Even though this club only existed for a decade or so, they played a significant role in the history of the game in England. For one, they were the first team from the north of the country, and the first team from a working class background, to break the grip on the Football Association Challenge Cup of the wealthy amateur teams representing the various universities. Olympic’s 1883 victory in the tournament marked a turning point in which the sport transitioned from simply a pastime pursuit for upper-class gentlemen to a professional sport. Olympic played the majority of their home matches at the Hole-i’th’-Wall Stadium, which was named after the pub next door.

 

At the time of the clubs founding, football was incredibly popular in Blackburn, with the industrial town having over a dozen active clubs. Olympic was formed in 1878 when two of these clubs, Black Star and James Street, decided to merge. The clubs committee eventually made the decision that Olympic should compete for bigger prizes than the local tournaments, and thus they entered the FA Cup in 1880, but didn’t get very far following a 5-4 loss to Sheffield and losing to Darwen the following year, also in the first round. Glory eventually came in 1883, with Olympic defeating four fellow Lancastrian clubs, Accrington, Lower Darwen, Darwen Ramblers and Church, to reach the fifth round. At this stage, they played Welsh team Druids whom they defeated 4-0 to progress to the semi-final. They played Old Carthusians, their first opponents from the south of England and heavy favourites to win the title again. Olympic came out with a 4-0 win to set up a final with Old Etonians at Kensington Oval. The scores remained level at 1-1 after 90 minutes. Under the rules, extra-time could be played at the referees discretion and in response to the mood of the crowd.

 

Both captains requested to play extra-time to find a result, and Olympics superior stamina showed. The winner was scored by Yates and the cup went to Lancashire for the first time. The club folded in 1899 after the poorly organised Combination League in which they played collapsed, and many players walked out on the club when they couldn’t compete with the sponsors, crowds and wages that the better established Blackburn Rovers enjoyed.

 

Achievements: FA Cup - Winners x1

                            East Lancashire Charity Cup – Winners x1

                            Blackburn Association Challenge Cup – Winners x2

                            Livesey United Cup – x1

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Star player: John Yates – DoB 1861, Blackburn, England

 

Born in Blackburn but kicking his career off with Accrington, he joined Olympic after a year and was a member of the successful side made up of tradesmen and weavers and backed by local foundry owner Sid Yates (no relation). After gloriously beating the southern amateur teams to win the FA Cup in 1883, Yates returned to Accrington for two years before moving on to Burnley in 1888, just in time for the inaugural Football League season. He received his only England cap for the match against Ireland at Anfield in 1889, becoming Burnley’s first international player. He scored a hat-trick in this game, a 6-1 win, and is one of five players to have scored a hat-trick on their England debut and yet not been picked again. He eventually retired and went back to his profession as a cotton weaver, before going on, like so many ex-footballers, to become a pub landlord. Yates succumbed to cancer in 1917.