Barrow A.F.C. facts for kids

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Barrow

Full name

Barrow Association Football Club

Nickname(s)

The Bluebirds

Founded

1901; 124 years ago

Ground

Holker Street

Capacity

6,500 (2,249 seated)

Chairman

Paul Hornby

Head coach

Stephen Clemence

League

National League

2018–19

National League, 10th of 24

Home colours

Away colours

Third colours

Barrow Association Football Club is a professional football team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. They are often called "The Bluebirds" because their team colours are blue and white. The club currently plays in EFL League Two, which is the fourth highest level of football in England.

Barrow joined the Football League in 1921. They were promoted to the Third Division in 1967, which was their highest league position ever. However, they left the Football League in 1972. After 48 seasons playing in non-League football (leagues outside the main Football League), Barrow won the FA Trophy twice, in 1990 and 2010. They made an exciting return to the Football League in 2020 as champions of the National League. This made them the first club to get promoted back to the Football League after being voted out before.

Barrow plays their home games at Holker Street, which is close to the town centre. The biggest crowd ever at Holker Street was 16,874 people, for an FA Cup match in 1954.

Club History: The Bluebirds' Journey

Early Days of Barrow AFC

Barrow AFC was started on July 16, 1901. The team first played at the Strawberry Ground before moving to other local fields. In 1903, they joined Division Two of the Lancashire Combination league. By 1908, they were promoted to the first division. A year later, in 1909, Barrow moved to their current home, Holker Street. They won the Lancashire Combination championship in the 1920–21 season. This win helped them become one of the founding members of the new Football League Third Division North in 1921.

Life in the Football League

In their early years in the Football League, Barrow didn't have much success. Their best finish before World War Two was fifth place in the 1931–32 season. After the war, they remained in the lowest division of the Football League. In the 1950s, Barrow had some exciting FA Cup matches. A record 16,874 fans watched them play Swansea Town in 1954. They also played against the famous Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1959.

The late 1960s brought more success. Barrow was promoted in 1967 after finishing third in the Fourth Division. The next season, they reached their highest-ever league position, finishing eighth in the Football League Third Division. For one day in 1968–69, Barrow was even at the very top of the Third Division! However, their success didn't last. By 1970, they were back in the Fourth Division. Due to money problems and poor results, Barrow was voted out of the Football League in 1972. They were replaced by Hereford United.

Back to Non-League Football

Barrow's league position since joining the Football League in 1922.

After leaving the Football League, Barrow joined the Northern Premier League in 1972. The club faced financial challenges during this time. In 1979, they were invited to join the new Alliance Premier League, which was the first national league for non-League teams. Barrow won the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy in 1981, their first non-League trophy.

Under manager Ray Wilkie, Barrow had a very successful period. They were promoted to the renamed Football Conference in 1988–89. They also had great runs in cup competitions. In 1990, Barrow won the FA Trophy, a major cup for non-League clubs. They beat Leek Town in the final at Wembley. This was their first big trophy as a non-League team. The next season, they reached the third round of the FA Cup, losing to Bolton Wanderers.

Challenging Times in the 1990s

After Ray Wilkie left due to health issues, Barrow faced a tough period. In 1995, a businessman named Stephen Vaughan bought the club. He invested money, building a new stand and signing better players. Barrow was promoted back to the Conference in 1997–98.

However, in 1998, Vaughan left the club and took away his financial support. It was discovered that the Holker Street ground had been sold. This caused big problems for the club. In 1999, Barrow was almost shut down and was removed from the Football Conference. Luckily, with help from the Football Association and a new group of members, the club was allowed to join the Northern Premier League. The legal issues over the stadium ownership were fixed in 2002, and the members' company bought the stadium back.

The National League Years and Return to the EFL

Barrow continued to improve, almost getting promoted to the Conference twice in the early 2000s. In 2005, they became founding members of the Conference North league. After some difficult seasons, players David Bayliss and Darren Sheridan became managers in 2007. They led Barrow to promotion to the Conference National in 2008 through the playoffs.

In 2009, Barrow had an exciting FA Cup run, beating Brentford and playing against Premier League team Middlesbrough. Over 7,000 Barrow fans traveled to Middlesbrough for the game! This cup run brought the club much-needed money. In 2010, Barrow won the FA Trophy again, beating Stevenage Borough at Wembley. This made them the only club to win the FA Trophy at both the old and new Wembley Stadiums.

After being relegated in 2013, Barrow won the Conference North championship in 2014–15, returning to the top level of non-League football. In 2020, under manager Ian Evatt, Barrow finished top of the National League (decided by points per game due to the COVID-19 pandemic). This meant they were promoted back to the EFL for the first time since 1972!

