Morecambe board of directors speak out after club’s 18-year spell in the EFL comes to an end

Morecambe board of directors speak out after the club’s 18-year spell in the EFL comes to an end in sad circumstances.

They expressed profound disappointment and outlined the club’s challenges and future direction with relegation confirmed after defeat to Salford City, leaving Morecambe 23rd in League Two, five points from safety with one game remaining.

The Board acknowledged the fans’ unwavering support, thanking them for standing by the club during a tumultuous period marked by financial and ownership issues.

They also highlighted the severe constraints imposed by the ongoing ownership crisis under Bond Group Investments, led by Jason Whittingham, who put the club up for sale in September 2022.

Reiterating their frustration with Bond Group’s failure to provide sufficient proof of funding, which led to a transfer embargo in January 2025 despite recent cup successes and capital injections. This embargo prevented new signings, exacerbating the club’s struggles on the pitch.

The statement also mentioned the Board’s efforts to stabilise the club, noting that despite Whittingham’s assurances, promised funds often failed to materialise, as detailed in an open letter to Bond Group in May 2024.

The Board also referenced a December 2024 suspended two-point deduction from the EFL for five instances of failing to report non-payment to HMRC, alongside a prior three-point deduction in April 2024 for late player wage payments in March 2023.

These penalties, combined with Whittingham’s £10,000 fine, underscored the club’s financial mismanagement under the current ownership.

Looking ahead, the Board want to work tirelessly to get Morecambe back to the EFL, expressing the need for a swift sale to a credible buyer, noted advanced takeover talks reported in July 2024 and a constructive meeting with prospective purchasers in October 2024, however, no deal has been finalised due to delays in EFL approval processes.

The Board urged fans to continue their support, warning that administration could lead to further relegation, as fans vented outrage, with protests against Whittingham intensifying, including a “Not A Penny More” campaign inspired by Blackpool supporters.

A statement from the Board of Directors of Morecambe Football Club.#UTS 🦐

— Morecambe FC (@MorecambeFC) April 22, 2025

Here’s what was said in a statement from the Board of Directors of Morecambe Football Club…

It is with heavy hearts that we, the Board of Directors of Morecambe Football Club, acknowledge our relegation to the National League. This moment is one of profound disappointment for everyone associated with the club—players, staff, supporters, and the wider community.

Derek, his staff, and our players have shown commendable determination and resilience throughout the season, overcoming the challenges of forming a squad almost from scratch and under embargo during the summer. They have worked hard and battled through every match with the spirit and fortitude we expect at Morecambe FC. Unfortunately, the results just haven’t been forthcoming, and we will now drop into the fifth tier of English football for the first time since 2007.

As directors and fans, we understand the frustration and anger that relegation, combined with our ongoing ownership challenges and the seemingly interminable sale process, creates. At times like these, it can feel impossible to look forward with any degree of optimism. It is also the case, in the absence of being able to confirm a change of ownership, communicating with everyone who loves the Club is especially difficult. However, look forward and communicate we must; the only other option would be to give up, and we can’t contemplate that.

Firstly, we extend our deepest gratitude to every Shrimps fan who has stood by the team through thick and thin. Your unwavering support has been a source of immense strength. We ask for your continued belief and support as we embark on this new journey in the National League. We are confident that, together, we can rise above this latest challenge in our 105-year history and reclaim our place in the higher echelons of English football.

Secondly, we can confirm the process of selling the club is ongoing and, as things stand today, there appears to have been real, positive and recent progress within the last two weeks. We fully appreciate how much this sounds like a stuck record, but we are committed to providing updates which are as open and transparent as possible, and therefore we will continue to do so regardless of how they may understandably be received.

Thirdly, we wanted to address the response to season ticket pricing for next season. Our aim was to provide the best possible value to all fans while also attempting to make the Club as sustainable as possible. The costs of running a football club, on and off the pitch, have continued to increase, as demonstrated by the huge losses of the majority of clubs in the EFL and National League. Only those clubs with owners willing and able to lose millions every season can operate without increasing prices from time to time, and we aren’t one of those clubs.

That said, we have to point out our attempts to provide the best possible value do stack up next season. Our pricing sees us offering the 16th most reasonable adult seated season ticket and the 19th most reasonable adult standing season ticket in the National League. We understand any price increase feels like a kick in the teeth when coupled with relegation, but we have to do all we can to return to the EFL as quickly as possible, which means generating the funds necessary to be both sustainable and competitive.

Finally, as directors, it would be remiss not to admit there have been times during the last two years where we have had no choice but to consider our own positions, both collectively and individually. Dealing with Bond Group’s endless unmet deadlines and assurances, finding the time to run the club on a voluntary basis amongst family and other business commitments, and fielding the understandable but still tough-to-take criticism from some quarters have all taken their toll.

However, Morecambe Football Club is more than just a team in whatever league the First Team plays. It is a family, a community, and a part of us, and it will endure. We must face the next chapter with the hope, resilience, and determination required to see us rise again, and we ask that as many of you as possible do the same and stand alongside us.

