Burnley F.C.
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Featured article Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox football club
Burnley Football Club (Template:IPAc-en) is a professional football club based in Burnley, Lancashire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1882, Burnley were one of the first to become professional (in 1883) and subsequently put pressure on the Football Association to permit payments to players. They entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1885–86 and were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888–89, the world's first league football competition.
Burnley are one of only five sides to have won all four professional divisions of English football, and have twice been crowned champions of England, in 1920–21 and 1959–60. They have won the FA Cup once, in 1913–14, and have won the FA Charity Shield twice, in 1960 and 1973. The team have also finished as runners-up in both the First Division and FA Cup on two occasions. During the 1920–21 campaign, Burnley embarked on a 30-match unbeaten league run, setting an English record.Template:Efn From the 1950s until the 1970s, under chairman Bob Lord, Burnley were renowned for their youth policy and scouting system, and were one of the first to set up a purpose-built training ground. The majority of the team that won the 1959–60 league title had progressed through the club's youth academy. At the time, Burnley—with a population of 80,000—became one of the smallest towns to produce an English first-tier champion.Template:Efn
The team have played home games at Turf Moor since 1883, after they had moved from their original premises at Calder Vale. Nicknamed "the Clarets", the club colours of claret and blue were adopted in 1910. The club's current emblem is based on the town of Burnley's coat of arms. The side have a long-standing rivalry with nearby club Blackburn Rovers, with whom they contest the East Lancashire Derby. Burnley's record appearance holder is Jerry Dawson, who made 569 appearances in a 22-year playing spell with the team, and their record goalscorer is George Beel with 188 goals.
History
Beginnings and the first major honours (1882–1946)
The club was founded on 18 May 1882 by members of rugby team Burnley Rovers,Template:Efn who voted for a shift to association football as the sport was gaining prominence in the area.<ref name=Simp12>Simpson (2007), p. 12</ref> The suffix "Rovers" was dropped a few days later.<ref name=Simp12 /> The side won their first silverware in 1883: the Dr Dean's Cup, a knockout competition between amateur clubs in the Burnley area.<ref name=DrDean>Template:Cite web</ref> By the end of the year, the club turned professional and signed many Scottish players, who were regarded as the best footballers by the Burnley committee. As a result, Burnley refused to join the Football Association (FA) and its FA Cup because the association barred professional players.<ref name=Simp2024>Simpson (2007), pp. 20–24</ref> In 1884, Burnley led a group of 35 other clubs in the formation of the breakaway British Football Association (BFA) to challenge the FA's supremacy. The FA changed its rule in 1885, allowing professionalism, and Burnley made their first appearance in the FA Cup in 1885–86.<ref name=Simp2024 /><ref>Butler (1991), p. 30</ref> In October 1886, Burnley's Turf Moor became the first professional ground to be visited by a member of the royal family, when Prince Albert Victor attended a friendly between Burnley and Bolton Wanderers.<ref name=DrDean /> The club was among the twelve founders of the Football League in 1888–89, the world's first league football competition, and one of the six based in Lancashire.<ref name=Simp2830>Simpson (2007), pp. 28–30</ref> In the second match, William Tait became the first player in history to score a league hat-trick, with his three goals against Bolton Wanderers securing Burnley's inaugural win in the competition.<ref name=Simp2830 /> In 1889–90, they claimed their first Lancashire Cup, after beating local rivals Blackburn Rovers in the final.<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 35–36</ref>
Burnley were relegated to the Second Division for the first time in 1896–97.<ref name=Rundle /> The team won the division the next season; they lost only two of thirty matches before gaining promotion through a four-team play-off series called test matches, although the last game against First Division club Stoke was controversial. It finished 0–0 as both needed only a draw for a top flight place, and it was later named "[t]he match without a shot at goal".<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 67–68</ref> Burnley were relegated again in 1899–1900 and became embroiled in controversy when goalkeeper Jack Hillman attempted to bribe opponents Nottingham Forest during the final match of the season, which resulted in his suspension for the entire following campaign.<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 75–76</ref> It is possibly the earliest recorded case of match fixing in football.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The side continued to play in the Second Division and even finished in bottom place in 1902–03—but were re-elected—as the club got into financial difficulties.<ref name=Simp529 /><ref>Simpson (2007), p. 83</ref>
