Blackburn Rovers Football Club was formed in November 1874 at a meeting in Blackburn's old St Leger Hotel. The founders were prominent men in the local community and they chose to use a similar kit design to the Malvern School with Cambridge blue as the colour. The kit design has remained unchanged to this day.

Rovers were one of the 12 clubs which formed the Football League on 17 April, 1875. The other clubs were Accrington (Old Reds), Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Derby, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Over 118 years after the formation of the Football League, Blackburn Rovers were also founder members of the FA Premier League in 1992.

Blackburn Rovers' home games are played at Ewood Park¹ and its capacity of 31,367 is one of the highest in English football. The record attendance for Ewood Park is 62,522 in a match against Bolton Wanderers, in the FA Cup sixth round on 2 March, 1929. The lowest attendance record was set on 8 October, 1985 with 2,161 spectators for a match against Wimbledon in the League Cup second round, second leg. Blackburn's previous grounds include Oozehead Ground in 1876, Pleasington in 1877, Alexandra Meadows in 1878, Leamington Road in 1881 and Ewood Park from 1890 to the present day.

Blackburn Rovers' first football league game on 15 September, 1888, saw them draw 5 - 5 against Accrington. Most of the period between 1888 and 1992 was spent drifting between the now formed Football League Division Two and Three, with brief spells in Division One between 1946 - 48 and again in 1958 - 66. Their promotion in 1992, via a play-off final win against Leicester, saw them proudly rise, as one of the founding members of the FA Premier League, from Division Two in to the Premiership League.

By the end of the 1992/3 season, a major redevelopment of Ewood Park commenced. And with the financial backing of local businessman and club owner Jack Walker, now sadly deceased, the stadium was transformed into a 31,367 capacity all-seater ground. In 1994 Blackburn won the Premiership but were again relegated to Division One in 1999.

Honours

• FA Carling Premiership Champions: 1994 - 5 Runners-up: 1993 - 94

• Division One Champions: 1911 - 12, 1913 - 14

• Division Two Champions: 1938 - 39 Runners-up: 1957 - 58 Play-Off Winners: 1991 - 92

• Division Three Champions: 1974 - 75 Runners-up: 1979 - 80

• FA Cup Winners: 1884, 1885, 1886, 1890, 1891, 1928. Finalists: 1882, 1960

• Full Member's Cup Winners: 1987

Transfer Records

• The record fee paid for a player was £7.25 million for Kevin Davies from Southampton in June 1998.

• The record fee received for a player was £15 million for Alan Shearer who went to Newcastle United in July 1996