Thank you, sincerely, for your continued support.

The Board of Directors
Morecambe Football Club

Morecambe boss Derek Adams apologised to fans as his side’s relegation from the Football League after 18 years was confirmed.

He said: “I just want to apologise on behalf of everyone at the football club. It’s been a really difficult season and a really difficult number of seasons and it’s hard for the supporters who’ve seen their club fall down a league.

“A lot of things have led to this and as manager, it is important I take stock and speak on behalf of everyone to say that we have tried our best.

“We were limited at the start of the season with an embargo until July and then a soft embargo in the January window as well and it led to a point that made it very difficult.

“We were left with a budget that was reduced from last season and we just haven’t had the ability to win games regularly.

“We were without 11 players today and I knew it was going to be very difficult but everyone tried their best and were just short.”

Derek Adams reaction as Morecambe are relegated into the National League this afternoon after an 18 season stay in the EFL.#UTS 🦐 | #MORvSAL | #ShrimpsLive | @BeyondRadio pic.twitter.com/bdVvsPgkda

— Dave Salmon (@dpsalmon) April 21, 2025

This is what Twitter users are saying as Morecambe board of directors speak out after the club’s 18-year spell in the EFL comes to an end…

@AdyHutchinson: ‘Our pricing sees us offering…the 19th most reasonable adult standing season ticket in the National League’. There’s only 24 teams!!

@MorecambeFCFeed:
• Board “confident” of reclaiming EFL status #delulu
• “Real, positive and recent progress” on a sale #IDontBelieveYou
• “19th most reasonable adult standing season ticket in the National League”
• “Fielding tough-to-take criticism from some quarters” has taken its toll”
19th best season ticket in a league of 24 teams is quite a good way of saying it’s shite value for a relegation candidate.

@JLeech456: The club are setting themselves up a bit with the ‘19th most reasonable price’ line. They will need to deliver success on the field to justify this and they won’t be able to blame finances if we finish bottom half

@Martin_H_1986: Surely just say ‘we believe the prices to be competetive’ rather than 19th cheapest which isn’t really a flex given how we’ve often had the cheapest tickets in the EFL

@Hopey_Media: Sorry lads, enough’s enough. Bored of the ownership situation and don’t believe change is coming. We need to gut the club from top to bottom to solve the issues.

@andyberrymfc: Genuine thanks to Rod, Graham, Charlie and James for all they have done during incredibly testing times #shrimps

@Joe_Holdsworth2: These positive talks have been going on for awhile…….

@swaz_15: “There appears to have been real, positive and recent progress within the last two weeks.” Not sure what is “Open and Transparent” about that, sounds like a load of old tosh.

@Nozzzaaaa: We all hope you get it all sorted out fast – it’s all just so soul destroying isn’t it 😔 Keep fighting … keep being loud and getting yourselves heard

@jim_bell17:
– A sale is coming but they can’t give us any details apart from that it’s “close”
I just don’t believe anything that comes from anyone’s mouth on the matter until it is there to see with my own eyeballs
– The hike in season tickets is frankly ridiculous despite relegation and

@bensadler12: So sorry to see this for my friends at MFC. I lived and breathed first hand the highs and immense challenges with the wonderful folk on the board, the loyal supporters, and colleagues who battled valiantly to keep going in the face of adversity. You’ll bounce back!

@keelan_____: I don’t care how many big words you can put together, the fact you’re actually increasing season ticket prices is an absolute disgrace. Morecambe fans should absolutely not pay that.

@JakeEnglish_: Good on them for putting the statement out, can tell they’re hurting. Fair bit of filler but Jason won’t be telling them much and there’ll be limits to what can be said. The part about pricing comparisons is very misjudged though and doesn’t come across at all well.

@slewpanova: The board are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, they can’t win

@BenjaminGrocott: What sort of business owners think raising prices to chase revenue works? If your product has gotten worse but your prices are going up you won’t well as much so the price rise is pointless

@TheComShrimp: What a load of shite. I will rephrase it. Exactly the same update as over a year ago. We offer the 5th most expensive standing season ticket in the league. NAPM

@GabSutton: One of the many challenges the BoD at Morecambe have is that the situation inherently makes them liable to a certain degree of displacement. When the person to blame for a situation is the same person it’s been for several years – and they’re unresponsive – the energy for directing anger at them can dissipate. But that anger doesn’t just go, so it’s perfectly natural for fans to want to direct it at the people who do respond, because at least that way the emotion is being heard. Yet in reality, the ones who are responsive aren’t the ones who are responsible. It’s completely understandable to want to vent somewhere that doesn’t feel like a black hole, but being tired of Jason Whittingham being at fault for the club’s predicament doesn’t stop it from being true. Of course, it’s not up to me to tell anyone what to think about their club and that’s not my intention. I can only speak from my humble outside perspective, which is that turning on these directors isn’t what’s required right now – they’re trying their best in a really tough situation and need support.