They're one of the town’s true success stories, a sporting club which has grown from humble beginnings to challenging the giants of English rugby.

Make no mistake, Macclesfield Rugby Club is an institution we should all celebrate and be proud of. The Blues have been on the up and up since they moved from a small ground in Tytherington to their impressive base at Priory Park 31 years ago.

But that’s not enough for the ambitious staff and players – they’re striving for much, much more. Their rise to the third tier of the English rugby union game has been nothing short of remarkable.

And, under the stewardship of coaching team Geoff Wappett and Andy Northey, they now not only rub shoulders with some of the biggest names outside the Premiership, they are sitting pretty in the higher reaches of National League One eyeing promotion to the second tier.

Macclesfield have been on the rise since the leagues’ inception in the late 1980s, and Priory Park hasn’t seen a single relegation in that time.

Blues stalwart Geoff Allen explains: "It’s difficult to say exactly why we’re now being so successful, although Geoff Wappett and Andy Northey have brought a different culture to the club.

"Part of the reason behind our climb is that the infrastructure is quite sound because on the financial side, we’re well aware of the need to be frugal. Some clubs have multi-millionaire backers that throw money at it, we don’t have that so we exist on our means.

"Some of these teams are ones that we’d never have dreamed of playing as recently as 10 years ago and some of the teams we play against now are virtually full-time professional, while we're essentially semi-pro.

"The experience of our coaching team Geoff and Andy is invaluable to the club, and since their arrival we are not only surviving but we’re competing too."

One man who’s had a taste of the top flight is Fergus Mulchrone, who returned to Macc this year after finding his opportunities at Sale Sharks limited under their director of sport, Steve Diamond, himself a former Blue. And Fergus has no regrets about coming back to Macc, such is the potential at the club.

"The club has done very well over the last few years," he said. "After we got promotion I moved to Sale, which was a very good experience for me. I kept a close eye on the club, especially since my brother Charlie was at Macclesfield.

"There’s a real stability and structure at the club, and the players that have been brought in have improved the squad.

"We were fourth in the table at the end of last season and that was an excellent achievement, we’re building year on year.

"It was hard to leave Sale, obviously, it was difficult to see that that opportunity had finished.

"It was pleasing to come back to Macclesfield though, I saw it as a chance to progress myself and hopefully the benefits of my time at Sale will benefit us at Macclesfield now."

Former first XV captain Rick Jones is now playing his rugby in the second-string Lions team that is also enjoying great success on the field and he can’t help but be impressed at the rise of the side that he captained for years.

"The team hasn’t taken a backward step," he said. "Instead they’ve gone from strength to strength and the coaching set-up is second to none. We’ve gone through the leagues and never gone backwards.

"We were in North One when I was captaining the team, we seemed to have been there a long time and I think it was when Ian Taylor was captaining that we got out of that league and won a play-off to get through to the National Leagues.

"I think they could go up even further, it’s a tough ask money-wise and to be honest the way they’ve started so well was a surprise to me but the younger lads they’ve brought through are impressing.

"The club has grown up and the structure at Macclesfield is well regarded. The club doesn’t have much money to throw around but we look after the pennies and let the pounds look after themselves.

"I think people will look at the club and how it functions and think ‘yeah, they’re running it the right way’."

Rick admits that the club has, for many decades, been a major part of his family’s life.

His father, former president Peter, sadly passed away earlier this year, and with his own son having progressed through the hugely popular junior ranks, Rick feels the Blues’ future is in good hands.

"My dad was about 16 when he joined the club so that would have been about 1956 or 57 and the club’s been a part of our family since that time," he added.

"And it’s great to see the juniors taking part as well, I do a bit of coaching with the senior Colts and when I first went along to the junior section there were hundreds of them running round, it was great to see."

Key to the club’s current climb appears to be the stability off the field that the committee hope eliminates the risk of a surprising – and potentially disastrous – financial hit as Macc bid to defy the odds and take the National League One title, despite the clout of their more moneyed contemporaries.

Former chairman Alun Evans said: "I would think the structure is the key to the success the club is now having. The management of the club has pointed us in the right direction and there’s an army of people helping out in many ways.

"We’ve also been lucky in that we’ve got Geoff Wappett and Andy Northey as our coaching team. I just wish we had a few more people there to enjoy the high standard of rugby, it would be great to see a few more people through the door.

