 May 2007, in front of over 40,000 fans which followed their semi-final victory over York City.[2]
On 17 July 2007, Morecambe announced plans to move to a new stadium by the start of the 2009–10 season. However, work did not start on the proposed site until spring 2009, with completion anticipated in summer 2010.[3]
Morecambe played their firstFootball League game againstBarnet atChristie Park on 11 August 2007, earning a 0–0 draw.[4] On 14 August 2007, Morecambe played their firstLeague Cup tie, winning 2–1 against near neighboursPreston North End atDeepdale.[5] The Shrimps then beat another Championship side, winning 3–1 win againstWolverhampton Wanderers on 28 August. In the third round, they faced a third consecutive Championship side,Sheffield United, but lost 5–0. They finished their first League Two season in 11th place with 60 points. They also finished 11th in the 2008–09 season, with 63 points.
The 2009–10 season was Morecambe's last atChristie Park, and they finished in fourth place, qualifying for theplay-offs, but lost 7–2 on aggregate toDagenham & Redbridge. On 10 August 2010, Morecambe played their first match at theGlobe Arena againstChampionship sideCoventry City in the League Cup. Morecambe won 2–0, withAndy Fleming scoring the first two goals at the stadium.. After the club finished the2010–11 season in 20th place, Morecambe manager Sammy McIlroy left the club by mutual consent on 9 May 2011, after five years.[6]
On 13 May 2011,Jim Bentley signed a two-year deal as player-manager.[7] After a promising start to the2011–12 season, a poor end to the season led to Morecambe finishing 15th in League Two. In Bentley's second season they finished 16th. Bentley signed a two-year contract extension in October 2013,[8] and two further extensions in August 2015 and October 2017.[9] Over this period, Morecambe retained their League status with 18th, 11th, 21st, 18th, 22nd and 18th finishing positions. In May 2018, the club was sold to Bond Group Investments.[10]
Bentley left in October 2019 to becomeAFC Fylde's manager, having spent 16 months as the thenlongest serving manager in the top four tiers of English football.[11] In November 2019, Morecambe appointedDerek Adams as manager.[12] The remainder of the season, shortened by theCOVID-19 pandemic, saw the Shrimps finish 22nd after 37 games played, again avoiding relegation.
In the2020–21 season, the club faced twoPremier League sides in two cup competitions, falling toNewcastle United[13] in the third round of theEFL Cup and toChelsea in the third round of theFA Cup atStamford Bridge;[14] the latter equalled their furthest run in the FA Cup since the early 2000s. In the league, the club qualified in fourth place for theLeague Two play-offs with 78 points, missing automatic promotion by one point. Following a 3–2 aggregate win overTranmere Rovers in the semi-final,[15] the club reached a first League play-off final. In the2021 League Two play-off final againstNewport County atWembley Stadium on 31 May 2021, Morecambe won 1–0, afterCarlos Mendes Gomes converted a penalty in the 107th minute. This earned the Shrimps promotion to League One, the third tier of English football, for the first time in their history.[16] Adams resigned three days later[17] to become manager ofBradford City.[18]
In June 2021, the club announced formerMotherwell managerStephen Robinson as manager for the club'sfirst season in League One.[19] Their first game was a 2–2 draw atIpswich Town.[20] The club again reached theFA Cup third round, playing another London-basedPremier League side,Tottenham Hotspur. After scoring the first goal, Morecambe were undone by late goals fromHarry Kane,Lucas Moura andHarry Winks to lose 3–1 atTottenham Hotspur Stadium.[21] After 32 games, Robinson left to take over at Scottish clubSt Mirren.[22] Adams returned as manager,[23] and, despite the club flirting with relegation, led them out of the drop zone to finish 19th and retain League One status for asecond season.[24]
In October 2022, Adams voiced worries about the future of the club. Its owners, Bond Group Investments, had put the club up for sale in September 2022, with directors Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring stepping down from the Shrimps' board.[25] In March 2023, players' wages were paid late, with funds invested by Sarbjot Johal, who was aiming to take over the club, ultimately bridging the gap.[26] However, uncertainty about the club's ownership continued,[27] ultimately through to August 2025.