Harry Windle was named chairman in 1909, after which the club's finances turned around.<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 6, 119, 186, 222</ref> In 1910, the Burnley directors changed the club's colours from green to claret and blue, and appointed John Haworth as the team's new manager.<ref name=Simp540542>Simpson (2007), pp. 540–542</ref> In 1912–13, the side won promotion to the first tier, and the following season, Burnley won their first major honour, beating Liverpool in the 1914 FA Cup final.<ref name=Rundle /> Bert Freeman scored the only goal as Burnley became the first club to defeat five top tier sides in one cup season. Tommy Boyle became the first captain to receive the trophy from a reigning monarch, King George V.<ref name=Simp130132>Simpson (2007), pp. 130–132</ref> The team finished second to West Bromwich Albion in 1919–20,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before winning their first ever First Division championship in 1920–21.<ref name=Rundle /> Burnley lost the opening three games but went unbeaten in the following 30 league matches, setting an English record.<ref name=RememberingRecord>Template:Cite web</ref> Nine seasons later, the team were relegated to the Second Division. They struggled in the second tier and avoided a further relegation in 1931–32 by two points.<ref name=Simp529>Simpson (2007), p. 529</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The years through to the outbreak of the Second World War were characterised by mid-table league finishes.<ref name=Simp529 />
Progressive and golden era (1946–1976)
In 1946–47, the first season of post-war League football, Burnley won promotion to the First Division and reached the FA Cup final, in which they were defeated by Charlton Athletic after extra time. The team's defence was nicknamed "The Iron Curtain", since they conceded only 29 goals in 42 league matches.<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 240–242</ref> Alan Brown, captain of Burnley's 1946–47 side,<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 545–546</ref> was appointed the club's manager in 1954,<ref>Quelch (2015), pp. 207–208</ref> with Bob Lord becoming chairman a year later.<ref name=FootballTimes /> The club became one of the most progressive around under their tenures.<ref name=Quelch199206>Quelch (2015), pp. 199–206</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Burnley were one of the first to set up a purpose-built training ground, at Gawthorpe,<ref name=FootballTimes /><ref name=Marshall2017>Template:Cite web</ref> and they became renowned for their youth policy and scouting system, which yielded many young talents.<ref name=Quelch199206 /> In 1958, former Burnley player Harry Potts was appointed manager.<ref name=Ponting1996 /> His squad mainly revolved around the duo of captain Jimmy Adamson and Jimmy McIlroy, the team's playmaker.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Potts often employed the then unfashionable 4–4–2 formation and he implemented a Total Football playing style.<ref name=FootballTimes>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Ponting1996>Template:Cite news</ref>
Burnley clinched a second First Division title in 1959–60.<ref name=Rundle /> They had not topped the table until the last match was played out.<ref>Quelch (2015), p. 197</ref>Template:Efn The squad cost only £13,000 (Template:InflationTemplate:Inflation-fn) in transfer fees—£8,000 on McIlroy in 1950 and £5,000 on left-back Alex Elder in 1959. The other Burnley players had progressed through the club's youth academy.<ref name=Quelch199206 /> With 80,000 inhabitants, the town of Burnley became one of the smallest to have an English first tier champion.<ref name=Quelch199206 />Template:Efn The side travelled to the United States after the season ended to represent England in the International Soccer League, the first modern international American soccer tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following season, Burnley played in European competition for the first time in the 1960–61 European Cup. They defeated former finalists Reims in the first round, but went out against Hamburger SV in the quarter-finals.<ref name=Simp296297>Simpson (2007), pp. 296–297</ref> The team finished the 1961–62 First Division as runners-up to newcomers Ipswich Town after winning only one of the last ten matches, and had a run to the 1962 FA Cup final but lost against Tottenham Hotspur. Adamson was named FWA Footballer of the Year, however, with McIlroy as runner-up.<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 301–303</ref>
The maximum wage in the Football League was abolished in 1961, which meant that clubs from small towns like Burnley could no longer compete financially with sides from larger settlements.<ref name=FootballTimes /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The controversial departure of McIlroy to Stoke City in 1963Template:Efn and Adamson's retirement in 1964 also damaged the club's fortunes.<ref name=Simp304311>Simpson (2007), pp. 304–311</ref> Burnley retained their place in the First Division throughout the decade, however, finishing third in both the 1962–63 and 1965–66 seasons, and qualifying for the 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.<ref name=Rundle>Template:Cite web</ref> Potts was replaced by Adamson as manager in 1970. Adamson hailed his squad as the "Team of the Seventies", but he was unable to halt the slide as relegation followed in 1970–71.<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 546–549</ref> Burnley won the Second Division title in 1972–73, and were invited to play in the 1973 FA Charity Shield,Template:Efn where they emerged as winners against Manchester City.<ref name=CityCharity>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1975, the team were victims of one of the great FA Cup shocks of all time when Wimbledon, then in the Southern League, won 1–0 at Turf Moor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Adamson left the club in January 1976, and relegation from the First Division followed later that year.<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 357–358</ref> During this period, a drop in home attendances combined with an enlarged debt forced Burnley to sell star players such as Martin Dobson and Leighton James, which caused a rapid decline.<ref>Quelch (2017), pp. 17–20</ref>
