Early history Barrow were founded on 16 July 1901 at the old Drill Hall (later the Palais) in the Strand, and played initially at the Strawberry Ground before moving to Ainslie Street and
Little Park in
Roose. The club was elected to Division Two of the
Lancashire Combination in 1903, and in 1908 it was promoted to the first division. Their highest finish before the
Second World War was fifth in the
1931–32 season. In the 1933–34 season, Barrow finished eighth. The club remained in the lowest tier of
the Football League when football resumed after the war, and were founding members of
Football League Division Four in
1958–59. The 1950s saw greater success in
FA Cup competition, however; the club's record crowd of 16,874 watched Barrow draw 2–2 with
Swansea Town in the
1953–54 FA Cup. A few years later, it was followed by a third-round tie in the
1958–59 competition against
Football League champions Wolverhampton Wanderers at Holker Street. The Wolves, captained by
Billy Wright, won 4–2. The late 1960s finally saw Barrow win promotion, after a third-place finish managed by
Don McEvoy in the
1966–67 Fourth Division. McEvoy's successor,
Colin Appleton, led Barrow to their highest final league position (eighth place) in the
Football League Third Division the following season. The club topped the Third Division league table for one day during the 1968–69 season, the highest position they have ever held. During this period, defender
Brian Arrowsmith made the most Football League appearances for Barrow. Three factors were highlighted: Barrow's geographic isolation, Hereford United's
FA Cup victory against
Newcastle United, and the decision of the Barrow board to introduce a
speedway track around the Holker Street pitch to offset financial difficulties. Barrow joined the
Northern Premier League for the start of the 1972–73 season, and the club spent 51 years in the Football League, 44 playing seasons due to the wartime closedown. (although it remained until 1974). Barrow struggled in the league, with limited financial resources. The club were invited to join the new
Alliance Premier League in 1979, the first national division in
non-League football. Barrow won the
Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy in 1981 (their first success as a non-League club since winning the Lancashire Combination in 1921), but were relegated two years later. They won the Northern Premier League title the following season under manager
Vic Halom, but were relegated again by 1986. The club hired Ray Wilkie as a manager just before relegation, and Wilkie led Barrow to their most successful period to date in non-League football. After a number of near-misses, the club did promote to the renamed
Football Conference in
1988–89 after their
Northern Premier League championship. Other notable members of the squad included
Kenny Lowe, who was sold to
Barnet for £40,000 (a club record at the time) after the final. The following season (benefiting from direct entry to the first round), Barrow made the third round of the FA Cup for the first time as a non-League club before losing 1–0 away to Third Division high-fliers
Bolton Wanderers. Wilkie was forced to step down during the 1991–92 season due to health problems. Barrow were returned through relegation to the Northern Premier League and Cowperthwaite retired after fifteen seasons with the club, 704 appearances and 282 goals. Wilkie died in December 1992 at age 56, and the road outside the Holker Street ground was later named Wilkie Road in his honour.
1990s turmoil After Wilkie's departure and Barrow's relegation, the club had three mediocre seasons in the Northern Premier League. In February 1995, Barrow were purchased by boxing promoter and businessman
Stephen Vaughan. Vaughan invested in the club, building an
all-seater grandstand and signing Conference-standard players. The Bluebirds were promoted to the Conference in 1997–98 under manager Owen Brown. although no charges were brought. He left the club at the end of 1998, withdrawing the financial support which had kept it afloat. In January 1999, the club were the subject of a compulsory winding-up order and a liquidator was appointed to run it while efforts were made to establish the ground's legal owner. The club defeated local rivals
Workington in a two-legged April 2004 final in the UniBond Presidents (League) Cup. The game finished 6–6 on aggregate, with Barrow winning on away goals. After their failure to gain promotion to the Conference in
2004–05, Barrow became founding members of another division: the
Conference North, which replaced the Northern Premier League one level below the Conference National.
National League years The club had poor form over the following two seasons, narrowly escaping relegation at the end of 2006–07. Manager
Lee Turnbull, who succeeded Lowe when Lowe had work commitments, was sacked in 2005 and replaced by Phil Wilson. Defender
James Cotterill was jailed for an assault committed on the pitch. In a first round FA Cup game, Cotterill punched
Bristol Rovers striker
Sean Rigg. The incident was missed by the
referee but was caught by the
Match of the Day cameras, and Cotterill was the only English player in recent history to be jailed for an offence on the pitch. After two years as manager, Wilson was dismissed on 12 November 2007. Although the sacking came two days after a good 1–1 draw in the FA Cup first round against
AFC Bournemouth, the club's continued poor form was the cause. Barrow's team affairs were shifted to players
Paul Jones,
David Bayliss and
Darren Sheridan. Following a decent run of results, Bayliss and Sheridan were appointed player-managers, and Jones became club captain. Bayliss and Sheridan led Barrow from 20th place in the league in December to fifth, ensuring a place in the playoffs for promotion to the
Conference National. They won the semi-final against
AFC Telford United 4–0 on aggregate before defeating
Stalybridge Celtic in the playoff final at
Pirelli Stadium in
Burton upon Trent. Barrow topped the Conference National table during the first few weeks of the following season before the club began to struggle, finding themselves just above the relegation zone by January 2009. They defeated
Brentford 2–1 with goals from
David Brown and Matt Henney in
round two of the FA Cup, their first victory over
Football League opposition since their 1972 elimination from the league. Barrow drew an away match against
Middlesbrough (a
Premier League team) in the third round, losing 2–1. More than 7,000 Barrow fans travelled to
Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, the highest away attendance in Riverside's 14-year history to date. The club retained their place in the Conference, finishing twentieth. Following alterations to the squad during the summer, Barrow began its second season in the Conference National in August 2009. The club had a good run after a poor start, losing once in 16 games and reaching the FA Cup third round. They were defeated 3–0 by Premier League team
Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on 2 January 2010, watched by 7,500 travelling supporters. On 13 March 2010, a
Gregg Blundell goal gave Barrow a 1–0 win at Salisbury City in the first Leg of the FA Trophy semi-final. One week later, a
Jason Walker double secured a 2–1 victory in the second Leg to send the Bluebirds to Wembley. After securing their position in the
Conference National in the last home match of the season, Barrow won the
2010 FA Trophy Final against
Stevenage Borough 2–1 at Wembley Stadium with an extra-time goal by Walker; this made Barrow the only club to win the
FA Trophy at the old and new Wembley Stadiums. The 2010–11 season was less successful, although the club finished in 18th place and remained in the Conference National with a 2–0 victory against
Hayes & Yeading on the last day of the season. Barrow failed to retain the FA Trophy, however, losing 2–3 to Conference North team
Guiseley. The team was more successful the following season, finishing 13th. Darren Sheridan left the club by mutual consent in February 2012, and Dave Bayliss remained as manager. The following season, Barrow were relegated from the
Conference National after losing 2–1 at
Cambridge United on 13 April 2013. Bayliss left the club by mutual consent on 5 November 2013, and Barrow reappointed former caretaker manager
Darren Edmondson on 10 December of that year. That season, the club failed to win promotion to the Conference Premier and finished 11th in the Conference North. players warming up before their friendly at Barrow on 20 July 2019. Barrow manager
Ian Evatt was a late substitute, ending his playing career against his
2010–11 Premier League team. On 1 May 2014, it was announced that club members voted to allow
Dallas businessman Paul Casson to complete a takeover. Barrow were 2014–15 Conference North champions, with a 2–3 win away at
Lowestoft Town on the final day of the season. Casson aimed for promotion in the club's first season return in the top flight of non-League football. In November 2015, Barrow parted company with manager
Darren Edmondson after a poor run left them mid-table and a 1–0 loss to
AFC Fylde knocked them out of the
2015–16 FA Cup. The club appointed former
Mansfield and
Torquay boss
Paul Cox manager the following day. On 20 September 2017, Barrow appointed Micky Moore as first-team manager. Moore was sacked after the club's
FA Cup defeat in the fourth qualifying round away at
Shaw Lane on 15 October of that year. Former
Forest Green Rovers boss Ady Pennock was appointed manager on 27 October, accompanied by assistant manager
Jamie Day and player-coach
Grant Holt. Barrow narrowly avoided relegation, finishing in 20th place, and Pennock and the club parted company on 18 May 2018. Former
Blackpool and
Chesterfield defender
Ian Evatt became the club's manager on 15 June. On 24 October 2018, Casson announced he was stepping down as chairman and selling the club; director Paul Hornby led a management buyout of the club. The
2018–19 season was much more successful under Evatt, finishing in 10th place. The following
2019–20 season was even more successful. The Bluebirds were top of the league for most of the season before the disruption caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic. The final league table was decided on a
points per game basis, meaning Barrow returned to the
EFL as champions for the first time since 1972.
Return to the Football League (2020–2026) During preseason, manager
Ian Evatt departed for newly relegated
Bolton Wanderers and was replaced by
David Dunn. Barrow's first
Football League game in 48 years was a 1–1 draw with
Stevenage at
Holker Street. The Bluebirds finally won at their ninth attempt in the league, with a 4–2 win at
Mansfield Town. After 22 matches, the last nine without a win, and with the team 21st in the table, Dunn was sacked on 13 December 2020, and assistant manager
Rob Kelly was appointed as caretaker manager.
Michael Jolley was named as the new manager on 23 December 2020. On 21 February 2021, after seven games in charge, Barrow parted with Jolley, and reappointed assistant boss Kelly as Barrow's caretaker manager, this time until the end of the season. At the end of the season, Kelly chose not to remain as manager on a permanent basis and left the club. On 28 May 2021,
Mark Cooper was appointed as manager. On 24 August 2021, Barrow hosted Premier League team
Aston Villa in an
EFL Cup second round tie, losing 6–0. In
2021–22, Barrow finished in 22nd place. In May 2022,
Pete Wild was appointed as the new manager. Under Wild, Barrow's league performance improved, finishing ninth in the
2022–23 season. On 31 May 2024,
Stephen Clemence was announced as Wild's successor on a two-year deal, but, with the club 17th in League Two, was sacked eight months later in January 2025 and replaced by
Andy Whing. He guided Barrow to safety, finishing the season in 16th place. Over the course of his tenure, he oversaw 46 matches, winning 15, drawing 13, and losing 18, helping the club climb away from the relegation zone and establish a mid-table position the following season. Whing was dismissed on 10 December 2025. After Whing's departure,
Neil McDonald took caretaker charge, before
Paul Gallagher was subsequently appointed on 2 January 2026. After losing all five of his matches in charge and leaving the club three points above the relegation zone, Gallagher was sacked on 11 February 2026. His five consecutive defeats without a win represented the lowest win percentage of any Barrow manager to take charge of at least five matches in the club’s 125-year history. On 11 February 2026,
Dino Maamria was appointed as Barrow's latest head coach, but was sacked 28 days later after just one win in six matches. Midfielder
Sam Foley was then appointed interim head coach until the end of the
2025–26 season, becoming fifth man to take charge of Barrow in a 'revolving door' season. On 2 May 2026, following a 1–2 defeat to
Newport County, Barrow were relegated from League Two, returning to the National League after six seasons in the EFL. ==Colours and badge==