Burnley F.C.

Burnley

File:Burnley F.C. Logo.svg
Full name	Burnley Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Clarets
Short name	BFC
Founded	18 May 1882 (1882-05-18)
Ground	Turf Moor
Capacity	21,944
Chairman	Mike Garlick
Manager	Sean Dyche
League	EFL Championship
2023–24	Premier League, 19th of 20 (relegated)
Website	https://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/
Home colours

Burnley Football Club (/ˈbɜːrnli/) is a professional association football club based in Burnley, Lancashire, England. Founded on 18 May 1882, the team originally played only friendly matches until they entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1885–86. The club currently plays in the Premier League, the first tier of English football. Nicknamed The Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888.

Burnley have been champions of England twice, in 1920–21 and 1959–60, have won the FA Cup once, in 1914 (1–0 v Liverpool), and have won the Community Shield twice, in 1960 and 1973. The Clarets also reached the 1961 quarter-finals of the European Cup (now the Champions League). They are one of only five teams to have won all top four professional divisions of English football, along with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Preston North End, Sheffield United and Portsmouth.

In the 1920–21 campaign, Burnley were crowned champions of England for the first time when they won the First Division (now the Premier League). During that season the team embarked on a 30-match unbeaten run, which remained an English record until it was beaten by Arsenal who went undefeated throughout the 2003–04 campaign. Burnley attained a second league championship in 1959–60 with a team consisting of mostly youth academy graduates, winning the title with a last-day victory over Manchester City, after foundations were laid by pioneers Alan Brown, Bob Lord and Harry Potts.

In 1979–80, Burnley were relegated to the Third Division (now League One) — the first time in their history they had played in the third tier of English football. Five years later, the team competed in the Fourth Division (now League Two) for the first time following another relegation, and on 9 May 1987 only a 2–1 home win against Orient saved Burnley from relegation to the Football Conference and a possible dissolution. Burnley won promotion in 1991–92 (as champions) to the third tier and again in 1999–2000 (as runners–up) to the second tier, before being promoted to the Premier League in 2008–09 (via the play–offs; 1–0 v Sheffield United), 2013–14 (as runners–up) and 2015–16 (as champions). Their current manager, Sean Dyche, was appointed on 30 October 2012.

Burnley have played home games at Turf Moor since 17 February 1883, after the club had moved from their original premises at Calder Vale. The club colours of claret and blue were adopted prior to the 1910–11 season in tribute to the dominant club of English football at the time, Aston Villa.

History

Early days (1882–1912)

The Burnley team of 1889

On 18 May 1882, Burnley Rovers Football Club decided to shift their allegiance from rugby union to football. Playing in various green or blue and white kits for their first few years, the club played their first competitive game in October 1882 against Astley Bridge in the Lancashire Challenge Cup, that game ending in an 8–0 defeat. In the early months of 1883 the club moved to Turf Moor and remain there, only their Lancashire rivals Preston North End having occupied the same ground continuously for longer.

Burnley first appeared in the FA Cup in 1885–86 but were ignominiously beaten 11–0 when eligibility restrictions meant that their reserve side had to be fielded against Darwen Old Wanderers. On 13 October 1886, Turf Moor became the first ground to be visited by a member of the (British) Royal Family. When it was decided to found the Football League for the 1888–89 season, Burnley were among the 12 founders of that competition. Burnley's William Tait became the first player to score a hat-trick in League football (v Bolton, 15 September 1888). Burnley won that game 4–3.

Burnley, now known as 'The Turfites', 'Moorites' or 'Royalites' finished 9th in the first season of the league but only 1 place from bottom in 1889–90 following a 17-game winless streak at the start of the season. That season did, however, present Burnley with their first honours, winning the Lancashire Cup with a 2–0 final victory over local rivals Blackburn Rovers.

Before Burnley won a trophy again, they were relegated to the Second Division in 1896–97. They responded to this by winning promotion the next season, losing only 2 of their 30 matches along the way before gaining promotion through a play-off series then known as test matches. Burnley and Stoke City both entered the last match, to be played between the two teams, needing a draw for promotion (or in Stoke's case to retain their First Division place). A 0–0 draw ensued, reportedly "The match without a shot at goal", and the League immediately withdrew the Test match system in favour of automatic promotion and relegation. Ironically, the League also decided to expand the top division after the Test match series of 1897–98 and the other two teams also went into the top division for the following year, negating the effect of Burnley and Stoke City's reputed collusion.