Near oblivion and recovery (1976–2020)
The team were relegated to the Third Division for the first time in 1979–80.<ref name=Rundle /> Under the management of former Burnley player Brian Miller,<ref name=Simp550554>Simpson (2007), pp. 550–554</ref> they returned to the second tier as champions in 1981–82. However, this return was short-lived and lasted only one year.<ref name=Rundle /> Managerial changes continued to be made in a search for success; Miller was replaced by Frank Casper in early 1983, he by John Bond before the 1983–84 season and Bond himself by John Benson a season later.<ref name=Simp550554 /> Bond was the first manager since Frank Hill (1948–1954) without a previous playing career at the club. He was criticised by the fans for signing expensive players increasing Burnley's debt, and for selling the young talents Lee Dixon, Brian Laws and Trevor Steven.<ref>Quelch (2017), pp. 24–39</ref> Benson was in charge when Burnley were relegated to the Fourth Division for the first time at the end of the 1984–85 season.<ref name=Simp550554 /> The team avoided relegation to the Football Conference, the highest level of non-League football, on the last day in 1986–87, after they won against Orient and their rivals drew or lost.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1988, Burnley played Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final of the Associate Members' Cup but lost 2–0. The match was attended by 80,000 people, a record for a match between two sides from the fourth tier.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The team won the Fourth Division in 1991–92 under manager Jimmy Mullen. He had succeeded Casper in October 1991 and won his first nine league matches as manager.<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 420–423</ref> By winning the fourth tier, Burnley became only the second club to win all four professional divisions of English football, after Wolverhampton Wanderers.<ref name=Tyler2017>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=WolvesHonours>Template:Cite web</ref> Burnley won the Second Division play-offs in 1993–94 and gained promotion to the second tier.<ref name=Rundle /> Relegation followed after one season,<ref name=Rundle /> and in 1997–98 only a last-day victory over Plymouth Argyle prevented relegation back into the fourth tier.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Under manager Stan Ternent, Burnley finished second in 1999–2000 and won promotion to the second tier.<ref>Simpson (2007), p. 454</ref> In early 2002, financial problems caused by the collapse of ITV Digital brought the club close to administration.<ref>Quelch (2017), pp. 197–202</ref> Ternent was sacked in 2004, after he avoided relegation with a squad composed of several loaned players and some players who were not entirely fit.<ref>Quelch (2017), pp. 204–213</ref> The 2008–09 campaign, with Owen Coyle in charge, ended with promotion to the Premier League. Sheffield United were defeated in the Championship play-off final, which meant a return to the top flight after 33 years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Burnley also reached the semi-final of the League Cup for the first time in over 25 years but were beaten on aggregate by Tottenham in the last minutes of the second leg.<ref name=Rundle /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Promotion made the town of Burnley one of the smallest to host a Premier League club.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The team started the season well and became the first newly promoted side in the competition to win their first four home games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, Coyle left the club in January 2010 to manage local rivals Bolton Wanderers. He was replaced by former Burnley player Brian Laws, but the team's form plummeted and they were relegated after a single season.<ref>Quelch (2017), pp. 282–291</ref> Sean Dyche was appointed manager in October 2012.<ref name=DycheManager>Template:Cite news</ref> In his first full season in charge, Dyche guided Burnley back to the Premier League in 2013–14 on a tight budget and with a small squad.<ref>Quelch (2017), pp. 318–332</ref> The team went down after one season but won the Championship title on their return in 2015–16, ending the season with a run of 23 league games undefeated.<ref name=Rundle /><ref name=Marshall2016>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2017, the club completed construction of Barnfield Training Centre—the replacement of Gawthorpe—with Dyche being involved in the training ground's design.<ref name=Marshall2017 /> Burnley finished seventh in the 2017–18 Premier League, which meant qualification for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League and a return to European football after 51 years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The team failed to reach the group stage, as they were eliminated in the play-off round by Greek club Olympiacos.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Foreign owners (2020–present)