In May 2023, Morecambe were relegated to League Two.[28] Fourteen players left the club after their contracts expired, with no players offered new deals.[29] In August 2023, Morecambe received a suspended three-point deduction for paying its players late in March.[30] In December 2023, Morecambe and owner Jason Whittingham were charged by the EFL for failures over players' wages,[31] and in April 2024, the three-point deduction was activated and Whittingham was fined £10,000.[32] The club finished the2023–24 season in 15th place.[33]
On 30 April 2024, after succeeding Derek Adams as manager in November 2023,Ged Brannan left to join League Two rivalsAccrington Stanley.[34] Manager-less, with chief executive Ben Sadler joiningWalsall, and with only one player under contract for the next season due to an ongoing transfer embargo, the club was described as "a circus" by its chairman Rod Taylor in May 2024.[35] On 20 May 2024, Morecambe announced the departure of 16 players, leaving the club with a five-strong first-team squad.[36] The following day, club directors called on Whittingham to sell the club to avoid a 'catastrophic outcome'.[37][38] Derek Adams returned for a third spell as manager in early June 2024.[39] A month later, talks over a possible buyout of the club were reported to be at "an advanced stage",[40] the transfer embargo was lifted (though Morecambe were fined £5,131.82 for failing to meet payment obligations)[41] and Morecambe signed 15 players.[42]
On 19 December 2024, Morecambe received a suspended two-points deduction for five failures to report non-payment of accounts owed toHM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).[43] On 23 January 2025, the club - 23rd in League Two and five points from safety - insisted it was "not in immediate jeopardy" despite having no proof of funds for the rest of the season and being unable to sign players in the transfer window.[44] However, Morecambe later secured funds to sign players.[45]
On 21 April 2025, after 18 years in the Football League, Morecambe were relegated to theNational League at the end of the2024–25 season.[46] Club directors subsequently reported "positive progress" towards the sale of the club,[47] and a deal with Panjab Warriors, a sports investment company, was approved by the EFL in early June,[48] but Whittingham delayed the deal.
When administration loomed in early July after non-payment of staff wages,[49][50][51] Whittingham sacked the club's directors,[52][53] then claimed that a new buyer was set to take over the club.[54][55] This deal was never sealed, and as players and staff again went unpaid, the club was placed under a registration embargo by the National League for breaching financial regulations,[56] and in late July 2025 was then suspended by the League,[57] with the side's first three League fixtures postponed. The club was given until 20 August to resolve the situation[57][58] but football operations ceased and players left to join other clubs.[59][60] The ownership crisis was raised in Parliament[61] with both theculture secretaryLisa Nandy[62] andUK prime minister SirKeir Starmer urging all concerned with the club to ensure its survival.[63] Six weeks of sometimes acrimonious claims and counter-claims between Panjab Warriors and Whittingham's Bond Group eventually concluded with an agreement announced on 14 August,[64][65] enabling the club to avoid a HMRC winding-up petition, appoint new directors,[66] pay staff and players,[67] and expand the remaining squad of contracted players ahead of the side's first National League fixture.
Panjab Warriors had sacked manager Derek Adams,[68] appointingAshvir Singh Johal as his replacement on 19 August. He took on a side with just five contracted players.[69] On 20 August, Morecambe confirmed their opening fixture againstAltrincham would go ahead on 23 August, and said the transfer embargo had been lifted, allowing the club to sign players.[70] Twelve new players were signed ahead of the Altrincham game,[71] which Morecambe won 2–1,[72] though the side then lost its next four games.[73]
Table of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below:[74]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1920–74 | ||
| 1974–78 | Umbro | |
| 1978–79 | Litesome | |
| 1979–80 | Holmark | |
| 1981–82 | Adidas | Mitchells |
| 1983–84 | Umbro | John Wilding |
| 1984–85 | MG Markets | |
| 1985–86 | Carlton Caterers | |
| 1986–87 | Umbro | |
| 1987–88 | ||
| 1988–91 | Umbro | Cvg |
| 1992–93 | Mitchells | |
| 1993–94 | Asics | Carleton Inn |
| 1994–95 | Printing Machinery | |
| 1995–96 | Pony International | Ais Products |
| 1996–97 | Lakesway | |
| 1997–98 | Oasis | |
| 1998–99 | Ambulink UK | |
| 1999–2000 | Umbro | Redman & Jones |
| 2000–02 | Business Serve PLC | |
| 2002–04 | Thurnham Leisure Group | |
| 2004–07 | Wright & Lord Solicitors | |
| 2007–08 | Jiang Print | |
| 2008–09 | Puma SE | Mopay.co.uk |
| 2009–12 | Bench. | |
| 2012–13 | Fila | Carbrini |
| 2013–14 | Blacks Leisure Group | |
| 2014–15 | Carbrini | |
| 2015–16 | Carbrini | JD Sports |
| 2016–17 | Omega Holidays | |
| 2017–18 | Macron | Purple Property Group |
| 2018–19 | Bizloans4u | |
| 2019–21 | Annapurna Recruitment[75][76] | |
| 2021–23 | Joma[77] | Mazuma[78] |
| 2023–24 | Omnia[79] | |
| 2024–25 | The Terrace[80] | The Fan Cave Memorabilia[81] |
| 2025– | The Terrace[82] | LBD Modular Systems Ltd |
The Shrimps' mascot is Christie the Cat.[83] The cat was named after Morecambe's old stadium, Christie Park.
