World Football Club Crests

Arte et Labore, the Latin phrase that adorns the crest of Blackburn Rovers club, translates as ‘By skill and hard work’ – two qualities required to succeed in football. The words come from Blackburn’s town crest, and so have an historic meaning for both the club and the town.

The people of Blackburn have always worked hard. The town was situated in the centre of the Industrial Revolution, which changed not just England but also Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1764, in nearby Oswaldtwistle, the weaver James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny, a machine that brought a new efficiency to the textile industry and thus contributed to Blackburn’s growth.

More than a hundred years later, the Lancashire cotton industry had almost run its course and the area was afflicted by high levels of unemployment. The locals looked for comfort to their football club, Blackburn Rovers. Formed in 1875, it won the League in 1912 and 1914 and took the FA Cup home five times between 1884 and 1891. But the club’s greatest success was a long time coming. In the 1994/95 season, and with financial backing from local multi-millionaire Jack Walker, Blackburn Rovers won the Premier League – a great surprise even though this was a team that was managed by Kenny Dalglish and which included stars like Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton, Graeme Le Saux and Tim Sherwood. The club had worked hard to win the title; it was their first trophy in 67 years.

CLUB: Blackburn Rovers FC

NICKNAMES: Rovers, The Blue and Whites and The Riversiders

FOUNDED: 1875

STADIUM: Ewood Park, Blackburn (31,367 capacity)

HISTORIC PLAYERS: Billy Bradshaw, Derek Fazackerley, Tim Flowers, Tim Sherwood, Simon Garner, Chris Sutton, Alan Shearer and David Dunn

1875–1878. John Lewis and Arthur Constantine, the two founders, were former students of the local public schools which were strongly associated with the Maltese cross. As a result, Rovers wore the Maltese cross on their shirts.

1928 and 1960. For the FA Cup finals in 1928 and 1960, Rovers wore the city’s coat of arms, which symbolizes the town motto ‘By skill and hard work’. The bees represent the industrial history of the city while the white field represents the calico industry. At the top of the crest, a dove is perched on a weaver’s shuttle, which also has a strong historical bond to the city.

1989–present. It wasn’t until 1974 that they started to use an emblem continuously. This is how the red rose of Lancashire, their county, became synonymous with the club. Fifteen years later, the emblem was updated. The rose also represents divine love and motherhood, and was centrally placed. The name and the year of the club’s formation appeared in a blue circle, blue being a colour that has followed Blackburn since the beginning in 1875.

Steve Archibald played on loan for Blackburn Rovers in the 1988/89 season and made 20 appearances. The club’s crest between 1974 1989 was based on the Lancashire red rose and carried the club initials below in red.