In December 2020, American investment company ALK Capital acquired an 84% stake in Burnley for £170 million.<ref name=Wood2021>Template:Cite web</ref> It was the first time the club was run by anyone other than local businessmen and Burnley supporters.<ref name=Geldard2020>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2021–22, Burnley were relegated back to the Championship after they lost on the final matchday and finished in 18th place.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In June 2022, the Belgian Vincent Kompany was appointed Burnley's manager, becoming the first person from outside the British Isles to manage the club.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During his first months in charge, he rebuilt the squad on a budget, signing mostly young and foreign players. Kompany also implemented a possession-based, attacking style of play.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Burnley secured promotion back to the Premier League in 2022–23 with seven matches remaining—a Championship record—before winning the Championship title following a 1–0 victory at local rivals Blackburn Rovers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Hurcom2023>Template:Cite web</ref> The following season, Burnley were relegated again from the Premier League, finishing 19th with a club record low tally of 24 points.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Shortly afterwards, however, Kompany went to Bayern Munich for a fee of £10.2 million, which made him one of the most expensive managers in history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Burnley won promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt under Scott Parker, ending the 2024–25 season with a club record 33-match unbeaten run.<ref name=BBCSport210425>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=LancsTelegraph030525>Template:Cite web</ref> The team conceded just 16 goals in 46 matches—an average of 0.35 per game—setting the best defensive record in English league history.<ref name=LancsTelegraph030525 /><ref name=Telegraph170125>Template:Cite web</ref> They also kept a record 30 clean sheets, never conceded more than one goal in any fixture, and became the first side to reach a three-figure points total in the same division on two occasions (101 points in 2022–23 and 100 in 2024–25).<ref name=BurnleyExp040525>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=EFL030525>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite these accomplishments, they finished second behind Leeds United on goal difference, becoming the first team in English football history to earn 100 points without winning the title.<ref name=LancsTelegraph030525 /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Kits and colours
Template:Commons Template:Football kit box In the early decades, Burnley used a variety of home kit designs and colours.<ref name=Simp586>Simpson (2007), p. 586</ref> During the first eight years, they used various permutations of blue and white, the colours of their forerunners Burnley Rovers.<ref name=Simp586 /> Before the start of the 1890–91 season, the club adopted an all-blue shirt, but changed it to all-white mid-season.<ref name=Simp586 /> After spells in amber and black, and amber and claret, Burnley wore pink and white striped shirts during 1894–95, before reverting to amber and black.<ref name=Simp586 /><ref name=historicalkits>Template:Cite web</ref> In the late 1890s, the club used an all-red shirt and from 1900 until 1910 it wore an all-green jersey.<ref name=Simp586 /> In 1910, Burnley changed their colours to claret and blue, which they have had for most of their history, save for a spell in white shirts during the second half of the 1930s and the Second World War.<ref name=Simp586 /> The club re-registered its colours as claret and blue in 1946, following a successful appeal in the Burnley Express that brought in enough donated coupons from supporters to obtain a new kit.<ref>"The Clarets are back!" Burnley Express. 17 July 1946. p. 4.</ref> The change in colours also contributed to the emergence of Burnley's nickname, "the Clarets".<ref name=Simp586 /> In earlier decades, the side had been referred to by monikers such as "the Turfites", "the Moorites", "the Royalites" and "the Brunsiders".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>"Burnley v. Chesterfield". Northern Daily Telegraph. 5 September 1903. p. 4.</ref>
Burnley's kits have been supplied by various manufacturers since 1975, when Umbro produced the club's jerseys, and have featured shirt sponsors since 1982.<ref name=historicalkits />Template:Efn The first sponsor's name to appear on Burnley shirts was that of Poco Homes, a Manchester-based building firm, which featured from 1982 to 1983.<ref name=historicalkits /><ref>"Poco put their shirt on Clarets". Burnley Express. 24 September 1982. p. 31.</ref> The club's longest-running shirt sponsorship was with Endsleigh Insurance, lasting from 1988 to 1998.<ref name=historicalkits /> In 2017, the club secured its first sleeve sponsorship deal, with the logo of the mobile game Golf Clash—a title developed by Playdemic—appearing on the left sleeve of the Burnley shirts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Crest
.jpg)
Burnley's jerseys first sported a crest in December 1887, when the team wore white shirts with a blue sash featuring the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales, commemorating Prince Albert Victor's visit to Turf Moor the previous year—the first by a member of the royal family to a professional football ground.<ref name=DrDean /><ref name=historicalkits /> The royal arms were worn regularly until the 1894–95 season, but reappeared for the 1914 FA Cup final, attended by King George V.<ref name=Simp130132 /><ref name=historicalkits /> During the 1934–35 FA Cup semi-final, the town of Burnley's coat of arms featured on the club's shirts for the first time.<ref name=historicalkits /> It returned for the 1947 FA Cup final,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the town's arms became a permanent feature on Burnley's jerseys for nearly a decade following their 1959–60 First Division title win. From 1969 to 1979 on home kits, and until 1976 on away shirts, the team wore a stylised "BFC" cypher.<ref name=historicalkits />
