Barrow 125
- giveembeansbafc
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
Barrow AFC's 125th Birthday: Building a Legacy Together
Next year is Barrow AFC's 125th birthday. Bluebirds' supporters groups and the local community are being asked to band together to create a lasting celebration our club and town's identity and heritage.
'Barrow 125' are pursuing a number of projects, with support from, among others, our award winning Dock Museum, local schools, historians and artists.
An exhibition and community celebration day in the Dock Museum is planned, as well as commemorative items however the group are also reaching out for histories, memories and artefacts about what makes 'Barrow Soccer' and Barrow identity itself. This archive, of physical objects, player history but also the memories and stories of Barrow supporters will be stored and used for heritage and community education, in a space in the ground constructed by our own supporters maintenance and funded by the club.
Other proposed projects include a Barrow 125 Heritage trail, celebrating club icons such as Brian Arrowsmith and Ray Wilkie with historical moments in time. This includes the social and industrial history of the town. Each blue plaque will be linked to a Barrow 125 website, designed and curated by independent fanzine 'Give em Beans' who are looking for the oral histories and stories of fans and players.
This will begin with all Barrow AFC fans being asked to fill in a very short questionnaire which will be shared by the Bluebirds Trust, club media and any other platforms. Interested fans who wish to take part in the project and share ideas, are also very welcome to e-mail:
Or fill in the survey:
Bluebirds Trust Representative on the Barrow AFC Board Frazer Stewart said, 'our football club is for the fans, the community and the town.' ' Players, managers, directors and supporters are all part of the journey. Directors and owners are very fortunate custodians of the club, aiming to leave a positive lasting impression on the club's story,'. It's down to all of us who love Barrow Soccer to make the 125th anniversary the best it possibly can be and tell the story for the next generation to get the "Barrow Bug."
'We've so many great football historians connected to the club that we can reach out to' said Barrow AFC stalwart and author Peter Hawkridge.
For the club, General Manager Rickie Wallbank said, 'the club want the anniversary to be led by the fans', we are 100% behind the project.
Avid collector of all things Barrow AFC David Stowell said, "Barrow's history itself is so wrapped in the club. The first Holland submarine was launched in the same year it was formed. And there's so many little known facts, such as we beat Liverpool twice during the second world war.
