Blackburn soccer club members in farewell toast to 90 years of happy memories

Dozens of current and former members of Old Blackburnians Football Club will be at The Memorial Ground in Lammack Road to raise a glass to the field where they played before its bar closes it doors for the last time.

The clubhouse will shut for good tonight while its three teams continue to play on on the current ground's pitches before hopefully moving on to their nearby equivalents belonging to Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, whose old boys founded the club in 1925.

The two soccer pitches are being prepared for a controversial redevelopment as an estate of 75 homes.

Ian Robertson, organiser of tonight’s event, the owner of the nearby Hare and Hounds pub and a former player, said: “We are having one last toast to wonderful memories.

“It has been a much-loved football club for more than 90 years and will be missed.

“We just put out an invitation on Facebook and expected a few of us to come together for a farewell drink but there has been a very good response and I am expecting dozens of people, probably into three figures, to come along.

“Many people over the years have played and socialised at ‘The Old Blacks’ with lifetime memories having been created.”

In August 2017 Blackburn with Darwen Planning Committee gave outline approval to the 75-house scheme.

The landowners and applicants, the Old Blackburnians Association and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, are understood to have a housing developer lined up to start work on building the new homes shortly.

On Mr Robertson’s Facebook page several former club members have expressed their sadness that the ground is to be redeveloped.

Nigel Dixon posted: “Just seen that the Old Blackburnians are closing their doors. This is so sad and it is so wrong.”

Craig Theo Walsh said: “Sad news. Many a good party including my daughter’s christening held there.”

Janet Williamson Smith posted: “End of an era, lots of happy memories over the years.”

Michael O’Malley said: “Gutted.”

Beardwood with Lammack councillor Mike Lee said: “It is a shame the club is closing. It will be much missed.

“I think there are issues of parking and traffic that still need to be resolved.”

“I would like to have seen the ground kept as open space for sporting purposes.”

Part of the original planning approval is that the builder will make a financial contribution to creating two new sports pitches next to the one at Old College Playing Fields in Pleckgate, one for Blackburn Rovers Ladies.

The housing scheme is linked to Blackburn with Darwen Council’s controversial ‘Local Plan’ to build 4,000 rural-style executive homes in and around the borough by 2030.

The Government has set it a target of having planning permission for enough land to build 9,400 new homes in the next 15 years.