In 1972, Burnley's commercial manager Jack Butterfield announced the club's intention to introduce a badge that could be copyrighted, prompting a public design competition, which was won by Mr Jolleys of Ashton-on-Ribble. His design featured two lions, two red roses, a bee, a shuttle, a knight's helmet and a hand.<ref>Simpson (2007), p. 341</ref> The resulting crest was officially adopted by the club in 1973, and first appeared on Burnley's away kits at the start of the 1976–77 season, before being introduced on the home shirts in 1979.<ref name=historicalkits /> It was replaced on the jerseys in 1983 by a simple white "B.F.C." cypher, but reinstated in 1987.<ref name=historicalkits />
In 2009, to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1959–60 title, the club reintroduced the town's arms used during the 1960s, replacing its Latin motto "Pretiumque et Causa Laboris" (Template:Lit) with the inscription "Burnley Football Club" the following year.<ref name=historicalkits /><ref name=sbnation>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2023, the crest's elements were rendered in white and placed on a claret shield,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> appearing on the home kit from the 2024–25 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The club's current badge is based on the town of Burnley's coat of arms.<ref name=BeautiHist>Template:Cite web</ref> The stork at the top of the crest refers to the Starkie family, who were prominent in the Burnley area. In its mouth it holds a Lacy knot of the de Lacy family, who held Burnley in the Middle Ages. The stork stands on a hill and cotton plants, which represents the town's cotton heritage. The hand below symbolises the town's motto "Hold to the Truth", derived from the Towneley family. The two bees reflect the town's hard work ethic, the lion represents royalty, and the chevron symbolises the River Brun, which runs through Burnley.<ref name=sbnation /><ref name=BeautiHist />
Stadium
Template:Main The team have played their home games at Turf Moor since February 1883, which replaced their original premises at Calder Vale.<ref name=TMStory>Template:Cite web</ref> The Turf Moor site has been used for sport since at least 1843, when Burnley Cricket Club moved to the area.<ref name=Simp574>Simpson (2007), p. 574</ref><ref>Bennett (1948), pp. 258–259</ref> In 1883, they invited Burnley to a field adjacent to the cricket pitch.<ref name=TMStory /> Both clubs have remained there since, and only Lancashire rivals Preston North End have continuously occupied their stadium—Deepdale—for longer.<ref name=TMStory />
The ground originally consisted of only a pitch and the initial grandstand was not built until 1885.<ref name=Simp574 /> In 1888, the first league match at Turf Moor saw Burnley emerge as 4–1 winners over Bolton Wanderers, Fred Poland netting the first league goal at the stadium.<ref name=Simp2830 /> Turf Moor's capacity was increased to 50,000 under the chairman Harry Windle during the 1910s.<ref name=Simp130132 /> The ground hosted its only FA Cup semi-final in 1922, between Huddersfield Town and Notts County, and five years later it hosted its only full international match, between England and Wales for the British Home Championship.<ref>Simpson (2007), p. 575</ref> From the mid-1940s until the mid-1960s, crowds in the stadium averaged in the 20,000–35,000 range, and Burnley averaged a club-record attendance of 33,621 in the 1947–48 First Division.<ref>Wiseman (2009), pp. 17–18</ref> The attendance record for a single match was already set in 1924 against Huddersfield Town in an FA Cup third round tie, when 54,775 spectators attended.<ref name=Wiseman15>Wiseman (2009), p. 15</ref> In 1960, in an FA Cup fifth round replay game against Bradford City, there was an official attendance of 52,850. Some of the gates were broken down, however, and many uncounted fans poured into the ground.<ref>Quelch (2015), p. 158</ref>
Turf Moor's field had a slope until 1974, when the pitch was raised to minimise it.<ref name=TMStory /> During the mid-1990s, the ground underwent further refurbishment when the Longside and Bee Hole End terraces were replaced by all-seater stands following the recommendations of the Taylor Report.<ref>Quelch (2017), pp. 149–151</ref> In 2019, the club built two corner stands for disabled home supporters between the Jimmy McIlroy and both the North and Bob Lord Stands to meet the Accessible Stadium Guide regulations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Turf Moor currently has a capacity of 21,944 and consists of four stands: the North Stand (formerly the Longside), the Jimmy McIlroy Stand (formerly the Bee Hole End), the Bob Lord Stand, and the Cricket Field Stand for home and away fans.<ref name=TMStory /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During a pre-season friendly against Italian side Lazio at Turf Moor in August 2025, Burnley became the first football club in history to live stream a game in immersive virtual reality.<ref name=BroadcastNow>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=IlMessaggero>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Efn
Supporters and rivalries
Supporters
