‘It’s soul-destroying’: takeover crisis leaves Morecambe FC on the brink

In the century since it was founded, only a world war has stopped play at Morecambe football club. But the 105-year-old institution is days away from collapse amid the “unfolding disaster” of a takeover deal.

The Shrimps, as they are affectionately known, are the latest victims of lax football governance rules, after similar crises at clubs including Wigan Athletic, Bolton Wanderers, Sheffield Wednesday and Bury FC, one of the oldest in the world.

“It’s soul-destroying,” said David Freer, 62, a lifelong fan who has commentated on Morecambe games for 12 years for the Football League.

As recently as 2021, the club were holding their own in the third tier of English football – their highest-ever ranking. Morecambe were relegated for the first time in their history in 2023 and then again last season.

Dave Freer, a former Morecambe FC match commentator, described the situation as ‘two minutes to midnight’ for the club. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Now there is a real possibility the club will be banned from playing their first game in the National League, which kicks off in three weeks, and players will be allowed to leave the club for nothing if they are not paid by Friday.

“It is two minutes to midnight and it’s just terrifying,” said Freer.

The club’s playing staff were only paid a third of their wages in June, and school proms, weddings and wakes due to be held at Morecambe’s 6,400-capacity Mazuma Stadium were abruptly cancelled.

The local food bank and Citizens Advice branch have offered help to employees, while an Indian restaurant fed them all for nothing earlier this month. A whip-round by fans raised £361 for the players, who politely declined the donation, which will instead go to the supporters’ group the Shrimps Trust.

Joanna Young, the chief executive of Citizens Advice North Lancashire, said: “We’ve had contact from people who have been affected by what’s happening at the football club, who find themselves in a very difficult financial position.

“Most people budget for what they’re expecting to receive. Receiving a third of your wages – that just pitches people into financial crisis.”

Lizzi Collinge, the Labour MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said she had wept and barely slept over the “unfolding disaster” at the club. There was a “very real risk” that the club would cease to exist in a matter of days, she added.

Mike Gibson, who has been coming to see the Shrimps for 43 years, said the club was a ‘deep part of your life’. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Morecambe’s takeover drama began in 2023 when the owner, Jason Whittingham’s Bond Group Investments, announced it was selling to the London-based investment firm Panjab Warriors, which then loaned £6m to the Shrimps.

Two years of financial turmoil followed, with unpaid bills, sackings and resignations. It came to a head last week when Whittingham announced he was selling the club to a mystery third party and not to Panjab Warriors.

In the Commons last week, Collinge used parliamentary privilege to raise a suspicion that Whittingham is using Morecambe to leverage his own finances.

“I suspect that Jason Whittingham has built a house of cards, and it is now falling down around his ears,” she said. “Morecambe FC is being held hostage, and it breaks my heart … The likes of Jason Whittingham should never have been allowed to buy a football club.”

Panjab Warriors said this week it was considering legal action against Bond Group Investments, accusing it of possible “misrepresentation and bad faith dealing”. Whittingham has not commented on the allegations. Morecambe FC was approached by the Guardian for comment.

Tarnia Elsworth, the chair of the Shrimps Trust, said the club was a ‘common thread’ that held the town together. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Tarnia Elsworth, the chair of the Shrimps Trust, said the end of the club would devastate Morecambe, a seaside resort that relies on the thousands of football fans who visit the Mazuma Stadium every year.

Football was a “common thread” that held the town together, she said. “It’s the one place where 3,000 people meet regularly to share experience. I’ve got members who’ve been doing that for 60 years. For some people it’s the only contact they have with other people.”

Outside the stadium, the lifelong fan Mike Gibson, 58, said he had been watching his beloved Shrimps for 43 years. “All that time could just disappear and could all be ripped away from you,” he said. “It just feels like losing a family member. It’s a deep part of your life.”