Burnley were relegated again in 1899–1900 and found themselves at the centre of a controversy when their goalkeeper, Jack Hillman attempted to bribe their opponents (Nottingham Forest) in the last match of the season, resulting in his suspension for the whole of the following season. This is the earliest recorded case of match fixing in football. During the first decade of the 20th century, Burnley continued to play in the Second Division, even finishing in bottom place in one season, although the indications of success just around the corner were evident in 1911–12 when only a loss in the last game of the season denied the club promotion.

Clarets' glory either side of World War I (1912–1930)

The team photograph of the Championship-winning side in the 1920–21 season.

Burnley changed their colours from green to the claret and sky blue of Aston Villa, the most successful club in England at the time, for the 1910–11 season. The 1912–13 season saw them win promotion to the First Division once more, as well as reaching the FA Cup semi-final, only to lose to Sunderland. The next season was one of consolidation in the top flight, but more importantly their first major honour, the FA Cup, was won, against fellow Lancastrians Liverpool in the final (1–0). Ex-Evertonian Bert Freeman, whose father travelled from Australia to see his son play in the final, scored the only goal, as Burnley became the first club to beat five First Division clubs in one cup season. This was the last final to be played at Crystal Palace and King George V became the first reigning monarch to present the cup to the winning captain. The winning Burnley team also got special medals with 'English Cup Winners' written on it instead of the usual 'FA Cup Winners' inscription.

World War I impacted the 1914–15 season, in which Burnley finished 4th in the First Division, before English football reorganised itself and took a back seat to the needs of the conflict. Upon resumption of full-time football in 1919–20, Burnley finished second in the First Division to West Bromwich Albion, but this was not a peak, merely presaging Burnley's first ever League Championship in 1920–21. Burnley lost their opening three matches that season before going on a 30-match unbeaten run, a record for unbeaten games in a single season that lasted until Arsenal went unbeaten through the whole of the 2003–04 season. Burnley finished third the following season but thereafter followed a steady deterioration of their position, with only 5th place in 1926–27 offering respite from a series of near-relegations which culminated in demotion in 1929–30.

Low points through World War II (1930–1945)

Burnley struggled in English football's second tier, narrowly avoiding a further relegation in 1931–32 by only two points. The years through to the outbreak of the Second World War were characterised by uninspiring league finishes, broken only by an FA Cup semi-final appearance in 1934–35 and the arrival (and equally swift departure) of Tommy Lawton. Burnley participated in the varying football leagues that continued throughout the war, but it wasn't until the 1946–47 season that league football proper was restored.

Golden days (1946–1976)

In the first season of post-war league football, Burnley gained promotion through second place in the Second Division. Additionally, there was a run to the FA Cup Final, with Aston Villa, Coventry City, Luton Town, Middlesbrough and Liverpool being defeated before Charlton Athletic beat Burnley 1–0 after extra time in the final at Wembley. Burnley immediately made an impact the top division, finishing third in 1947–48 as the club began to assemble a team capable of regularly aiming for honours.

Burnley became one of the most progressive clubs around in the 1950s to the early 1970s under the reign of lifelong Burnley supporter and newly appointed chairman Bob Lord. They were one of the first teams to build a training ground, while most teams trained on public parks or at their own grounds. The club became, after foundations were laid by Lord and manager Alan Brown, renowned for their youth policy and scouting system, which yielded many young players over the years such as club legend Jimmy McIlroy, Willie Morgan and Martin Dobson. The Clarets were one of the first to let the manager decide about the team selection as well.

In his relatively short spell at the club, Brown also introduced short corners and a huge array of free kick routines, which were soon copied across the land. In the 1956–57 season, Ian Lawson, another product of the Burnley youth academy, scored a record four goals on his debut as a 17-year-old versus Chesterfield in the FA Cup. That same season saw a club record 9–0 victory over New Brighton in the FA Cup — despite missing a penalty — and the following season former player Harry Potts became manager. The team revolved around the midfield duo of Jimmy Adamson and Jimmy McIlroy (a new stand was named after the latter in the 1990s) and these two were key to the championship-winning team of 1959–60 managed by Potts (who now gives his name to the road which Turf Moor occupies). Harry Potts often employed the, at the time unfashionable, 4–4–2 formation and he introduced Total Football to English football.

