Blackburn Rovers F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Blackburn Rovers

Full name	Blackburn Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s)	Rovers The Blue and Whites The Riversiders
Founded	1875; 150 years ago (1875)
Ground	Ewood Park
Ground Capacity	31,367
Owner	Venkys London Ltd. (99.9%)
CEO	Steve Waggott
Head coach	John Eustace
League	Championship
2018–19	Championship, 15th of 24
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football team. They are based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The club plays in the Championship, which is the second-highest league in English football. Since 1890, their home matches have been played at Ewood Park.

The team's motto is "Arte et Labore". This Latin phrase means "By Skill and Hard Work". Blackburn Rovers has a big rivalry with their nearby team, Burnley. Their matches are known as the East Lancashire derby.

Blackburn Rovers started in 1875. They were one of the first teams to form The Football League in 1888. In the 1800s, they won the FA Cup five times. They were champions in 1884, 1885, 1886, 1890, and 1891. The team also won the English League title in 1911–12 and 1913–14. They won their sixth FA Cup in 1928.

In 1992, Rovers moved up to the new Premier League. This happened a year after local businessman Jack Walker took over the club. He hired Kenny Dalglish as manager. In the 1994–95 season, Blackburn Rovers became Premier League champions! After being relegated, they returned to the Premier League in 2001. They also won the 2002 Football League Cup Final the next year. They played in the Premier League for eleven seasons. In 2012, they were relegated, and again in 2017. However, Blackburn Rovers got promoted back to the second tier in 2018.

Blackburn Rovers: A Journey Through Time

How Blackburn Rovers Started

Leaflet advertising a Blackburn Rovers match on 12 September 1887 against 'The Wednesday' at Olive Grove.

Blackburn Rovers cup winners in 1883–84. This was the team's first FA Cup win.

The FA Cup winning team from the 1890–91 season.

Blackburn Rovers Football Club was formed on November 5, 1875. Two young men, John Lewis and Arthur Constantine, organized a meeting. They wanted to create a football club that played by "Association rules." The first match for Blackburn Rovers was on December 18, 1875. It ended in a 1–1 draw.

On September 28, 1878, Blackburn Rovers helped start the Lancashire Football Association. The club played in the FA Cup for the first time on November 1, 1879. They won 5–1 against Tyne Association Football Club.

In 1882, the club reached the FA Cup final for the first time. They played against the Old Etonians. Blackburn Rovers was the first team from outside London to reach the final. They lost the match 1–0.

Winning the FA Cup: A Hat-Trick of Wins

Rovers finally won the FA Cup on March 29, 1884. They beat the Scottish team Queen's Park 2–1. The next year, the same two teams met in the final. Blackburn Rovers won again, with a score of 2–0. They won the FA Cup for a third time in a row the next season. They beat West Bromwich Albion 2–0 in a replay. For winning three FA Cups in a row, the club received a special silver shield.

The 1885–86 season was important because it allowed professional footballers to be paid. Blackburn Rovers spent £615 on player wages that season.

Joining the Football League and More Wins

Blackburn Rovers was one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888.

They reached the FA Cup final again on March 29, 1890. They won the trophy for the fourth time, beating Sheffield Wednesday 6–1. William Townley scored three goals, which is called a hat-trick. He was the first player to score a hat-trick in an FA Cup final.

In the 1890–91 season, Blackburn Rovers won the FA Cup for the fifth time. They beat Notts County 3–1. The club was relegated in 1897–98 but quickly returned to the top division. This season also marked the start of Bob Crompton's long connection with the club. He was a player and later an FA Cup-winning manager.

Early 1900s: Top of the League

Blackburn Rovers had some tough years in the early 1900s. But their results slowly got better. They made big improvements to Ewood Park. For example, a new stand was opened in 1907. For the first 30 years of the 20th century, Blackburn Rovers was seen as a top team in England. They won the First Division title in 1911–12 and 1913–14. They also won the FA Cup in 1927–28. This was a 3–1 victory against Huddersfield Town. However, this FA Cup win was their last major trophy for almost 70 years.