Burnley's supporters are mainly drawn from East Lancashire and West Yorkshire.<ref>Taylor (2013), p. 196</ref> The club is one of the best supported in English football per capita,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with average attendances of around 21,000 in the Premier League in a town of approximately 78,000 inhabitants.<ref>Template:Cite web Individual seasons accessed via dropdown menu.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Burnley's first supporters' club was formed in early 1932,<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 194–195</ref> and since then, numerous supporters' groups have been established across the United Kingdom and overseas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The club's fans have had a long-standing friendship with supporters of the Dutch team Helmond Sport since the 1990s, and several Burnley and Helmond fans regularly make an overseas journey to visit each other's matches.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For 2022–23 and 2023–24, Helmond Sport adopted a claret and blue away kit in tribute to Burnley.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A frequently sung chant since the early 1970s is "No Nay Never", an adaptation of the song "The Wild Rover", which has lyrics to offend main rivals Blackburn Rovers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the early 1980s, a hooligan firm known as the Suicide Squad emerged from within Burnley's fanbase.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The group later featured on the 2006 hooligan documentary series The Real Football Factories.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2011, 12 members were sentenced to jail for a total of 32 years, after a high-profile incident with Blackburn Rovers supporters in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The firm disbanded after the verdict.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Notable Burnley fans have included football pioneer Jimmy Hogan, who was a regular attendee at Turf Moor;<ref>Smith (1963), p. 34</ref> journalist Alastair Campbell, who has been regularly involved in events with the club;<ref>Simpson (2007), p. 572</ref> and cricketer James Anderson, who also worked in Burnley's ticket office on a part-time basis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> King Charles III is also a supporter of the club,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as is the South African cardinal Wilfrid Napier.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, Burnley fan Scott Cunliffe was honoured by the UEFA with the #EqualGame award "for his work as a role model highlighting diversity, inclusion and accessibility in football"; he ran to every away Premier League ground during Burnley's 2018–19 campaign and raised more than £55,000 for Premier League clubs' community trusts and community projects in Burnley.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A popular drink served at home matches since the First World War is "Béné & Hot"—the French liqueur Bénédictine topped up with hot water. The East Lancashire Regiment soldiers acquired a taste for the drink while stationed at the birthplace of the beverage in Fécamp, Normandy, during the war. They drank it with hot water to keep warm in the trenches, and the surviving soldiers later returned to the East Lancashire area with the liqueur. In excess of 30 bottles are sold at each home game, which makes the club one of the world's biggest sellers of Bénédictine; Turf Moor is the only British football ground to sell it.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rivalries
Association football was first played in Burnley in the early 1880s,<ref name=Ben226227>Bennett (1951), pp. 226–227</ref> and by 1883 the town already had more than 20 teams.<ref>"Annual meeting of the Burnley Football Club". Burnley Express. 30 June 1883. p. 7.</ref> One of Burnley's earliest rivals were Burnley Union Star,<ref name=Simp574 /> based in the north of the town.<ref name=Ben226227 /> While Burnley drew support from across the area and were described as the town's "premier club",<ref name=Simp2024 /><ref>"The Burnley Football Charity Cup". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 30 June 1883. p. 7.</ref><ref>"Lancashire Cup competition – first round". Blackburn Standard. 16 October 1886. p. 2.</ref> Union Star were regarded as one of the most prominent local teams.<ref>Simpson (2007), p. 31</ref> Their rivalry peaked during the 1886–87 Lancashire Cup, when a first-round fixture between the two sides ended 2–2.<ref>Simpson (2007), p. 27</ref> Before a replay could be arranged, the Stars were expelled from the competition for fielding an unregistered player, and were suspended for a month.<ref>"Lancashire Senior Challenge Cup". The Manchester Guardian. 25 October 1886. p. 7.</ref><ref>"Football". Liverpool Mercury. 23 October 1886. p. 7.</ref> The incident deepened tensions, with Union Star supporters occasionally causing disturbances during Burnley games.<ref>"Burnley v. Notts Jardines". Burnley Express. 2 March 1887. p. 4.</ref><ref>"Football". Cricket and Football Field. 16 April 1887. p. 6.</ref> Union Star disbanded in 1891, and Burnley soon bought the "Stars Stand" from their ground, relocating it to Turf Moor.<ref name=Simp574 /> Burnley remained unbeaten in ten meetings with the side, winning eight.<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 18–29</ref> Another early rival were Padiham, with one fixture in 1884 attracting a then record crowd of 12,000 at Turf Moor.<ref name=Simp2024 /><ref name=Simp574 />