Burnley endured a tense season in which Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers were the other protagonists in the chase for the league title, but the club ultimately clinched the championship on the last day of the season at Maine Road, Manchester with a 2–1 victory against Manchester City with goals from Brian Pilkington and Trevor Meredith. Although they had been in contention all season, Burnley had never led the table until this last match was played out. Potts only used nineteen players throughout the whole season, as John Connelly became Burnley's top scorer with 20 goals. The Lancastrians' title-winning squad costed just £13,000 in transfer fees — £8,000 on McIlroy in 1950 and £5,000 on left-back Alex Elder in 1959. The other players of the squad each came from the Burnley youth academy. After the season finished, Burnley went to the United States to participate in the inaugural international football tournament in North America, the International Soccer League.

The following season Burnley played in European competition for the first time, beating former European Cup finalists Reims, before losing to Hamburger SV in the quarter-finals, losing in an FA Cup semi-final to Tottenham and finishing fourth in the league. Burnley finished the 1961–62 season as runners-up (after only winning two of the last thirteen league matches) to newly promoted Ipswich Town and had a run to the FA Cup Final, where a Jimmy Robson goal, the 100th FA Cup Final goal at Wembley, was their only reply to 3 goals from Spurs. Jimmy Adamson was named Footballer of the Year in English football after the season ended.

Main article: List of Burnley F.C. internationals

Burnley had several players with international caps in these years including, for England Ray Pointer (3 caps), Colin McDonald (8 caps), and John Connelly (20 caps), a member of the 1966 World Cup squad, for Northern Ireland Jimmy McIlroy (55 caps) and for Scotland Adam Blacklaw (3 caps).

Although far from a two-man team, the departure of McIlroy to Stoke City and retirement of Adamson coincided with a decline in fortunes. Adamson reputedly turned down the England manager's post which then went to Alf Ramsey. More damaging was the impact of the 1961 abolition of the maximum wage; nonetheless they managed to retain their First Division place throughout the decade finishing third in 1965–66, with Willie Irvine becoming the League's top goal scorer that season, and reaching the semi-final of the League Cup in 1968–69. They also reached the quarter-finals of the 1966–67 Fairs Cup, in which they were knocked out by Eintracht Frankfurt.

Main article: Burnley F.C. in European football

• QTR = quarter-final

Season	Competition	Round	Nation	Club	Score
1960–61	European Cup	QTR	West Germany	Hamburger SV	3–1, 1–4
1966–67	Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	QTR	West Germany	Eintracht Frankfurt	1–1, 1–2

The remainder of the decade was otherwise one of mid-table mediocrity, with Potts being replaced by Adamson as manager in 1970. Adamson was unable to halt the slide and relegation followed in 1970–71 ending a long unbroken top flight spell during which, more often than not, they had been in the upper reaches of the League table.

Burnley won the Second Division title in 1972–73 with Adamson still in charge. As a result, they were invited to play in the 1973 FA Charity Shield where they emerged as winners against Manchester City. In the First Division, led by elegant playmaker Martin Dobson, the side managed 6th in 1974 as well as reaching another FA Cup semi-final; this time losing out to Newcastle United. The following season the club achieved 10th place (despite Dobson being sold to Everton early in that season) but were victims of one of the great FA Cup shocks of all time when Wimbledon, then in the Southern League, beat Burnley 1–0 at Turf Moor. Relegation from the First Division in 1975–76 saw the end of Adamson's tenure as manager.

Decline and near oblivion (1976–1987)

Graph showing Burnley's performance from the inaugural season of the Football League in 1888–89 to the present.

Three nondescript seasons in the Second Division followed before relegation to the Third Division for the first time in 1979–80. Of 42 league games, Burnley could not manage a win in either their first or last 16. Two seasons later, now under the management of Brian Miller, they were promoted as champions. However, this return was short-lived, lasting only one year; albeit a year in which the team reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the semi-final of the League Cup, recording victories over Spurs and Liverpool in the latter, although the 1–0 win over Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final second leg was not enough for an appearance in the final as Burnley had lost the first leg 3–0.

Managerial changes continued to be made in an unsuccessful 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.

Benson was in charge when Burnley were relegated to the fourth level of English football for the first time ever at the end of the 1984–85 season. Martin Buchan (briefly) and then Tommy Cavanagh saw the side through the 1985–86 season before Miller returned for the 1986–87 season, the last match of which is known as 'The Orient Game'. For the 1986–87 season, the Football League had decided to introduce automatic relegation and promotion between the Fourth Division and the Conference league, the top tier of non-league football. Although, in retrospect, this has only served to blur the lines between professional and semi-professional leagues in England, at the time it was perceived that teams losing league status might never recover from this. Additionally, Burnley had a new local rival in Colne Dynamoes who were rapidly progressing through the English non-league system at the same time as the former champions of England were in the lowest level of the league. After a disastrous season (which also saw a first round FA Cup 3–0 defeat at non-league Telford), Burnley went into the last match needing a win against Leyton Orient. A 2–1 win, with goals from Neil Grewcock and Ian Britton, was enough to keep Burnley in Division Four, although even that achievement still relied on a loss by Lincoln City in their last game of the season. Had Burnley been relegated, the club would have probably been dissolved.

