Blackpool Football Club is a professional association football club based in the seaside resort of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1887, the club formerly played its home games at Raikes Hall and the Athletic Grounds before moving to Bloomfield Road in 1901. Blackpool were founder members of the Lancashire League in 1889 and were invited into the Football League Second Division in 1896. They failed re-election in 1899 but had their Football League membership reinstated the following year. From 1923 onwards, Blackpool have worn the tangerine shade of orange shirts, traditionally accompanied by white shorts and tangerine socks.[3]
Blackpool remained in the Second Division until they won the league title in 1929–30, though they were relegated after three seasons in the First Division. Promoted again in 1936–37, the club entered a golden period under the stewardship of long-time manager Joe Smith. Blackpool lost the 1948 and 1951 FA Cup finals before winning the competition in 1953, the so-called "Matthews final", in which they beat Bolton Wanderers 4–3, overturning a 3–1 deficit in the closing stages of the game. That same year, four Blackpool players were in the England team which lost against Hungary at Wembley.[1][4] In the 1950s they had four top-six finishes in the First Division, with their best position being runners-up to Manchester United in 1955–56. In 1956, Stanley Matthews was the inaugural recipient of the Ballon d'Or.[5]
Blackpool were relegated from the First Division in 1967, and again in 1971 after winning promotion in 1969–70. They dropped into the fourth tier after suffering relegations in 1978 and 1981, then gained promotion in 1984–85. They won the 1971 Anglo-Italian Cup final, and remain the only Lancashire club to have won a European trophy.[6]
Between 1987 and 2019, the club was owned by the Oyston family. In 1996, Owen Oyston was jailed for the rape and indecent assault of a 16-year-old girl four years earlier.[7] His wife, Vicki, took over the chairmanship of the club during her husband's three-year prison term. The couple's son, Karl, took over in 1999 and remained in the role for nineteen years. In 2018, after the Oyston family was found, in a High Court judgement, to have operated an "illegitimate stripping" of the club, paying out £26.77 million to companies they owned, Owen relieved Karl of his role and gave it to his daughter, Natalie. In June 2019, Simon Sadler, a 49-year-old Blackpool-born businessman, bought a 96.2% share in the club,[8] completely removing the Oyston family from any involvement.[9]
During the long years of Oyston ownership, Blackpool were relegated to the fourth tier in 1990, promoted via the play-offs in 1992, then relegated again in 2000. Blackpool reached the Premier League in 2010, after becoming the first club to gain promotion from every division of the Football League via the play-off system; they won the 2001 Third Division play-offs, 2007 League One play-offs and the 2010 Championship play-offs. They spent one season in the Premier League, under manager Ian Holloway, and later suffered a double relegation into League Two by 2016, though gained immediate promotion by winning the 2017 League Two play-off final, their sixth success in the format in eight finals. They remained in League One for four seasons, before winning promotion, again via the play-offs, in 2021. After two seasons in the Championship, they returned to League One in 2023, where they have since remained.
History
Formation and early years (1877–1900)
Football had developed in Blackpool by 1877, when Victoria F.C. were founded as a church club with a ground in Caunce Street. This team disbanded a few years later but some of its members are understood to have merged with old boys from St John's School to form a new club called Blackpool St John's. The two factions remained disunited, however, and on 26 July 1887, at a meeting in the Stanley Arms public house, the members resolved to wind up St John's and form a new club to represent the whole town. It was named Blackpool Football Club.
The new club managed to win two pieces of silverware in its first season in existence, 1887–88: the Fylde Cup and the Lancashire Junior Cup.
At the conclusion of the following 1888–89 season, Blackpool became founder members of the Lancashire League. In their first season in the competition, the club finished fifth out of the 13 member clubs. They finished as runners-up over the following three seasons (to Bury twice and Liverpool once), before winning the championship themselves on their fourth attempt.
Blackpool's home at that point in time was Raikes Hall (also known as the Royal Palace Gardens), which was part of a large entertainment complex that included a theatre and a boating lake, amongst other attractions. This meant that the club's average attendances were around the 2,000 mark, making the club's formative years a financial success.[1]
Colours
Blackpool first began wearing tangerine for the 1923–24 season, after a recommendation from referee Albert Hargreaves, who officiated an international match between the Netherlands and Belgium and was impressed by the Dutchmen's colours.[97]
Before changing to tangerine permanently, the team tried several different colours: blue-and-white striped shirts in the 1890s (becoming known as the Merry Stripes); a mixture of red or white shirts at the turn of the 20th century; and, during the First World War, black, yellow and red. The latter was adopted to include the colours of the flag of Belgium, a show of support for the large number of Belgian refugees that had arrived in the town. After the war, they wore white shirts and navy-blue shorts. The board introduced another change in 1934 when the team appeared in alternating dark- and light-blue stripes (which have been reintroduced several times in the mid-1990s and 2002, for Blackpool's return to the top flight in 2010 as the club's third kit, and as their away kit in 2019–20), but they bowed to public pressure in 1939 and settled on tangerine.[97] Between 1938 and 1958 Blackpool's kit consisted of tangerine shirts, white shorts and navy blue socks. The club now uses tangerine socks, though navy was used as a secondary colour in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[98]
Stadium
Blackpool have played their home games at Bloomfield Road since 1901. As of April 2025, Blackpool F.C.'s official website states that Bloomfield Road has a capacity of "just under 16,500".[2]
In the summer of 2010, work was done on the stadium to prepare for the club's debut season in the Premier League. A new 5,120-capacity temporary East Stand was built, together with improvements to the floodlighting, media and medical facilities and the dugouts. Painting work was also done on the Stanley Matthews (West) Stand and the Mortensen Kop (North Stand). A new video screen was also installed. A new South Stand named after Jimmy Armfield was opened in 2010 with 3,600 seats. From the first home game in the Premier League, against Fulham on 28 August 2010, the capacity was 16,220, the highest at Bloomfield Road in 30 years.