Back in the Football League (2020–Present)

Barrow's first Football League game in 48 years was a 1–1 draw at home. They worked hard to stay in League Two. After a few manager changes, Rob Kelly helped them secure their place in the league in April 2021. In May 2022, Pete Wild became the new manager. Under his leadership, Barrow's performance improved, and they finished 9th in the league the next season. In 2023, Barrow also started a B Team, which is like a reserve team, to help develop younger players.

Team Colours and Badge

Barrow's main team colours are blue and white. Their kit has changed over the years, sometimes having stripes or hoops. For the 2001–02 season, they wore black-and-white stripes to celebrate the club's 100th birthday. The team's away kit colours have also varied, but they wore a yellow kit when they won the FA Trophy in 2010.

The club's badge is very special. It features a bee and an arrow, which is a clever way to show "B-arrow" (Barrow). It also has a submarine, representing the town's shipbuilding history, a red rose for Lancashire, and a football.

Holker Street Stadium

Holker Street stadium at dusk.

Holker Street has been Barrow's home ground since 1910. It was originally a rubbish dump before becoming a football pitch! The first game there was a 5–2 win for Barrow. Over the years, the stadium was improved with covered stands. The record attendance was in 1954, when 16,784 fans watched an FA Cup match.

In the 1970s, the stadium was used for speedway racing, which meant some parts of the stands had to be removed. Later, the pitch was put back to its original position. A new main stand was built in the 1990s, which is now called the Brian Arrowsmith Stand. In 2020, a new roof was added to the Holker Street End of the ground, just in time for their return to the Football League. Since 2022, the stadium has been known as the SO Legal Stadium for sponsorship reasons.

Training Ground

Even though Barrow plays their home games in Barrow, the team trains in Manchester. Since summer 2023, they share the training ground of F.C. United of Manchester, called Broadhurst Park.

Players

Current squad

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Paul Farman
2	DF	Neo Eccleston (on loan from Huddersfield Town)
3	DF	Mazeed Ogungbo
4	MF	Dean Campbell
6	DF	Niall Canavan (captain)
7	MF	David Worrall
8	MF	Kian Spence
9	FW	Andy Dallas (on loan from Barnsley)
10	FW	Ged Garner
11	FW	Elliot Newby
12	GK	Luke Daniels
14	DF	Chris Stokes
15	MF	Robbie Gotts
16	MF	Sam Foley

No.	Position	Player
17	FW	Katia Kouyaté
18	DF	Sam Barnes
19	FW	Dom Telford
20	FW	Emile Acquah
21	GK	Wyll Stanway
22	FW	Chris Popov (on loan from Leicester City)
23	MF	Connor Mahoney
24	DF	Rory Feely
25	MF	Charlie Kirk
29	DF	Junior Tiensia
30	DF	Ben Jackson
37	MF	Sean Etaluku
38	MF	Charlie Weston
42	DF	Theo Vassell

B Team

No.		Position	Player

Club Management

Position	Name
Sporting Director	Iain Wood
Head Coach	Stephen Clemence
Assistant Head Coach	Robbie Stockdale
1st Team / Set-Piece Coach	Jason Taylor
Head Physiotherapist	Joe Kennedy
Physio	Richard Eaves
Strength & Conditioning Coach	Chace Homer
Goalkeeping Coach	Luke Daniels
Performance Analyst	Robbie Barrow
Recruitment Analyst	Joseph Harvey

Manager History

This table shows the managers who have led Barrow AFC over the years, along with their win records in league matches.

