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.

Sharing grounds with Morecambe Cricket Club at Woodhill Lane during the first season, football proved popular, with crowds in excess of 3,000 for derby fixtures with Lancaster City and Fleetwood Town.

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 appointed player-manager.

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.

In November 2005, Jim Harvey suffered a heart attack during a league game at Christie Park against Cambridge United.

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.

[5] On 14 August 2007, Morecambe played their first League Cup tie, winning 2–1 against near neighbours Preston North End at Deepdale.

The 2009–10 season was Morecambe's last at Christie Park, and they finished in fourth place, qualifying for the play-offs, but lost 7–2 on aggregate to Dagenham & Redbridge.

On 10 August 2010, Morecambe played their first match at the Globe Arena against Championship side Coventry City in the League Cup.

In the 2021 League Two play-off final against Newport County at Wembley Stadium on 31 May 2021, Morecambe won 1–0, after Carlos Mendes Gomes converted a penalty in the 107th minute.

[20] The club once again reached the FA Cup third round, and faced another London-based Premier League side, Tottenham Hotspur.

[23] Despite the club flirting with relegation, Adams led them out of the drop zone to finish 19th and retain League One status for a second season.

[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 into June 2023; Johal was also involved in negotiations to buy Wigan Athletic and had not provided proof of sufficient funding.

[33] On 30 April 2024, after succeeding Derek Adams as manager in November 2023, Ged Brannan left the financially troubled club to join League Two rivals Accrington Stanley.

[34] Manager-less, with chief executive Ben Sadler joining Walsall, and with only one player (striker Charlie Brown) under contract for the next season due to an ongoing transfer embargo, the club was described as "a circus" by its chairman Rod Taylor on 8 May 2024.

[37][38] Derek Adams returned for a third spell as Morecambe manager in early June 2024,[39] when Whittingham said the club was talking to four potential buyers.

[43] On 19 December 2024, the club received a suspended two-points deduction for failing to report on five separate occasions the non-payment of accounts owed to HM Revenue and Customs.

[44] On 23 January 2025, Morecambe - 23rd in League Two and five points from safety - insisted the club 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.

The Shrimps failed to beat Accrington in 16 attempts after their 2007 promotion to the Football League before Aaron Wildig's goal gave them a 1–0 win over their rivals in August 2015.