In the 2011–12 season, the south east corner between the Armfield Stand and the temporary East Stand was filled with an additional 500 seats, the area also incorporating the BFC Hotel, which welcomed its first guests at the end of June 2012. It was officially opened on 26 July 2012, the club's 125th anniversary.[99] The hotel has a four-star rating, although the source of the accreditation is not specified on its website. It also houses a conference centre. From the 2015–16 season to Blackpool's homecoming game against Southend United, the East Stand had been closed to fans. In the latter part of the 2018–19 EFL League One season, away fans moved to the North-East Stand. As of the 2019–20 season, away fans are now accommodated in the East Stand.
Supporters
Blackpool supporters are known by the general terms Tangerine Army or Seaside Barmy Army. Whilst Blackpool had the lowest average home attendance in the Premier League, the atmosphere generated by the home support was regarded as loud and intimidating.
After Steve McMahon resigned as Blackpool manager in 2004, he said of the Tangerine support: "During my time here, the supporters have been fantastic and are a credit to the club. Whilst they have that support, I am sure they can go a long way. I think both on and off the pitch the club is going forward in a big way and unfortunately I'm not part of that anymore."[4] The club was promoted three years later to the Championship, and again in 2010 to the Premier League for the 2010–11 season.
In September 2009, freelance journalist Mike Whalley said after attending a game against Peterborough United: "The home fans certainly make plenty of noise. Bloomfield Road does not lack for atmosphere. Or a drummer. Every home game is played to a thumping drum beat."[100] After Blackpool beat Newcastle United 2–1 on 16 September 2009, Scott Wilson of the Northern Echo wrote: "Almost 10,000 spectators created a hostile and intimidating atmosphere that was a throwback to footballing days gone by"[101] while the
Sponsors
1 Derek Woodman BMW sponsored the club's home shorts, while Derek Woodman Mini sponsored their away versions
2 Blackpool Leisure were the shorts sponsors
3 Tower Insurance were the shorts sponsors[120]
Between the 2005–06 season and the 2009–10 season, Glyn Jones Estate Agents appeared in the back of their home shirts, while JMB Properties Ltd. appeared on the back of their away shirts.[121] For the 2020–21 season, FTS became the back-of-shirt sponsor.[122]
Players
First-team squad
Note: EFL clubs are limited to a squad of 22 senior players (aged 21 or over). There is no limit to the number of players who were aged 20 or younger on 1 January 2025, that the club can use. [124][125]
Out on loan
Reserve team
Up until the 2009–10 season the reserve team competed in the Central League Division One West. They have been Central League champions twice, in 1919–20 and 1949–50.
Managers
Including repeat appointments, there have been 43 full-time managers of Blackpool F.C., the first being Bill Norman between 1918 and 1923. The longest-serving manager was Joe Smith, who occupied the role for 23 years; Michael Appleton, meanwhile, lasted 65 days in the role in his first stint at the club.[138] Blackpool has, on average, appointed a new manager just under every three years. As of October 2025, the club has had fourteen full-time managers in thirteen years.
There have been five repeat appointments: Bob Stokoe, Allan Brown, Simon Grayson, Michael Appleton and Neil Critchley.
In 2014, Jose Riga became the club's first foreign manager.
In 2020, Neil Critchley became the first appointment to be known as a head coach.
Non-playing staff
Owner: Simon Sadler[85]
Chief executive officer: Julian Winter[139]
Head of Finance: Jordan Sumner
Sporting director: David Downes
Head coach: Ian Evatt
Assistant head coach: Stephen Crainey
First-team coach: Stephen Dobbie[140]
Goalkeeping coach: Steve Banks
Under-18s coach: Matthew Blinkhorn
Academy director: Ciaran Donnelly[141]
Honours
Blackpool were the first team to be promoted through all divisions of the Football League via the play-off system and the club has the most play-off trophies (6).[144]
League
Cup
- Second Division / Championship (level 2)
- Champions: 1929–30
- Promoted: 1936–37, 1969–70
- Play-off winners: 2010
- League One (level 3)
- Play-off winners: 2007, 2021
- Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (level 4)
- Promoted: 1984–85
Records
Club
- Highest finish: 2nd in Division One (1955–56)
- Lowest finish: 21st in Division Four (1982–83)
Players
- Most Football League appearances: Jimmy Armfield (569; between 27 December 1954 and 1 May 1971)
- Top goalscorer: Jimmy Hampson (252; between 15 October 1927 and 8 January 1938)
- Most capped player: Jimmy Armfield (43; for England)
Managers
Tangerine TV
In August 2021, the club launched Tangerine TV as a direct replacement to the EFL's streaming service.[145]
Blackpool F.C. Ladies
External links
- Blackpool F.C. on BBC Sport
References
- Roy Calley. Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992 Breedon Books Publishing Co Ltd, 20 October 1992^
- Visiting Bloomfield Road blackpoolfc.co.uk, Blackpool F.C., retrieved 7 April 2025^
- Blackpool – Historical Football Kits Historicalkits.co.uk, retrieved 30 April 2024^