Mid-20th Century: Ups and Downs

Chart showing the progress of Blackburn Rovers F.C. through the English football league system from 1888–89 to present.

Blackburn Rovers stayed in the middle of the First Division table for a while. But in the 1935–36 season, they were relegated for the first time. This meant they dropped out of the top league.

After World War II, Blackburn Rovers were relegated again in 1947–48. They stayed in the second division for ten years. They were promoted back to the top league in 1958. They reached the 1960 FA Cup Final but lost 3–0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

In the 1963–64 season, they had a great 8–2 win against West Ham United. This briefly put them at the top of the league. But they finished lower down the table. In 1966, they were relegated from the First Division. They would not return to the top division for 26 years.

1970s and 1980s: Moving Between Divisions

In the 1970s, Blackburn Rovers moved between the Second and Third Divisions. They won the Third Division title in 1975. But they couldn't get promoted to the First Division. In 1979, they fell back into the Third Division. They were promoted again in 1980. Since then, they have mostly stayed in the top two leagues of English football.

They almost got promoted again the next year. But they missed out by a small difference in goals. In 1987, they won the Full Members' Cup. For the next few seasons, they were close to promotion but didn't quite make it.

The Jack Walker Era and Premier League Glory

In 1990–91, local businessman and lifelong fan Jack Walker took over the club. He made millions of pounds available for new players. In October 1991, he hired Kenny Dalglish as manager. Rovers won the play-offs at the end of the 1991–92 season. This meant they were promoted to the new FA Premier League. They had been out of the top league for 26 years.

In the summer of 1992, Rovers paid a record fee of £3.5 million for Alan Shearer. He was a 22-year-old forward for Southampton and England. After finishing fourth in 1992–93 and second in 1993–94, they won the Premier League title in 1994–95. The title race went down to the very last game. Even though Rovers lost to Liverpool, they beat out Manchester United to win the championship.

After winning the Premier League, Kenny Dalglish became Director of Football. His assistant, Ray Harford, took over as manager. Rovers had a tough start to the 1995–96 season. They also struggled in the Champions League. Harford resigned in October 1996 because the team was at the bottom of the league. Tony Parkes took over and helped the team avoid relegation. Later, Roy Hodgson became manager and helped the team finish 6th. But in 1998–99, Hodgson was sacked, and Brian Kidd took over. However, Kidd could not save Rovers from being relegated.

2000s: Return to the Top and League Cup Win

The Jack Walker Stand during a match.

In 1999–2000, Rovers were expected to be promoted. But the club was near the relegation zone in Division One. Brian Kidd was sacked, and Graeme Souness took over in March. Jack Walker passed away at the start of the 2000–01 season. The club worked hard to get promoted in his memory. They returned to the Premier League after finishing second.

In 2001–02, they bought Andy Cole for £8 million. Rovers won their first-ever League Cup that year. They beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 in the final. Cole scored the winning goal. The next season, Rovers finished sixth and qualified for the UEFA Cup. Souness left in 2004, and Mark Hughes became manager. Hughes helped Rovers stay in the Premier League. He also led them to sixth place the next season, qualifying for Europe again.

In 2008, Mark Hughes left for Manchester City. Paul Ince replaced him. After a tough run of games, Ince was sacked in December 2008. Sam Allardyce took over and led the team to a tenth-place finish in 2009–10. They also reached the League Cup semi-final.

2010 Onwards: New Owners and Recent Seasons

In November 2010, an Indian company called V H Group bought Blackburn Rovers. They bought it for £23 million. The new owners immediately sacked manager Sam Allardyce. They replaced him with Steve Kean.

On May 7, 2012, Blackburn was relegated to the Championship. They lost at home to Wigan Athletic. This ended their eleven years in the Premier League. Steve Kean resigned in September 2012.

On May 7, 2017, Blackburn was relegated to League One. But on April 24, 2018, they were promoted back to the second tier. They won 1–0 against Doncaster Rovers.