Recovery (1987–2000)

In May 1988, Burnley were back at Wembley; this time to play Wolves in the final of the Football League Trophy. A capacity crowd of 80,000 people packed Wembley was a record for a match between two teams from English football's fourth tier, as Wolves won 2–0. In 1991–92, Burnley were champions in the last ever season of the Fourth Division before the league reorganisation, and two years later they won the new Division Two play-offs and gained promotion to Division One under Jimmy Mullen. That too was as a result of a match at Wembley, this time against Stockport County. Relegation followed after one season and in 1997–98 only a last day 2–1 victory over Plymouth Argyle ensured a narrow escape from relegation into Division Three. Chris Waddle was manager in that season, but his departure and the appointment of Stan Ternent that summer saw the club start to make further progress. In 1999–2000 they finished Division Two runners-up and gained promotion to Division One. With their 1991–92 success, the club are one of only five teams to have won all top four professional divisions of English football to date, along with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Preston North End, Sheffield United and Portsmouth.

Championship years (2000–2009)

Jensen

Carlisle

Caldwell

Duff

Kalvenes

Alexander

McCann

Elliott

Blake

Thompson

Paterson

The 2009 Football League Championship play-off Final line-up that defeated Sheffield United 1–0 at Wembley Stadium.

During the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons, Burnley emerged as serious contenders for a promotion play-off place in the Championship. By 2002–03 the side's form had declined despite a good FA Cup run. This was repeated the following season and in June 2004 Ternent's six years as manager came to an end. Steve Cotterill was then appointed as manager of the club. Cotterill's first year in charge produced two notable cup runs, knocking out Premier League clubs Liverpool and Aston Villa, and a 13th-place finish in the Championship. He was not able to improve on this the following season, and Burnley finished 17th.

Wade Elliott's goal earned Burnley a 1–0 victory over Sheffield United in the Championship play-off Final, which resulted in the Clarets reaching the highest level of English football for the first time in 33 years.

Burnley made a good start to the 2006–07 campaign, but their form tailed away badly shortly before Christmas, leaving them threatened by relegation. The 2006–07 squad set a club record for consecutive league games without a win, with their game against Luton Town being the 18th one of the season (19 including a cup game), meaning they had gone one fixture further than the 17 league game streak of the 1889–90 season. The sequence of draws and losses was finally broken in April, as Burnley beat Plymouth Argyle 4–0 at Turf Moor. After that, a short run of good form in the final weeks of the competition saw Burnley finish comfortably above the relegation places, ensuring that they remained in the Championship for the 2007–08 season.

The following season Burnley's poor early-season results led to the departure of manager Steve Cotterill in November 2007. His replacement was Owen Coyle. Coyle subsequently led the team to a total of 62 points for the 2007–08 season, their largest total for eight years. Coyle's first full season in charge ended with the Clarets' highest league finish since 1976, fifth in the Championship. That was enough to qualify the club for the Championship play-offs. Burnley beat Reading 3–0 on aggregate in the semi-final, and the team went on to beat Sheffield United 1–0 in the final at Wembley Stadium, promoting Burnley to the Premier League, a return to the top flight after 33 years. Wade Elliott scored the vital goal in a match known as "The £50,000,000 final", due to the increased revenues available to Premiership clubs after the agreement of substantially higher TV rights payments.

Premier League promotions and relegations (2009 onwards)

Burnley's promotion made the town the smallest to host a Premier League club (since the rebranding in 1992). They started the season by becoming the first newly promoted team in the Premier League to win their first four home league games, including a 1–0 win over defending champions Manchester United. However, manager Coyle left Burnley in January 2010, to manage local rivals Bolton Wanderers. He was replaced by Brian Laws, but the club's form plummeted under the new manager, and they were relegated after a single season in the Premier League. Laws was dismissed in December 2010 and replaced by Eddie Howe. Howe guided Burnley to an eighth-place finish in the Championship in his first season at the club, narrowly missing out on a play-off place. However, he left the club in October 2012 to rejoin his hometown club Bournemouth; Howe citing personal reasons for the move. He was replaced in the same month by Watford manager Sean Dyche.