Name	Nat	From	To	Record
Name	Nat	From	To	P	W	D	L	F	A	Win %
Jacob Fletcher		July 1901	April 1904	78	33	15	30	146	135	42.31%
E. Freeland		April 1904	????	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
W. Smith		????	????	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Alec Craig		????	May 1907	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Roger Charnley		May 1907	????	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Jacob Fletcher		????	September 1909	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Jas P. Phillips		September 1909	July 1913	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
John Parker		July 1913	July 1920	114	55	16	43	232	197	48.25%
William Dickinson		July 1920	May 1922	72	37	11	24	121	82	51.39%
Jimmy Atkinson		August 1922	March 1923	30	11	4	15	44	43	36.67%
J.E. Moralee		April 1923	January 1926	112	29	18	65	121	217	25.89%
Robert Greenhalgh		January 1926	February 1926	2	0	0	2	3	7	0%
William Dickinson		February 1926	October 1927	67	12	12	43	61	182	17.91%
John S. Maconnachie		October 1927	December 1928	52	12	15	25	70	116	23.08%
Andy Walker		January 1929	June 1930	62	16	7	39	74	142	25.81%
Thomas Miller		June 1930	November 1930	16	3	3	10	17	39	18.75%
John Commins		November 1930	May 1932	65	36	5	24	137	96	55.38%
Tommy Lowes		May 1932	April 1937	204	73	47	84	351	378	35.78%
James Y. Bissett		April 1937	December 1937	19	4	2	13	14	36	21.05%
Fred Pentland		January 1938	June 1940	84	29	23	32	146	149	34.52%
John Commins		August 1945	March 1947	54	17	10	27	71	104	31.48%
Andy Beattie		March 1947	April 1949	95	36	26	33	106	95	37.89%
Jack Hacking		May 1949	May 1955	272	96	57	119	363	421	35.29%
Joe Harvey		July 1955	June 1957	92	33	18	41	137	145	35.87%
Norman Dodgin		July 1957	May 1958	46	13	15	18	66	74	28.26%
Willie Brown		July 1958	August 1959	46	9	10	27	51	104	19.57%
Bill Rogers		August 1959	October 1959	15	3	5	7	24	37	20%
Ron Staniforth		October 1959	July 1964	213	67	61	85	312	360	31.46%
Don McEvoy		July 1964	July 1967	138	52	32	54	207	235	37.68%
Colin Appleton		August 1967	January 1969	70	32	13	25	103	90	45.71%
Fred Else		January 1969	February 1969	5	0	1	4	2	14	0%
Norman Bodell		March 1969	February 1970	46	9	11	27	38	82	19.57%
Don McEvoy		February 1970	November 1971	78	15	18	45	88	142	19.23%
Bill Rogers		November 1971	November 1971	2	0	1	1	2	3	0%
Jack Crompton		December 1971	June 1972	28	10	5	13	25	40	35.71%
Peter Kane		July 1972	June 1974	92	25	13	54	98	195	27.17%
Brian Arrowsmith		July 1974	November 1975	67	12	18	37	61	115	17.91%
Ron Yeats		December 1975	February 1977	46	15	8	23	61	90	32.61%
Alan Coglan and Billy McAdams		February 1977	July 1977	21	5	3	13	26	38	23.81%
David Hughes		July 1977	July 1977	0	0	0	0	0	0	0%
Brian McManus		July 1977	November 1979	103	31	23	49	115	161	30.10%
Micky Taylor		November 1979	May 1983	147	52	35	60	192	206	35.37%
Vic Halom		July 1983	May 1984	42	29	10	3	92	38	69.05%
Peter McDonnell		July 1984	November 1984	17	5	9	3	27	21	29.41%
Joe Wojciechowicz		November 1984	December 1984	1	0	0	1	1	3	0%
Brian Kidd		December 1984	April 1985	19	5	6	8	14	20	26.32%
John Cooke		April 1985	April 1985	3	1	0	2	3	9	33.33%
Bob Murphy		April 1985	May 1985	2	0	1	1	2	4	0%
Maurice Whittle		May 1985	October 1985	12	0	4	8	11	29	0%
David Johnson		October 1985	March 1986	16	5	2	9	13	28	31.25%
Glenn Skivington and Neil McDonald		March 1986	March 1986	4	0	0	4	4	10	0%
Ray Wilkie		March 1986	November 1991	236	93	62	81	325	311	39.41%
Neil McDonald		November 1991	December 1991	4	1	0	3	7	9	25%
John King		December 1991	May 1992	22	5	6	11	24	36	22.73%
Graham Heathcote		May 1992	December 1992	23	10	7	6	40	31	43.48%
Richard Dinnis		December 1992	October 1993	30	12	6	12	45	40	40%
Mick Cloudsdale		October 1993	June 1994	31	14	8	9	45	35	45.16%
Tony Hesketh		June 1994	March 1996	74	32	16	26	121	101	43.24%
Neil McDonald and Franny Ventre		March 1996	March 1996	2	0	0	2	3	6	0%
Mike Walsh		March 1996	October 1996	20	11	5	4	32	20	55%
Owen Brown		October 1996	January 1999	100	49	22	29	127	95	49%
Shane Westley		January 1999	July 1999	16	4	4	8	13	22	25%
Greg Challender		July 1999	August 1999	0	0	0	0	0	0	0%
Kenny Lowe		August 1999	May 2003	176	78	46	52	307	233	44.32%
Lee Turnbull		May 2003	November 2005	102	41	28	33	164	146	40.20%
Darren Edmondson		November 2005	December 2005	3	1	2	0	5	3	33.33%
Phil Wilson		December 2005	November 2007	78	20	24	34	85	100	25.64%
Darren Sheridan and David Bayliss		November 2007	February 2012	168	59	50	59	215	220	35.11%
David Bayliss		February 2012	November 2013	91	15	16	30	59	110	16.48%
Alex Meechan		November 2013	December 2013	4	0	2	2	3	12	0%
Darren Edmondson		December 2013	November 2015	96	46	21	29			47.92%
Paul Cox		November 2015	August 2017	86	37	30	19			43.02%
Micky Moore		August 2017	October 2017	11	1	4	6	9	14	9.09%
Neill Hornby		October 2017	October 2017	1	0	0	2	4	6	0%
Ady Pennock		October 2017	May 2018	17	6	5	6			35.29%
Ian Evatt		June 2018	July 2020	83	38	20	25	120	90	45.78%
David Dunn		July 2020	December 2020	22	2	11	9	22	28	9.09%
Rob Kelly		December 2020	December 2020	3	2	0	1	6	2	66.67%
Michael Jolley		December 2020	February 2021	7	1	1	5	4	9	14.28%
Rob Kelly		February 2021	May 2021	19	8	3	8	21	20	42.11%
Mark Cooper		May 2021	March 2022	37	8	13	16	33	43	21.62%
Phil Brown		March 2022	May 2022	9	2	1	6	11	14	22.22%
Pete Wild		May 2022	May 2024	78	33	14	31	98	94	42.31%