From the early 1990s, Morecambe engaged in a bitter rivalry with Lancashire neighboursAccrington Stanley. The Shrimps failed to beat Accrington in 16 attempts after their 2007 promotion to the Football League beforeAaron Wildig's goal gave them a 1–0 win over their rivals in August 2015. Morecambe's other local rivals includeLancaster City,Barrow,Fleetwood Town,Kendal Town andSouthport.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Board
Coaching staff
(1947 to present)
| Date | Name | Record (P/W/D/L/%) | Notes | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–48 |  Jimmy Milne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1955–56 |  Albert Dainty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1956–61 | Ken Horton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1961–64 | Joe Dunn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1964–65 | Geoff Twentyman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1965–69 | Ken Waterhouse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1969–70 | Ronnie Clayton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1970 | Gerry Irving & Ronnie Mitchell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1970–72 | Ken Waterhouse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1972–75 | Dave Roberts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | Player manager. WonFA Trophy atWembley in1974 | |
| 1976–77 | Johnny Johnson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1977–78 | Tommy Ferber | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1978–79 | Mick Hogarth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1979–81 | Don Cubbage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1981 | Jim Thomson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1981–84 | Les Rigby | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1984–85 | Sean Gallagher | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1985–88 | Joe Wojciechowicz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1988–89 | Billy Wright | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1989–93 | Bryan Griffiths | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1994 |  Leighton James | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | ||
| 1994–05 |  Jim Harvey | 554 | 254 | 125 | 175 | 045.8 | Won promotion to theConference from theNorthern Premier League in1995 | |
| 2005–11[n 1] | Sammy McIlroy | 268 | 100 | 77 | 91 | 037.3 | Won promotion to theFootball League from theConference in2007 | [85] |
| 2011–19 | Jim Bentley | 434 | 123 | 119 | 192 | 028.3 | [85] | |
| 2019 | Kevin Ellison & Barry Roche | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 050.0 | Joint caretaker player managers | [85] |
| 2019–21 | Derek Adams | 79 | 34 | 18 | 27 | 043.0 | Won promotion toLeague One fromLeague Two in2021 | [85] |
| 2021–22 | Stephen Robinson | 40 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 025.0 | [85] | |
| 2022 | Barry Roche | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 000.0 | Caretaker player manager | [85] |
| 2022–23 | Derek Adams | 88 | 24 | 25 | 39 | 027.3 | Relegated from League One to League Two in 2023 | [85] |
| 2023–24 | Ged Brannan | 32 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 031.3 | [85] | |
| 2024–25 | Derek Adams | 54 | 14 | 6 | 34 | 025.9 | Relegated from League Two to National League in 2025 | [85] |
| 2025– | Ashvir Singh Johal | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 016.7 | [85] | |
Performance
Source:[86][additional citation(s) needed]
League
Cup
Culture and infrastructure of theCity of Lancaster | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | |||||||||||||
| Parks & reserves | |||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||
| Media | |||||||||||||
| Politics | |||||||||||||
| Education |
| ||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