In 2013–14, Dyche's first full season in charge, Burnley finished second in the Championship and were automatically promoted back to the Premier League. Once again, their stay in the division only lasted a single season as they finished 19th out of 20 clubs and were relegated. Burnley went one better than their previous time in the Championship and won the division in 2015–16, ending the season with a run of 23 league games undefeated. Manager Sean Dyche used just 25 players during the season, and new signing Andre Gray finished as the league's top goal scorer with 25 goals.

With a combination of excellent home form with poor away results, Burnley finished the 2016–17 season in 16th place, six points above the relegation zone, and were thus ensured to play consecutive seasons in the top flight for the first time since 1975–76. The following season started off with an away win to defending champions Chelsea (3–2). More away points against top-half clubs were picked up against Tottenham Hotspur (1–1; at Wembley Stadium), Liverpool (1–1), Everton (1–0), Manchester United (2–2) and Newcastle United (1–1). Eventual inexpugnable League champions Manchester City were held to a draw at Turf Moor (1–1). Burnley secured 7th place at the end of the season, their highest League finish since 1973–74, and thus qualified for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, meaning they qualified for a competitive European competition for the first time in 51 years. Manager Dyche and defender James Tarkowski were nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Season and Premier League Player of the Season awards respectively. The success of the 2018 campaign has helped secure sponsorship from international companies. In July 2019, Burnley signed the "largest" sponsorship in club history.

Players

First-team squad

As of 17 May 2018

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ENG	Tom Heaton (captain)
2	DF	ENG	Matthew Lowton
3	DF	ENG	Charlie Taylor
4	MF	ENG	Jack Cork
5	DF	ENG	James Tarkowski
6	DF	ENG	Ben Mee (vice-captain)
9	FW	WAL	Sam Vokes
10	FW	AUT	Ashley Barnes
11	FW	NZL	Chris Wood
12	MF	IRL	Robbie Brady
13	MF	EIR	Jeff Hendrick
16	MF	BEL	Steven Defour
17	MF	ISL	Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson
18	MF	ENG	Ashley Westwood

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
19	FW	IRL	Jonathan Walters
21	FW	BER	Nahki Wells
22	GK	DEN	Anders Lindegaard
23	DF	EIR	Stephen Ward
25	MF	ENG	Aaron Lennon
26	DF	SCO	Phil Bardsley
28	DF	EIR	Kevin Long
29	GK	ENG	Nick Pope
30	GK	ENG	Adam Legzdins
31	FW	ENG	Dwight McNeil
32	FW	ENG	Dan Agyei
36	GK	NIR	Conor Mitchell
41	MF	AUS	Aiden O'Neill

Other players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	ENG	Adam Bruce
—	GK	ENG	Aidan Stone
—	DF	ENG	James Clarke
—	DF	IRL	Jimmy Dunne
—	DF	ENG	Scott Wilson
—	DF	ENG	Oliver Younger

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	ENG	Ali Koiki
—	MF	ENG	Christian N'Guessan
—	MF	ENG	Mark Howarth
—	MF	ENG	Olatunde Bayode
—	MF	ENG	Tinashe Chakwana
46	FW	ENG	Ntumba Massanka

Notable former players

For a list of players with over 100 league appearances for the club, see List of Burnley F.C. players

For a list of players with 50–99 league appearances for the club, see List of Burnley F.C. players

For a list of past and present internationals, see List of Burnley F.C. internationals

English Football Hall of Fame members

A number of former Burnley players have been inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame:

• Paul Gascoigne (2002 inductee)
• Tommy Lawton (2003 inductee)
• Ian Wright (2005 inductee)
• Mike Summerbee (2013 inductee)
• Jimmy McIlroy (2014 inductee)

Football League 100 Legends

The Football League 100 Legends is a list of "100 legendary football players" produced by The Football League in 1998 to celebrate the 100th season of League football. Three former Burnley players made the list.

