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

Blackburn Rovers cup winners in 1883-1884. The first FA Cup win for the team. The photograph includes the East Lancashire Charity Cup; the FA Cup and the Lancashire Cup. Back row (left to right): J. M. Lofthouse, H. McIntrye, J. Beverly, W. J. H. Arthur, F. Suter, J. Forrest, R. Birtwistle (umpire) Front row (left to right): J. Douglas, J. E. Sowerbutts, J. Brown, G. Avery, J. Hargreaves.

F.A. Cup winning side of the 1890-91 season

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Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers Football Club are an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The club was established in 1875, and in 1888 became a founding member of The Football League. In 1890 Rovers moved to its permanent home at Ewood Park. more...

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Until the formation of the Premier League in 1992, the majority of the club's success was pre-1930 when they won the league and FA Cup on several occasions.

In 1992, Blackburn were promoted to the new Premier League a year after being taken over by local steel baron Jack Walker, who installed Kenny Dalglish as manager. Three years after winning promotion Blackburn were league champions, having spent millions of pounds on players like Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton. But the title winning team was quickly split up and in 1999 Blackburn were relegated. They were promoted back to the Premiership two years later, just after Jack Walker's death, and have been in the top flight ever since. During this time they have qualified for the UEFA Cup three times, once as League Cup winners and twice as the Premiership's sixth-placed team.

The club's Latin motto \"Arte et labore\", which was used by the town council even before the club were formed, literally translated means \"by art and by labour\". However it is more commonly translated as \"by skill and hard work\".

History

The early years

The club Blackburn Rovers was the idea of John Lewis and Arthur Constantine during a seventeen-man meeting at the Leger Hotel, Blackburn in November 1875. The club's first secretary was Walter Duckworth, and Lewis was its first treasurer. Many of the initial members were wealthy and well-connected, and this helped the club survive and rise beyond the large number of other local teams around at the time.

The first match played by Blackburn Rovers took place in Church, Lancashire on 18 December 1875 -- and was a 1-1 draw. Although the make-up of the team was not recorded it is generally thought to be: Thomas Greenwood (goal), Jack Baldwin, Fred Birtwistle, (full-backs), Arthur Thomas, J. T. Sycelmore (half-backs), Walter Duckworth, John Lewis, Thomas Dean, Arthur Constantine, Harry Greenwood, Richard Birtwistle (forwards), in a 2-2-6 formation.

At the time, the club had no ground of its own and no gate receipts. The only income came from members' subscriptions, which totalled £2 8s 0d during the first season.

During the 1876-1877 season, Rovers finally gained a ground of its own by renting a piece of farmland at Oozehead, on the west side of town facing Preston New Road. The ground was little more than a meadow with a pool in the middle that had to be covered with planks and turf when playing, but it did allow the club to collect gate receipts totalling 6s 6d for the season. Occasional games were also played at Pleasington cricket ground.