Burnley's main rivals are Blackburn Rovers, with whom they contest the East Lancashire derby, named after the region both clubs hail from. Games between these sides from mill towns are also known under the name "Cotton Mills derby".<ref name=Mitten2005>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Croydon2012>Template:Cite web</ref> Both are founder members of the Football League and have won the First Division and the FA Cup.<ref name=Mitten2005 /> The two clubs are separated by only Template:Convert and besides the geographical proximity,<ref name=Croydon2012 /> they also have a long-standing history of rivalry; the earliest competitive clash was a Football League match in 1888.<ref name=11v11BURBLB>Template:Cite web</ref> Four years earlier, however, they had met for the first time in a friendly,<ref name=Simp2024 /> "with considerable pride at stake".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Burnley hold the better head-to-head record, as the side have won 45 games to Blackburn's 41.<ref name=11v11BURBLB /> Burnley's closest geographic rivals are actually Accrington Stanley, but as they have never competed at the same level—although defunct club Accrington did—there is no significant rivalry between them.<ref>Wiseman (2009), p. 9</ref>
Other rivalries include those with nearby clubs Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End.<ref name=Wiseman137138>Wiseman (2009), pp. 137–138</ref> Burnley also share a Roses rivalry with West Yorkshire sides Bradford City and Leeds United.<ref name=FFCensus>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The team contested heated matches with Halifax Town, Plymouth Argyle, Rochdale and Stockport County in the 1980s and 1990s during their time in the lower leagues, although feelings of animosity were mainly one-sided; according to the 2003 Football Fans Census, both Halifax and Stockport supporters regarded Burnley as their main rival, whereas Burnley fans did not include either club among their top three rivals.<ref name=Wiseman137138 /><ref name=FFCensus />
Players
First-team squad
Template:Updated<ref name=FirstTeam>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Fs start Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs mid Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs end
Out on loan
Template:Fs start Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs mid Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs end
Academy
Management
Football management
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Scott Parker |
| Assistant coach | Henrik Jensen |
| Coaching staff | Jack Cork Pål Fjelde Jonathan Hill Mike Jackson Connor King Kersten Kuhl |
Source:<ref name=FirstTeam />
Managers
Template:Main Burnley-born Harry Bradshaw was Burnley's first manager—he was appointed in August 1894—and was the first to win a league title with the club, taking them to the top of the Second Division at the end of the 1897–98 season.<ref name=Simp540542/> John Haworth was the first manager in the club's history to win a major honour, the FA Cup in 1914; under Haworth, Burnley also became champions of England for the first time in 1920–21.<ref name=Simp540542/> Harry Potts led the club to its second First Division title during the 1959–60 campaign.<ref name=FootballTimes /> Jimmy Adamson (1972–73 Second Division), Brian Miller (1981–82 Third Division), Jimmy Mullen (1991–92 Fourth Division), Sean Dyche (2015–16 Championship), and Vincent Kompany (2022–23 Championship) also led Burnley to league titles.<ref name=Marshall2016 /><ref name=Hurcom2023 /><ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 548–556</ref>
Owners
In 1897, the club incorporated as a limited company.<ref>Peskett & Williams (1970), p. 57</ref> From their establishment until 2020, Burnley were run by local businessmen and supporters.<ref name=Geldard2020 /> In December 2020, Velocity Sports Partners, the sports investment arm of American management firm ALK Capital, acquired an 84% stake in Burnley for £170 million.<ref name=Wood2021 /><ref name=Geldard2020 /> Alan Pace, managing partner of ALK Capital, subsequently replaced Mike Garlick as the club's chairman.<ref name=Geldard2020 /> ALK borrowed much of the takeover money, and the loan debts were transferred to the club. As a result of this leveraged takeover, Burnley went from being debt-free to being saddled with debts of around £100 million, at interest rates of about eight per cent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In May 2023, J. J. Watt, a retired defensive end in American football's National Football League, and his wife, former United States women's national soccer team international Kealia Watt, were announced as new minority investors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> YouTube group Dude Perfect also became minority investors in the club later that year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In July 2025, ALK Capital, through investment arm Velocity Sport Limited, acquired a majority stake in Spanish side Espanyol, bringing Burnley into a multi-club ownership model.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Board of directors
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Alan Pace |
| Members | Dave Checketts Antonio Dávila Stuart Hunt Mike Smith Vlad Torgovnik |
Source:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Chairmen
The following have been chairman of the club's board of directors:<ref>Simpson (2007), p. 6</ref>
|
|
Honours
Template:Further Template:For Burnley were the second, and are one of only five teams to have won all four professional divisions of English football, along with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Preston North End, Sheffield United and Portsmouth.<ref name=Tyler2017 /><ref name=WolvesHonours /> The club's honours include the following:<ref name=Rundle /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
League
- First Division (level 1)Template:Efn
- Second Division / Championship (level 2)Template:Efn
- Third Division / Second Division (level 3)Template:Efn
- Fourth Division (level 4)Template:Efn