• Paul Gascoigne
• Tommy Lawton
• Jimmy McIlroy

PFA Team of the Year

The following players have been included in the PFA Team of the Year whilst playing at the club:

• 1974–75: Leighton James (First Division)
• 1981–82: Martin Dobson (Third Division)
• 1983–84: Brian Flynn, Billy Hamilton (Third Division)
• 1985–86: Kevin Hird (Fourth Division)
• 1990–91: Steve Davis (Fourth Division)
• 1991–92: Steve Davis (Fourth Division)
• 1992–93: Marlon Beresford (Second Division; third tier)
• 1993–94: Marlon Beresford (Second Division; third tier)
• 1995–96: Kurt Nogan (Second Division; third tier)
• 1996–97: Gary Parkinson, David Eyres (Second Division; third tier)
• 1998–99: Steve Davis (Second Division; third tier)
• 1999–2000: Steve Davis, Glen Little (Second Division; third tier)
• 2011–12: Jay Rodriguez (Championship)
• 2012–13: Kieran Trippier (Championship)
• 2013–14: Kieran Trippier, Jason Shackell, Danny Ings (Championship)
• 2015–16: Tom Heaton, Michael Keane, Joey Barton, Andre Gray (Championship)

Burnley FC Player of the Year Award

As voted by the club's supporters at the end of every season.

Year	Position	Winner
2002–03	FW	Gareth Taylor
2003–04	FW	Robbie Blake
2004–05	DF	Gary Cahill
2005–06	DF	Jon Harley
2006–07	MF	Wade Elliott
2007–08	MF	Wade Elliott
2008–09	DF	Graham Alexander
2009–10	FW	Steven Fletcher
2010–11	FW	Jay Rodriguez
2011–12	DF	Kieran Trippier
2012–13	GK	Lee Grant
2013–14	FW	Sam Vokes
2014–15	MF	George Boyd
2015–16	MF	Joey Barton
2016–17	GK	Tom Heaton
2017–18	GK	Nick Pope

Management

Football management

As of 20 April 2018

Position	Name
Manager	Sean Dyche
Assistant Manager	Ian Woan
First Team Coach	Tony Loughlan
Goalkeeping Coach	Billy Mercer
Head Physiotherapist	Alasdair Beattie

Source: [2]

Board of Directors

As of 20 April 2018

Position	Name
Chairman	Michael Garlick
Vice Chairman	Barry Kilby
CEO	David Baldwin
Members	Clive Holt John Banaskiewicz Brian Nelson Terry Crabb Brendan Flood

Source: [3]

Owners

As of 20 April 2018

Chairman Mike Garlick holds 49.24% of outstanding shares of Burnley F.C. and Member of the Board of Directors John Banaszkiewicz another 28.2%. The other five Members of the Board hold, between them, a total of 16.36%. The total holding of shares by all Board members amounts to 93.8%.

Kits, colours and crest

Kits and colours

In the early years, various designs and colours were used by Burnley. Throughout their first eight years these were various permutations of blue and white. After three years of claret and amber stripes with black shorts, for much of the 1890s a combination of black with amber stripes was used, although the club wore a shirt with pink and white stripes during the 1894–95 season. Between 1897 and 1900 the club used a plain red shirt and from 1900 until 1910 the club changed to an all green shirt with white shorts. In 1910 the club changed their colours to claret and sky blue, the colours that they have now had for the majority of their history, save for a spell in white shirts and black shorts during the 1930s. The adoption of the claret and sky blue colour combination were a homage to league champions Aston Villa, who wore those colours. The committee and manager John Haworth believed it might bring a change of fortune.

On 4 March 2007, Burnley's away kit for the 2006–07 season (yellow shirt with claret bar, yellow shorts and yellow socks) won the Best Kit Design award at the Football League Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

In June 2007 the new home kit for the 2007–08 season was released, echoing the 1950s shirt; all claret with a blue v-neck and rims on the end of the arms which sport the word 'Burnley'. It featured gold trim and a new gold logo for the club's 125th anniversary. For the Championship match against Stoke City on 24 November 2007, Burnley wore a commemorative 125th anniversary shirt based on their first kit; blue and white stripes with black trim/shorts and white socks.

The club wore for the 2009–10 season a kit similar to the kit worn when Burnley won the old First Division title (i.e. what is now the Premier League title) in 1959–60, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that achievement. The club also adopted a new badge, closely based on the previous crest which was first used by the Champions during the 1960 summer tour to North America, when they participated in the inaugural international football tournament on that continent, the International Soccer League.

Crest

The Royal Arms

The Clarets' first recorded usage of a crest was on 17 December 1887, when they wore the Prince of Wales' coat of arms on their shirt. The Prince of Wales visited Turf Moor a year earlier when Burnley was playing Bolton Wanderers, highlighting the first ever visit by a member of the Royal Family. Afterwards, Burnley were presented a set of white jerseys featuring a blue sash and embellished with the Prince of Wales' coat of arms to commemorate the visit, making The Clarets the first ever club to have the right to wear it on their shirts. The club would regularly wear the royal crest until the 1894–95 season. Twenty years later, when Burnley played the 1914 FA Cup Final and King George V was in attendance, the Royal Arms featured once again on the claret and blue shirts.