League History of Barrow AFC

This table shows which league Barrow has played in throughout its history.

From	To	League	Level	Total Seasons
1901–02	1902–03	Lancashire League	N/A	2
1903–04	1904–05	Lancashire Combination Division Two	N/A	2
1905–06	1907–08	Lancashire Combination Division One	N/A	3
1908–09	1910–11	Lancashire Combination Division Two	N/A	5
1911–12	1920–21	Lancashire Combination Division One	N/A	6
1921–22	1957–58	Football League Division Three North	3	31
1958–59	1966–67	Football League Division Four	4	9
1967–68	1969–70	Football League Division Three	3	3
1970–71	1971–72	Football League Division Four	4	2
1972–73	1978–79	Northern Premier League	5	7
1979–80	1982–83	Alliance Premier League	5	4
1983–84	1983–84	Northern Premier League	6	1
1984–85	1985–86	Alliance Premier League	5	2
1986–87	1988–89	Northern Premier League	6	3
1989–90	1991–92	Football Conference	5	3
1992–93	1997–98	Northern Premier League	6	6
1998–99	1998–99	Football Conference	5	1
1999–00	2003–04	Northern Premier League	6	5
2004–05	2007–08	Conference North	6	4
2008–09	2012–13	Conference National	5	5
2013–14	2014–15	Conference North	6	2
2015–16	2019–20	National League	5	5
2020–21	Present	League Two	4	4

Club Records

Highest Attendance: 16,874 fans against Swansea Town on January 9, 1954.
Best League Finish: 8th place in the Third Division in the 1967–68 season.
Best FA Cup Performance: Reached the Third Round many times, most recently in 2021–22.
Best FA Trophy Performance: Champions in 1989–90 and 2009–10.
Best League Cup Performance: Reached the Third Round in 1962–63, 1967–68, and 2024–25.

Club Honours (Trophies)

Source:

League Titles

Fourth Division (level 4)
- Promoted: 1966–67
National League (level 5)
- Champions: 2019–20
Conference North (level 6)
- Champions: 2014–15
- Play-off winners: 2008
Northern Premier League
- Champions: 1983–84, 1988–89, 1997–98
- Runners-up: 2002–03
Lancashire Combination Division One
- Champions: 1920–21
- Runners-up: 1913–14
Lancashire Combination Division Two
- Runners-up: 1904–05, 1910–11

Cup Wins

FA Trophy
- Winners: 1989–90, 2009–10
Lancashire Senior Cup
- Winners: 1954–55
Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
- Runners-up: 1987–88
Northern Premier League President's Cup
- Winners: 2001–02, 2003–04
Peter Swales Shield
- Winners: 1984–85
Lancashire Junior Cup
- Winners: 1980–81

Images for kids

Blackpool players warming up before their friendly at Barrow on 20 July 2019. Barrow manager Ian Evatt was a late substitute, ending his playing career against his 2010–11 Premier League team.