- Champions: 1991–92
Cup
- FA Cup
- FA Charity Shield<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Winners: 1960 (shared),Template:Efn 1973Template:Efn
- Runners-up: 1921
- Texaco Cup<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Runners-up: 1973–74
- Anglo-Scottish Cup
- Winners: 1978–79
- Associate Members' Cup
- Runners-up: 1987–88
Regional
- Lancashire Cup<ref>The winning years are sourced from Ray Simpson's book The Clarets Chronicles (2007). Winning years from 2007 onwards are sourced from other references.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Efn
- Winners (13): 1889–90, 1914–15, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1992–93, 2022–23
Records and statistics
The record for the most first team appearances in all competitions for Burnley is held by goalkeeper Jerry Dawson, who played 569 games between 1907 and 1929.<ref name=Simp492539>Simpson (2007), pp. 492, 539</ref> The club's top goal scorer is George Beel, who scored 188 goals from 1923 to 1932.<ref name=Simp492539 /> In 1962, Jimmy Adamson won the FWA Footballer of the Year award, the first and to date only time a Burnley player achieved this.<ref>Wiseman (2009), p. 88</ref> Willie Irvine became top goal scorer in the first tier in 1965–66 with 29 goals, also a unique feat in the club's history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Jimmy McIlroy is the most capped player while at the club, making 51 appearances for Northern Ireland between 1951 and 1962.<ref>Simpson (2007), pp. 532–538</ref> The first Burnley player to play in a full international match was John Yates, who took to the field for England against Ireland in March 1889. He scored a hat-trick but was never called up again.<ref>Simpson (2007), p. 13</ref> In January 1957, 17-year-old Ian Lawson netted a record four goals on his debut for Burnley against Chesterfield in the FA Cup third round.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The youngest player to play for the club is Tommy Lawton, who was aged 16 years and 174 days on his debut against Doncaster Rovers in the Second Division on 28 March 1936.<ref>Simpson (2007), p. 210</ref> His debut made him the then youngest centre-forward ever to play in the Football League.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The oldest player is Len Smelt, who played his last match aged 41 years and 132 days against Arsenal in the First Division on 18 April 1925.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The club's largest win in league football was a 9–0 victory against Darwen in the 1891–92 Football League season.<ref name=Statto>Template:Cite web</ref> Burnley's largest victories in the FA Cup have been 9–0 wins over Crystal Palace (1908–09), New Brighton (1956–57) and Penrith (1984–85).<ref name=Statto /> The largest defeat is an 11–0 loss to Darwen Old Wanderers in the 1885–86 FA Cup first round, when Burnley fielded their reserve side, as most professionals were still prohibited entry due to rules of the FATemplate:Efn that period.<ref name=Simp2024 /><ref name=Statto />
The team's longest unbeaten run in the top tier was between 6 September 1920 and 25 March 1921, to which they remained unbeaten for 30 games on their way to the First Division title. It stood as the longest stretch without defeat in a single English professional league season until Arsenal bettered it in 2003–04.<ref name=RememberingRecord /><ref name=Statto /> Burnley set their longest unbeaten run in any division during the 2024–25 Championship season,<ref name=BBCSport210425 /> going without defeat in the final 33 matches.<ref name=LancsTelegraph030525 /> They also matched or broke several English league records that season, including the lowest goals conceded-per-game average (0.35; 16 goals in 46 matches),<ref name=LancsTelegraph030525 /><ref name=Telegraph170125 /> the joint-most clean sheets (30, equalling Port Vale's 1953–54 side),<ref name=BurnleyExp040525 /> becoming the first team to avoid conceding more than one goal in any league fixture, and the first to gain at least 100 points in a specific division (Championship) on two separate occasions (101 in 2022–23 and 100 in 2024–25).<ref name=EFL030525 />
The club's highest home attendance is 54,775, for an FA Cup third round match against Huddersfield Town on 23 February 1924; Burnley's record home attendance in the league is 52,869, for a First Division game against Blackpool on 11 October 1947.<ref name=Wiseman15 /> The highest transfer fee received is the £31 million (plus add-ons and a sell-on clause) paid by Manchester City for James Trafford in 2025, which also made him the most expensive British goalkeeper in history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The highest transfer fee paid by Burnley is the circa £23 million paid to Chelsea for midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu in 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bob Kelly broke the world transfer record in 1925, when he moved for a fee of £6,500 (Template:InflationTemplate:Inflation-fn) from Burnley to Sunderland.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Notes
References
Specific Template:Reflist
Works cited
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
External links
Template:Commons category Template:Portal bar
- Template:Official website
- Burnley on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
- Burnley at Sky Sports
- Burnley at Premier League
- Burnley at UEFA
- Clarets Mad
- The Longside – Your Online Clarets Encyclopedia (archived)
- Clarets Trust
Template:Burnley F.C. Template:Original Football League clubs Template:FA Premier League Template:EFL Championship Template:Borough of Burnley culture Template:Authority control