EMOTIONS will be running high when Cowley bids a final farewell to a cherished social club tonight.

The Oxford Sports and Social Club, also known as the Rover Club, has dominated the Cowley skyline for almost 90 years.

Hundreds of families from far and wide have graced its ballroom floors during glitzy fundraising balls to national sports championships.

But the landmark, in Roman Way, will officially close its doors tomorrow – with the keys handed back to BMW.

General manager of the club Jenny O'Loughlin said staff will be uniting for the last time today to raise a glass to the years of memories made at the venue.

It comes after two sell-out events – an Abba Tribute Band with a seventies discos and live entertainers Todd Miller and the Joe Loss Orchestra - organised by dedicated club members wowed devotees last weekend.

Ms O'Loughlin added: "The executive committee and trustees would like to express their thanks to all who have supported the club and they know it holds happy memories for many people in Oxfordshire."

The club opened in 1927 for the workers of Pressed Steel Fisher – later British Leyland Motor Corporation – and was then known as the Pressed Steel Fisher Sports and Social Club.

Ms O'Loughlin said the club, which previously paid £1 a year to BMW, struggled to keep membership numbers high after seeing a "steady decline" and was forced to consider its options.

She added: "The club took the very difficult decision to close permanently back in October 2012, despite discussing several different options with BMW regarding relocation.

"The economic climate, along with falling memberships, a change in social circumstances and leisure patterns, made it difficult to produce a robust business plan to make the club viable again.

"The club now has to compete with cheap supermarket alcohol, the smoking ban and drink driving has made it difficult due to the location.

"This has had a major impact on the club's survival, along with ever increasing running costs. The club has made progress over the past few years to reduce the deficit faced each year, but this is still not enough to ensure the club's future.

"BMW have been good landlords to the club over the years and has worked closely with the club to ensure a timely closure."

Sports clubs from across the city have called the Oxford Sports and Social Club its home during its historic legacy but many will have to search for a new one now.

The Oxford Bowls Club, previously known as the Pressed Steel and Rover Cowley bowls club, folded last September after news of the Roman Way venue's pending closure was announced.

Members reminisced about the club's 62 years at the Cowley ground during a social dinner and final weekend of bowls on the greens next to the BMW factory.

Jim Warland, who was club president and a member for 43 years, said he and wife Joan felt the club was "part of their life".

The 83-year-old Headington resident added: "I just did not believe it really. It had been there for so long. BMW has been a good landlord to us."

The Oxford branch of the Elvis Presley Fan Club of Great Britain held fundraisers at the Cowley club for more than 30 years before bowing out last November.

Branch leader Jenny de Fraine said the fan club hopes to hold its annual bash at a new location but will miss uniting with other Elvis lovers at the Roman Way site.

The 68-year-old, of Kennington, said she had fond memories of her family's time at Oxford Sports and Social Club, when husband Ken worked at the British Leyland Motor Corporation.

She said people would gather for Christmas parties, social nights and family events including huge bonfires and firework displays.

Mrs de Fraine added: "It was a lovely venue. We were always made welcome there. There was always a nice, friendly atmosphere. It just seems terribly sad. We had some really lovely times there. It's just a loss to Oxford."

Coralie Green, of dance group Jive +, and her dancers bid farewell to the Oxford Sports and Social Club when they hosted a 12-hour hive-a-thon and a final ball after 15 years of using the venue.

She said the news of its closure had not yet "sunk in" and said although sports clubs and groups will eventually find a new home, she thought it would never "be the same".

Ms Green added: "It is a real shake up. We have had so many happy memories there. It [Oxford Sports and Social Club] had a really well-known reputation in the dancing world."

Coach at Blackbird Leys Boxing Club Tony Gibson said he remembered first using the Roman Way club in the late 1960s but had been taking his 50-strong team of boxers there for the past ten years.

The 65-year-old said he was "disappointed" after hearing it would be closing, leaving his boxers without a regular venue to train and hold events at.

He added: "There's not many of these places where we can hold out shows now because they are being closed down. There have been boxing shows there [the sports and social club] for as long as I can remember."

The team at the Oxford Sports and Social Club announced it would not be relocating and would cease trading when its lease ends in June after BMW said it would take back the Roman Way site in 2013.

Last September, Oxford City Council backed a £4.9m deal with BMW, which will see new sports facilities built on land off Horspath Road.