In recent years, they have finished in the middle of the Championship table. They finished 15th (2018–2019), 11th (2019–2020), 15th (2020–2021), 8th (2021–2022), and 7th (2022–2023).

Meet the Players: Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Aynsley Pears 2 DF Callum Brittain 3 DF Harry Pickering 4 DF Kyle McFadzean 5 DF Dominic Hyam 6 MF Sondre Tronstad 7 FW Arnór Sigurðsson 8 MF Todd Cantwell 9 FW Makhtar Gueye 10 FW Tyrhys Dolan 11 MF Joe Rankin-Costello 12 GK Balázs Tóth 13 GK Joe Hilton 14 FW Andi Weimann 15 DF Danny Batth 16 DF Scott Wharton 17 DF Hayden Carter

No. Position Player 19 FW Ryan Hedges 20 FW Harry Leonard 21 MF John Buckley 22 MF Zak Gilsenan 23 FW Yuki Ohashi 24 DF Owen Beck (On loan from Liverpool) 27 MF Lewis Travis (captain) 32 FW Igor Tyjon 33 MF Amario Cozier-Duberry (On loan from Brighton) 34 GK Jack Barrett 35 GK Jordan Eastham 36 MF James Edmondson 37 FW Tom Bloxham 39 DF Leo Duru 40 DF Matty Litherland 42 MF Lewis Baker (On loan from Stoke City) 44 FW Exaucé Mafoumbi

Players on Loan

No. Position Player 18 FW Dilan Markanday (on loan at Chesterfield) 25 DF Jake Batty (on loan at Accrington Stanley) 26 DF Connor O'Riordan (on loan at Cambridge United)

No. Position Player 29 FW Jack Vale (on loan at Motherwell) 30 MF Jake Garrett (on loan at Bristol Rovers)

For recent player changes, see 2024–25 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season.

Famous Players

• For a full list of important Blackburn Rovers players, see List of Blackburn Rovers F.C. players.

Club Staff: Who Runs the Team?

Senior Leaders

Position	Staff
Chief Operating Officer	Suhail Shaikh
Chief Executive Officer	Steve Waggott
Chief Financial Officer	Matt Wright
Director	Gandhi Babu
Director	Mr. M Sreenivasa Rao
Non-Executive Director	Robert Coar

Football Staff

Position	Staff
Head of Football Operations	Rudy Gestede
Head of Recruitment	John Park
Head of Technical Development	Adam Owen
Head Coach	John Eustace
Assistant Head Coach	Keith Downing
Assistant Head Coach	Matt Gardiner
First-Team Coach	David Lowe
Goalkeeping Coach	Ben Benson
First-Team Technical Coach & Head of Player Development	Damien Johnson
Lead Sports Scientist	Karl Hodges
Consultant	Dr. Chris Dalton
Head of Medical Services	Andrew Procter
Head of Performance Analysis	Adam Collins
Kit Manager	Paul Schofield

Academy Staff

Position	Staff
Head of Academy	Stuart Jones
Head of Academy Coaching	Jordan McCann
Under-21s Lead Coach	Mike Sheron
Under-18s Lead Coach	Ryan Kidd
Head of Academy Sports Science and Medical	Russ Wrigley
Head of Academy Recruitment	Michael Cribley
Academy Secretary	Dawn Dunn

Club Operations Staff

Position	Staff
Head of Football Administration	Brett Baker
Head of Operations	Lynsey Talbot
Head of HR & Safeguarding	Faye Billington
Head of IT	Kieran Shellard
Head of Media & Communications	Rob Gill
Commercial & Partnerships Manager	Yasir Sufi
Head of Consumer	Fraser Read
Head of Community Trust/CEO	Gary Robinson

Awards: Player of the Season

Year Winner 1980–81 Mick Speight 1981–82 Mick Rathbone 1982–83 Derek Fazackerley 1983–84 Simon Garner 1984–85 Terry Gennoe 1985–86 Simon Barker 1986–87 David Mail 1987–88 Colin Hendry 1988–89 Howard Gayle 1989–90 Scott Sellars

