In a tradition going back to 1948, fans of Blackburn Rovers and

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

bury a coffin of relegation in the cellar of the Trades Halls club in

Bamber Bridge Bamber Bridge is an urban village in Lancashire, England, south-east of Preston, in the borough of South Ribble. The name derives from the Old English "bēam" and "brycg", which probably means "tree-trunk bridge". The population was 13,945 at ...

. Supporters take to the streets of

for a carnival style burial of a club-branded coffin to mark their team's relegation. The event has happened whenever either of the two teams have been relegated and the coffin has then been 'raised' when either side has been promoted again. The parade started in 1948 after a greengrocer in Bamber Bridge packed a coffin full of vegetables and buried it following Blackburn’s relegation to the old Division Two. The vegetables were supposed to represent the players in the team, although nowadays a dummy called Chucky lies in the coffin in the club kit.

History

After Blackburn's promotion back to the Premier League in 2000–01, the coffin was paraded down Station Road in a cortege of five carnival-type milk floats headed by bands, dancers, fire crews and people dressed as bishops and nuns. A burial was held ahead of the start of the 2011–12 campaign, on Sunday 24 July 2011, after Preston were relegated from the

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

the previous season. The procession started from Church Road at the south end of Station Road in

, close to Ye Old Hob Inn public house. There was another procession after the 2011–12 season after Blackburn Rovers were relegated to the Championship after an 11-year stay in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

, however this was held in Blackburn on police advice. The funeral procession went from the Fox and Hounds pub on Albion Road to The Aqueduct pub on Bolton Road near

Ewood Park Ewood Park () is a football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the Football League and Premier League, who have played there since 1890. It is an all seater multi-sports facili ...

. The last Preston raising occurred on Sunday 12 July 2015 after Preston's promotion from League One back to the Championship and the coffin was driven in a hearse and paraded around. Another burial occurred in July 2017 after Blackburn's

relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

to League One, but the coffin was raised again on Sunday 22 July 2018 after their immediate promotion back to the Championship.

Events

References

{{Preston North End F.C. History of football in England Football in Lancashire Preston North End F.C. Blackburn Rovers F.C. English humour