Same stadium, rather appropriate new name

Saturday’s Buildbase FA Trophy First Qualifying Round game between Harrow Borough and Haringey Borough was preceded by a short ceremony at the Harrow Borough ground.

2017 marks 50 years since Harrow Chairman Peter Rogers joined the Football Committee at the club. He became club Treasurer at the age of 18 in 1967, the club then playing in the Athenian League Division Two, and since then has also held other Board posts of Secretary and now Chairman. His fellow officers at Harrow doubt whether there is another person in the UK football pyramid who has held senior posts at one club for such a long and continuous period.

In his time at Harrow, Peter helped to drive a near-total redevelopment of the club’s stadium and social facilities, and has overseen a rise up the leagues culminating in their present place in the Isthmian Premier, a competition which Harrow won in 1984.

Peter has also held posts on Football Association committees and within the London FA. Since retiring from the Bank of England, Peter’s commitment to the club has grown all the more and it’s fair to say that he dedicates almost his whole life to ‘The Borough’.

With the Isthmian League’s blessing, Peter’s fellow Board members decided that the most fitting way to honour Peter’s milestone, while also remembering the huge amount of work that Peter’s late parents, Jim and Meg, put into the club, would be to rename Earlsmead Stadium as The Rogers Family Stadium.

Peter knew that something was afoot on Saturday, but when he was asked to come outside at 2:30pm he did not know what was about to be revealed. Initially a little shocked, on composing himself Peter noted that he was both humbled and delighted in equal measures.

All at Bostik HQ would like to send their congratulations to Peter on this richly deserved honour.

Words courtesy of Harrow Borough FC, images from Bruce Viveash