Year Winner 1990–91 Kevin Moran 1991–92 David Speedie 1992–93 Colin Hendry 1993–94 David Batty 1994–95 Alan Shearer 1995–96 Alan Shearer 1996–97 Colin Hendry 1997–98 Chris Sutton 1998–99 John Filan 1999–2000 Damien Duff

Year Winner 2000–01 Matt Jansen 2001–02 Damien Duff 2002–03 Brad Friedel 2003–04 Tugay Kerimoğlu 2004–05 Andy Todd 2005–06 Craig Bellamy 2006–07 David Bentley 2007–08 Roque Santa Cruz 2008–09 Stephen Warnock 2009–10 Steven Nzonzi

Year Winner 2010–11 Paul Robinson 2011–12 Yakubu 2012–13 Jordan Rhodes 2013–14 Tom Cairney 2014–15 Marcus Olsson 2015–16 Grant Hanley 2016–17 Derrick Williams 2017–18 Bradley Dack 2018–19 Danny Graham 2019–20 Adam Armstrong

Year Winner 2020–21 Thomas Kaminski 2021–22 Jan Paul van Hecke 2022–23 Dominic Hyam 2023–24 Sammie Szmodics

Team Colors and Badge

Team Colors: Blue and White

Blackburn Rovers has always had a unique home kit design. It's a blue and white halved jersey. This design is known as the "town color." The blue and white halves have sometimes switched sides on the shirt. Since 1946, blue has been on the wearer's left side.

The club's very first kit is not fully clear. Some old records say it was a white jersey with a Maltese Cross. Other accounts describe it as a navy blue and white quartered jersey. Old photos from 1878 show the team in blue and white halved jerseys. They wore white shorts and blue socks, with a blue and white cap.

Club Badge: A Symbol of History

Throughout its history, the club has used four main badges. These include the Maltese Cross, the town's coat of arms, the Lancashire Rose, and the current Blackburn Rovers Badge. The Maltese Cross was on the first home kit from 1875 to about 1882. It was a symbol from the public schools where the club's founders studied.

For FA Cup finals, the club traditionally used the town's coat of arms as their badge. This tradition continued through all eight FA Cup finals they played in. This includes their last FA Cup final in 1960.

From about 1882 until 1974, the club didn't use a badge on their regular shirts. In 1974, they chose a Lancashire Rose with the club's initials, "B.R.F.C." This badge was used for 15 years. In 1989, it was changed because the dark red rose was hard to see on the dark blue shirt.

The current Blackburn Rovers badge has been used since 1989. It features a newer design of the Lancashire Red Rose. Around the rose, it says "Blackburn Rovers F.C." and the founding year "1875." At the bottom of the badge is the club motto, "Arte Et Labore." This means "by skill and by labour" and comes from the town's motto.

Home Grounds: Where Rovers Play

Early Grounds

Rovers' first home ground was a field called Oozehead. It was farmland and had a large watering hole in the middle. On match days, they covered the hole with wood and turf.

In 1877, they moved to Pleasington Cricket Ground. This was because Oozehead was too rough. However, they stopped playing there after a player from another team had a heart attack during a game.

Next, they used Alexandra Meadows from 1877 to 1881. This was another cricket ground. Blackburn Rovers played their first match under artificial lights here in 1878.

Leamington Road: First Purpose-Built Ground

As football became more popular, the club wanted its own ground. So, in 1881, they moved to Leamington Road. This was Blackburn Rovers' first ground built just for football. It had a grandstand with seats for 700 people. The first game there was on October 8, 1881. Rovers won 4–1. While at Leamington Road, the club won three FA Cups. They also became a founding member of the Football League in 1888. They left this ground because the rent became too expensive.

Ewood Park: Home Since 1890

Ewood Park was built in April 1882. It was a sports venue for football, athletics, and dog racing. The Blackburn Rovers committee thought it was perfect for the club. They had already played many games there. The first official game at Ewood Park was on September 13, 1890. It was a 0–0 draw against Accrington, watched by 10,000 people. Artificial lights were added in 1892. Ewood Park is located near the River Darwen in Blackburn, Lancashire.

