Morecambe FC,

The Mazuma Mobile Stadium,

Christie Way,

Westgate,

Morecambe

LA4 4TB

Morecambe FC were formed in 1920 and spent almost 50 years in the Lancashire Combination before becoming founder members of the Northern Premier League in 1968. Success was limited, though their finest moment of that era came in 1974 with an FA Trophy triumph at Wembley, beating Dartford.

Promotion to the Conference followed in 1995, and after years of near misses, the Shrimps finally cracked the Football League in 2007. For much of their stay in League Two they flirted with the relegation zone, the exception being 2009/10 when they finished fourth. A decade later came the club’s greatest achievement: in 2020/21, again finishing fourth, they upset the odds to win the play-offs and claim promotion to League One.

They lasted two seasons at that level before dropping back into League Two, and, with ownership turmoil hanging over the club, suffered another relegation to the National League at the end of last season. Along the way, Morecambe have made the FA Cup third round on six occasions – twice as a non-league side – bowing out to top-flight opposition including Ipswich Town, Chelsea (twice), and Spurs.

Morecambe is on the Lancashire coast, not far at all from Lancaster itself. The journey to Morecambe is about 200 miles from Nailsworth, and road journey of about three-and-a-half hours.  This is a road journey of about 3 hours 45 minutes. By Supporters Club Coach – this is by far the cheapest and easiest way to travel. For information about Away Travel including precise details of pick-up locations – look here. For this match, the departure times are The New Lawn – 1.00 pm, Sainsbury’s Dudbridge – 1.15pm, Stonehouse Brunel Way – 1.30pm The prices for coach tickets to this match are as follows (Supporters’ Club members get a £3 discount): Adults £44, U-16 £25, U-11 £12 Visit this link to purchase your travel. To book a seat with the supporter’s club discount, please call 0333 123 1889  on Monday, Thursday, or Friday at 11am to 2pm.  Please try to book early. By Car – Westgate Primary School operates a matchday car park for £5 (cash only) and it is only a 5 minute walk to the stadium. The proceeds go to the school, so it’s for a good cause.  Other than this there is local street parking with about a 10 minute walk (watching out for matchday restrictions closer to the ground).  Post Code for Sat Navs for the stadium: LA4 4TB By Train –  There are hourly connecting services from Stroud to Morecambe, typically requiring changes at Gloucester or Cheltenham Spa, Birmingham New Street, and Lancaster. With good connections, the journey can be done in just over 4 hours 30 minutes. For an evening match, a return to Gloucestershire isn’t feasible without an overnight stay.

While a standard adult return ticket (valid overnight) costs around £127, this can be reduced by as much as one-third through judicious use of split ticketing and advance purchase tickets.

The ground is pretty new (Morecambe moved in in 2010) but is unusual for a new stadium in having three terraced sides, one of which is reserved for away fans of clubs with particularly large followings. Usually, away fans are located in a covered seated area at one end of the main stand – Areas A and B of the Castle Windows Stand.

Admission prices 

NB: the club website states that tickets purchased on the day are subject to a £2 premium, but at present it seems impossible to buy away tickets online

Adults – £24

Concession, Over-65 – £19

Young Adult (18-24) – £15

Junior (14-17) – £7

Child (2-13) – £5 

Two of Morecambe's most famous names include actress Dame Thora Hird and the comedian Eric Morecambe.

Morecambe was the home town of John Eric Bartholomew, who became known by his stage name of Eric Morecambe and who, with partner Ernie Wise, became the country's most famous comedy double act until Morecambe's death in 1984.

The likes of Freddie Davro or Cannon and Ball (although the latters’ song in praise of Oldham Athletic, at the other end of Lancashire, is surely worth a mention of sorts) may well be lost to future generations but Eric Morecambe will live on with all of us. His statue, John Eric Bartholomew, a British comedian performing in the show Morecambe and Wise whose birthplace was Morecambe in Lancashire.

Although he took his stage name from the town of Morecambe, Eric’s footballing allegiances lay elsewhere: Luton Town, where he was a club director and vice president.

Morecambe’s Mazuma Mobile Stadium.