"One thing we don’t have is a big main sponsor that we’re very dependent upon. What has happened to many teams is that they had a sponsor’s deal that ended and it left them in real trouble.

"We’re definitely at a good standard in National One, it’s a league that so many teams below us are striving to get into."

And in director of rugby Geoff Wappett the Blues have a coach who’s already led Macc’s former rivals Rotherham to the Championship and taken charge of the England Under-19 side. He remains confident that the Blues’ rise hasn’t yet ended.

"I get a tremendous amount of fulfilment at the club," he said. "If we could get another couple of hundred people supporting us at Priory Park it would make such a difference to us.

"We’ve certainly got a team with the ability to score tries and we feel we’re a very competitive outfit. Hopefully people will recognise that and come down to see what’s going on here."

And in truth, they are certinaly a club to keep a close eye on.

A club on the up: The rise and rise of Macclesfield RUFC

  • 1980 - Club relocates to its present home, Priory Park.
  • 1982 - First XV wins Cheshire Plate.
  • 1985 - Macclesfield becomes a founder member of Girobank North West League.
  • 1992 - Club wins its first Cheshire Cup.
  • 1993 - Winners of the North West One Courage League.
  • 1994 - Macclesfield wins Cheshire Plate.
  • 1995 - Winners of North Two League, as well as the club’s second Cheshire Cup.
  • 2002 - Cheshire Cup win number three for Macc. Six players in Cheshire County XV that reaches County Championship final.
  • 2003 - Club celebrates its 125th anniversary. Macc promoted to National League Three North with second-place play-off win. Fourth Cheshire Cup victory.
  • 2005 - Macclesfield finish second in league but lose promotion play-off game at Redruth. Club also finishes as runners-up in Cheshire Cup.
  • 2006 - Cheshire Cup winners.
  • 2007 - Cheshire Cup retained. Club escapes threat of relegation with final-day win at home to Leicester Lions.
  • 2008 - Cheshire Cup runners-up.
  • 2009 - Blues finish third in League Three North and regain Cheshire Cup.
  • 2010 - Club wins National Two North to gain promotion to Division One. League title is added to with Division Two Champions Cup win .
  • 2011 - First season in third tier of English rugby ends with fourth-place finish.

Prodigal son Fergus Mulchrone takes a look at the team ...

  • RICHARD WIGHAM (back row) –A wealth of experience, got physicality in abundance and provides good direction.
  • MATT SIMPSON (outside back) – A very good player. Been unfortunate with injury but a good reader of the game.
  • MATT O’REGAN (outside back) – Improved massively, made the switch from Manchester and keeps getting better.
  • SAM MOSS (hooker) – Good physically and his throwing in lineouts has improved a lot.
  • CHARLIE MULCHRONE (scrum-half) – A revelation. Has become a top player and one voice you will definitely hear during games.
  • CHRIS JONES (back row) – A big hitter, a tackle breaker and a good scavenger too.
  • RYAN PARKINSON (back row) – After a good pre-season in the gym is becoming a top-rate player.
  • ED STOBART (outside back) – A great signing from Sedgley Park. Puts in some really big hits and has got great feet too.
  • JACK STOTT-SUGDEN (back row) –Has stepped up and taken the number six jersey and proved his worth to the team.
  • JOSH FOWLES (winger) – Fastest man at the club and perhaps the strongest as well.
  • DEAN WILLIAMS (second row) – After a bad year with injuries has proved his fitness again.
  • CHRIS RODDY (back row) – On the fringes of the team and making real headway.
  • MARTIN KENT (front row) –Exceptional scrummager and ball carrier.
  • JACK READ (hooker) – Is pushing Sam hard for the number two shirt.
  • TOM MANTELL (front row) – Hard man and a big unit. Was player-of-the-year and has carried that form on this season.
  • GAVIN WOODS (front row) – Fantastic on the ball, huge work rate and provides on-field leadership.
  • JACK MOORHOUSE (outside back, pictured below) – Has exceptional running lines, work rate and tackling ability .
  • ROSS WINNEY (outside back) –A leader and his kicking is second to none.
  • ALAN MARSH (second row) – The ultimate workhorse. A man who inspires others.
  • RICHARD HUGHES (centre) – Veteran who puts in monumental hits and provides great drive.
  • TOM EATON (half-back) – Excellent distributor, he barks his orders and kicks well under pressure too.