A Historical Incident at Ewood Park

In 1913, there was an attempt to damage the Ewood Park ground. This was part of a larger movement by groups called suffragettes. They were campaigning for women's right to vote. They used various actions to bring attention to their cause. In November 1913, suffragettes tried to set fire to Ewood Park's grandstand, but they were stopped. This was done to protest against male dominance in society.

Fans and Rivalries

Blackburn Rovers fans have created many support clubs. These groups often help make it easier for fans to travel to Ewood Park. In the 2000s, many people from Blackburn attended Rovers' home games. The average attendance was around 25,000, which is about a quarter of Blackburn's population. The fans have a long-running fanzine (a fan magazine) called 4,000 Holes.

Clement Charnock and his brother Harry were Blackburn Rovers fans. They helped introduce football to Russia in the 1880s.

Blackburn's main rivals are Burnley. Their matches are called the East Lancashire derby. Rovers also have rivalries with Preston North End, Bolton Wanderers, and Wigan Athletic. These rivalries are because the clubs are located close to each other.

Club Records and Statistics

Important Records

• Most League appearances:

Derek Fazackerley, 593 games (plus 3 as a substitute), from 1970–71 to 1986–87.

• Record goalscorer:

Simon Garner, 194 goals (168 in the league), from 1978–79 to 1991–92.

• Record attendance at Ewood Park:

62,255 fans watched the FA Cup 6th round match against Bolton Wanderers on March 2, 1929.

• Highest transfer fee paid:

£8 million for Andy Cole from Manchester United in December 2001. £8 million for Jordan Rhodes from Huddersfield Town in August 2012.

• Highest transfer fee received:

Up to £22 million from Crystal Palace for Adam Wharton in February 2024.

• Record win:

11–0 against Rossendale United in the FA Cup 1st round on October 13, 1884, at Ewood Park.

• Record League win:

9–0 against Middlesbrough in Division 2 on November 6, 1954, at Ewood Park.

• Record away win:

8–2 against West Ham United in Division 1 on December 26, 1963.

• Record League defeat:

0–8 against Arsenal in Division 1 on February 25, 1933. 0–8 against Lincoln City in Division 2 on August 29, 1953.

• Record home League defeat:

0–7 against Fulham on November 3, 2021.

• Most goals scored by a player in a season:

Ted Harper, 43 goals in Division 1, 1925–26.

• Most goals scored by a player in a match:

Tommy Briggs, 7 goals against Bristol Rovers in Division 2 on February 5, 1955, at Ewood Park.

• Longest undefeated FA Cup run:

24 games, including 3 consecutive FA Cup wins, from 1884–86. This is still an FA Cup record!

Trophies and Achievements

Source:

League Titles

• First Division / Premier League (Top League)
  • Champions: 1911–12, 1913–14, 1994–95
  • Second Place: 1993–94
• Second Division / First Division / Championship (Second League)
  • Champions: 1938–39
  • Second Place: 1957–58, 2000–01
  • Play-off Winners: 1992
• Third Division / League One (Third League)
  • Champions: 1974–75
  • Second Place: 1979–80, 2017–18

Cup Wins

• FA Cup
  • Winners (6): 1883–84, 1884–85, 1885–86, 1889–90, 1890–91, 1927–28
  • Runners-up: 1881–82, 1959–60
• Football League Cup
  • Winners: 2001–02
• FA Charity Shield
  • Winners: 1912
  • Runners-up: 1928, 1994, 1995
• Full Members' Cup
  • Winners: 1986–87

Regional Cups

• Lancashire Cup
  • Winners (20): 1881–82, 1882–83, 1883–84, 1884–85, 1895–96, 1900–01, 1901–02, 1903–04, 1906–07, 1908–09, 1910–11, 1944–45, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 2006–07, 2010–11, 2018–19, 2020–21

See also

In Spanish: Blackburn Rovers Football Club para niños