A forerunner of the club's current badge was first recorded in 1935. 25 years later, when Burnley won the league title for a second time, they were allowed to wear the town's crest of the period on their shirts. The town's crest was worn until the 1969–70 season, when it was replaced with a simple "BFC". Six years later, the initials were lettered with gold. Four years after that, the club used a new designed badge based on the town's crest, before returning to a horizontal version of the "BFC" initials in 1983, who were lettered in white this time. In the 1987–88 season they returned to their former, new designed crest.

The latest major change to the club crest came in the 2009–10 season. To mark Burnley's first ever season in the Premier League (since the rebranding of the First Division in 1992) and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the club's 1959–60 First Division league title win, Burnley decided to return to the crest used in that title winning season. Next season, the town's Latin motto "Pretiumque Et Causa Laboris" (English translation: "The prize and the cause of our labour") was replaced with the inscription "Burnley Football Club".

Burnley's current badge is based on the town's crest and many components of the badge — depicting cotton, history, industry, royalty — have their origins in the history of the club, the town Burnley and surrounding areas and the components thus refer to them.

Kit manufacturers and Shirt sponsors

Period	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
1975–1981	Umbro	none
1981–82	Spall	none
1982–83		POCO
1983–84		TSB
1984–1987		Multipart
1987–88	En-s
1988–89	Spall	Endsleigh
1989–1991	Ellgren
1991–1993	Ribero
1993–1996	Mitre
1996–1998	Adidas
1998–99		P3 Computers
1999–2000	Super League
2000–01		none
2001–02		Lanway
2002–2004	TFG Sports
2004–05		Hunters
2005–2007	Erreà
2007–2009		Holland's
2009–10		Cooke
2010–2012	Puma	Fun88
2012–2014		Premier Range
2014–15		Fun88
2015–16		Oak Furniture Land & Sofa Store
2016–18		Dafabet
2018–		LaBa360

Club mascot

The club's mascot is Bertie Bee. He wears the 1882 shirt and is popular with the Burnley fans. He became well known for rugby tackling a streaker on the pitch who had evaded the stewards, and appeared on the BBC Television sporting panel show They Think It's All Over after the event.

In the 2006–07 season, he was also joined by Holland's Pies Stan the Pie Man, due to a sponsorship deal.

In October 2013 he again hit the headlines, this time after a top of the table clash against QPR, when he was sent off and 'jailed' after he jokingly offered the assistant referee his glasses.

Stadium

Main article: Turf Moor

Turf Moor

"The Turf"
Turf Moor Location in Burnley
Coordinates	53°47′21″N 2°13′49″W
Capacity	21,944 (all-seated)
Field size	115 yd × 74 yd (105 m × 68 m)
Surface	Desso GrassMaster
Construction
Broke ground	1833 (as a cricket ground)
Opened	17 February 1883
Architect	Various
Tenants
Burnley Cricket Club {on larger site} (1833–1883) Burnley Football Club {current site} (1883–present)

Burnley have played their home games at Turf Moor since 1883, after playing at its original ground at Calder Vale for less than a year. Turf Moor is the longest continuously used ground of any of the 49 teams which have played in the Premier League and the second oldest continually used site for league football in the world, behind Preston's Deepdale. The stadium is located on Harry Potts Way, named in honour of the club's longest serving manager.

In October 1886, Turf Moor welcomed the first-ever visit by a member of the Royal Family to a first-class association football match at a senior ground, when Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert Victor, was in attendance for a match between Burnley and Bolton Wanderers. In 1888, the first Football League match at Turf Moor was an encounter against Bolton, with Burnley emerging as 4–1 winners, Fred Poland scoring the first competitive league goal at the stadium. In 1922, the ground hosted its only FA Cup semi-final to date, between Huddersfield Town and Notts County, and five years later it hosted its only senior international match, between England and Wales for the British Home Championship.

The Turf Moor site was first used for sport in 1833, when Burnley Cricket Club was established. Fifty years later, they invited Burnley Football Club to move from their original premises at Calder Vale to a pitch adjacent to the cricket field. The ground originally consisted of just a pitch and the first grandstand was not built until 1885. It now consists of 4 stands, the James Hargreaves Stand (The Longside), the Jimmy McIlroy Stand (Bee Hole End), the Bob Lord Stand and the Ladbrokes Stand (The Cricket Field Stand) for home and away fans. The current capacity is 21,944 all-seated. Post-World War I crowds in the stadium averaged in the 30,000–40,000 range with the record attendance set in 1924 against Huddersfield Town in a FA Cup match when 54,755 attended the match. Until 1974, The Turf had a slight slope in the field, when chairman Bob Lord made a resolution to relay the pitch and to remove the slope. During the 1990s, the ground underwent further refurbishment when The Longside and Bee Hole End terraces were replaced by all-seater stands as a result of the Taylor Report, reducing the capacity.

