About Us
We think everyone connected with the local community would agree that for many years (since the demise of the old supporters’ club in the West Stand) we have needed somewhere to go to meet other fans and socialise on match days. As you will already know being a supporter is so much more than just watching the 90 minutes on the pitch – we need the banter, the camaraderie and bonding with other supporters before, during and after the match.
As The Armfield Club is situated right across from the football ground it is an ideal location for us to meet up for drinks, to socialise and put the world to rights on all matters related to the beautiful game and the unique roller coaster experience of being a Blackpool supporter.
It is now documented in a High Court ruling that Blackpool FC suffered from unfit ownership and that its supporters were not given the real consideration they deserved. In the case of Blackpool FC ‘unfit ownership’ reached unprecedented heights when prominent supporters became subjected to litigation by the club’s owners, purely for speaking out at the injustices they were witnessing at Bloomfield Road.
During that period it was tragic to see the fabric of the club fall apart, watch the team plummet through the divisions and witness the local community being torn apart.
Out of the darkness however can come light and we believe that projects such as The Armfield Club might not have ever happened, had it not been for the years of boycotting and struggle.
Building on these new friendships and this positive intent we want all supporters’ groups, friends and family to be part of the Armfield club.
There is still a lot of work to do and we have relied heavily on the generosity and goodwill of friends and local tradesmen (all BFC fans btw). These lads worked tirelessly to get all the initial work and the refurbishment of the 3 floors underway.
The Armfield Club is very much a work in progress and in terms of developments we expect it will continue to be so for at least the next 12 to 24 months.
We have ambitions to create the War Room to reflect the history of the club and the struggle that brought us together and to where we are now.
We would also like to create an iconic mural on the gable end to make the building look truly unique – something that BFC fans will be proud to be associated with.
Our Rooms
The Armfield Suite
The Billy Ayre Lounge
The Brett Ormerod Sports Bar
The Not a Penny More Bar
Running a club of this size, whilst building and maintaining a team of great staff and getting everything in place to keeps our members happy and watered (particularly on match days) is quite a challenge.
The Armfield Club is based in the heart of FY1 a location often listed one of the most deprived postcodes in the UK.
By creating employment opportunities and building something of value we hope to inject some good energy and much needed investment into the local area.
We are looking to work closely with Blackpool Council and the local community to ensure the venture is an ongoing success and is a place you will visit and enjoy.
So far we have been working on football boot exchange with members of BST and The Tangerine Knights and we look forward to welcoming the Former Players Association, Blackpool Supporters Trust and other groups in the near future.
We would also like to thank all our members for joining – without your valuable input and membership fees we would not have been able to make the changes and get anywhere near where we are today.
We would also like to thank the kind souls from Blackpool and beyond who have read about the project and have wanted to show their support by kindly using the DONATE button to send money to help us make the necessary improvements to bring the building up to standard. All donations no matter how small are gratefully received and help the project to keep moving forward.
This venture would not be possible without our sponsors and we would like to thank LJ financial Planning, C Cabs and The Blackpool Podcast for being the first to take up sponsorship opportunities for the 2021/22 season.
These are still opportunities to sponsor two of the bars for the 2021/22 season (The Jimmy Armfield Suite and the Brett Ormerod Sports Bar) and in time we will need a sponsor for the themed War Room.
We will also have snap frames to advertise posters of your company inside the building and we are in discussions with the council regarding external digital screens.
If any local businesses or individuals are interested in taking up these opportunities, please either contact us by email or phone Andy Higgins on 07809 556422.
Being from Blackpool we do like a challenge and maybe those words were just the kind of ‘encouragement’ we needed.
Since our re-opening in May 2021, which thankfully coincided with the club’s amazing success in the end of season play-offs, the feedback from our members has been really uplifting. Coupled with the kind comments and the positive reactions from so many our visitors in such a short space of time we firmly believe that the hard work is starting to pay off.
As many of you know we are a single-minded group of lifelong BFC supporters who are self-financing this operation and determined to deliver a supporters’ club that the fan base, the football club and local community can be proud of.
Hope to see you all soon.
Up The Pool – SEA SEA SEA-SIDERS !!!
Jimmy Armfield
- Born 21-9-1935
- Mighty pool debut 27th December 1954 v Plymouth
- England U23 debut September 1956 v Denmark
- Young footballer of the year 1959
- England first team debut May 1959 Brazil
- 43 England caps 15 of them with the captains armband
- 10yrs captains armband for the mighty pool 1961-1971
- 1962 saw Jimmy voted best right back in the world by the press
- 1962, 63 and 64 voted best right back in Europe
- Member of the 66 World Cup winning squad
- Hung his boots up for The Pool in May 1971 v Manchester Utd.
- Played a record total of 627 games for the mighty pool, cup and league.