Having been relegated from League One alongside Morecambe the previous season, Rovers’ most recent trip to this part of the Lancashire coast was in April 2024, just as we were about to fall out from League Two. Relegation was already assured, Rovers had nothing to play for but pride in the final away game of the season- and on a gloriously sunny day it ended up as a 2-1 victory, goals coming thanks to Charlie McCann and Kyle McAllister. Fantastic goalkeeping skills were on display from both teams.

Shrimps fans must be relieved the club is even here this season. Even weeks into this season, Morecambe FC’s very survival looked in doubt: fixtures postponed, players unable to train with no insurance, no pre-season, staff unpaid, and the long-promised sale dragging on endlessly. In comparison, relegation from the EFL after 18 years (all but two spent in League Two) felt like the least of their worries.

Then, suddenly, everything changed. The Panjab Warriors finally completed their takeover. Their first act – the dismissal of long-serving manager Derek Adams – divided opinion, but the overall approach since has looked confident. His replacement, Ashvir Singh Johan, stepping into his first senior managerial role, has also split views. What’s certain is that after a summer on the brink of collapse, a complete rebuild was unavoidable. Big changes to both the playing squad and backroom staff underline the “new broom” approach.

The new owners wasted no time thinking about matters on the pitch, with a flurry of signings arriving within days of the takeover. Among them: goalkeeper Archie Mair (from Norwich City, and on loan at Morecambe in 2024), defenders Mo Sangare (from Bellinzona, Switzerland), Raheem Conte (from Cardiff City, on loan at Woking last year), Ludwig Francilette (from Eastleigh), left-back Ben Williams (from Carlisle Utd), centre-back Alie Sesay (with EFL stints at Colchester Utd, Cambridge Utd, and Barnet, most recently at Khanh Hoa in Vietnam), midfielder Jake Cain (from Swindon Town), and forward Harrison Panayiotou (from Larne, Northern Ireland).

Morecambe astounded the odds by going ahead early in their first match of the season, at home to Altrincham, and then coming back with an injury-time winning goal. For a team that was still in the process of formation, this was some victory. Their second match, at Aldershot Town away, was less happy (4-0 to the Shots), but at least the game went ahead – as might have seemed unlikely even two weeks earlier.  The third match, at Woking, was another, narrower, defeat (2-0).

Without a pre-season, early struggles are likely. But with the club’s very existence secured, the Shrimps now have a fighting chance of staying in the National League , maybe with the hope of fighting for promotion next season.

Ashvir Singh Johal, appointed immediately upon the takeover of the club by the new owners is a really interesting and ambitious choice for a National League club. Aged just 30 (making him the youngest manager in, at least, the top five tiers of English football), he in his first senior managerial role, and recently completed his UEFA Pro licence. While this is his first time in charge of a club, he has extensive experience of working in much bigger clubs that Morecambe. For a decade he was involved in coaching youth, academy and children’s teams at Leicester City, before spending time  as first-team coach at Championship team Wigan Athletic.  After a spell working alongside Cesc Fàbregas at Como, he returned to the UK to manage the B-Team at Notts County. As the first Sikh to manage a professional football team in England, Johal’s appointment attracted media interest in India

The shrimps of Morecambe Bay (and the Shrimps of Morecambe FC) and the Red Rose of Lancashire – all that needs to be said, really.

This incredibly smart version of the badge has been in use since 2021. Prior to moving to their current home in 2010, the club used the former municipal coat of arms of Morecambe and Heysham, which does include the Red Rose, but no shrimps. Instead: a white sailing boat.

Morecambe sits on the Lancashire coast, between Blackpool and the Lake District. Morecambe Bay is famous for its local delicacy – Morecambe Bay potted shrimps.  Not surprising how the club got its nickname – The Shrimps!  The Bay is huge and sandy, covering 310 square kilometres, making it the second largest bay in Britain after The Wash.  Not only is it huge in size, Morecambe Bay is one of the most important wildlife sites in Europe, boasting abundant bird life and diverse marine habitats.

You are advised to watch out for the seagulls when visiting Morecambe. This one, at the Stone Jetty (formerly a wharf and railway terminal) is a bit more static than most.