In 2008, plans were made to extend the stadium to a capacity of around 28,000. This capacity increase would include a second tier attached to the Bob Lord stand, along with a complete re-development. In addition, a new stand was planned to replace the Cricket Field Stand, which would also hold a cricket pavilion and hotel. In late 2008, these plans were put on hold as general economic conditions worsened in the UK. In November 2009, chairman Barry Kilby stated that at the end of the season, the club would look back into the proposed re-development of the Cricket Field stand.

At the end of 2017, Burnley finalised plans to develop two corners of the stadium (between the Jimmy McIlroy stand and both the James Hargreaves and Bob Lord stands) to provide better facilities for disabled supporters to meet the Accessible Stadium Guide (ASG) regulations. The plans took the spending on infrastructure at the club to around £20m in two years, including a bigger club shop and ticket office at the stadium, and a major uplift to their training centre.

At the same time, however, the club concluded that "there will be no other ground developments to increase the overall capacity of Turf Moor in the short-term, unless an increase in demand for seats forces a re-think."

Supporters and rivalries

Main article: East Lancashire derby

Burnley are one of the best supported clubs in English football per head of population, with average attendances of 20,000 in a town with approximately 73,000 inhabitants. In the championship winning year of 1959–60 the fan-ratio of Burnley was twice the top flight average.

In an unofficial Football Rivalry Survey from 2012–13, Burnley were listed 7th out of a list of 92 respective Football League clubs with the most rivals, with Blackburn Rovers considering Burnley to be their main rival and Bolton Wanderers, Morecambe and Rochdale considering them their second main rival. Burnley consider their biggest rivalry to be with Blackburn. Games between them are known as the East Lancashire Derby.

Other rivalries exist with local clubs Bolton Wanderers, Blackpool and Preston North End. Burnley contested heated matches with Halifax Town, Plymouth Argyle and Stockport County in the past, when they were playing in the lower leagues.

When falling down to the lower leagues and the simultaneously growing presence of hooliganism in English football in the 1980s, a hooligan firm linked to Burnley was established, called the 'Suicide Squad'. The firm became infamous for violently clashing with many other firms and fans in the country. They also featured in the television documentary series The Real Football Factories presented by Danny Dyer. The squad officially disbanded in 2009 after a high-profile incident with supporters of Blackburn Rovers, in which afterwards twelve members of the Suicide Squad were sentenced to jail for a total of 32 years.

Managerial history

Main article: List of Burnley F.C. managers

Honours and achievements

League

See also: List of Burnley F.C. seasons

First Division / Premier League (Tier 1)

• Winners (2): 1920–21, 1959–60
• Runners–up: 1919–20, 1961–62

Second Division / First Division / Championship (Tier 2)

• Winners (3): 1897–98, 1972–73, 2015–16
• Promoted: 1912–13, 1946–47, 2013–14
• Play–off winners: 2008–09

Third Division / Second Division / League One (Tier 3)

• Winners (1): 1981–82
• Promoted: 1999–2000
• Play–off winners: 1993–94

Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (Tier 4)

• Winners (1): 1991–92

Cup

FA Cup

• Winners (1): 1913–14
• Runners–up: 1946–47, 1961–62
• Third: 1973–74

League Cup / EFL Cup

• Semi–finalists: 1960–61, 1968–69, 1982–83, 2008–09

FA Charity Shield

• Winners (2): 1960 (shared), 1973
• Runners–up: 1921

Football League Trophy / EFL Trophy

• Runners–up: 1987–88

Regional

Lancashire Senior Cup (nowadays for reserve teams)

• Winners (12): 1889–90, 1914–15, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1992–93

Europe

See also: Burnley F.C. in European football

European Cup / UEFA Champions League

• Quarter–finalists: 1960–61

Inter–Cities Fairs Cup / UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League

• Quarter–finalists: 1966–67

Regional

Anglo–Scottish Cup

• Winners (1): 1978–79

Texaco Cup

• Runners–up: 1973–74

Youth

The Central League

• Winners (3): 1948–49, 1961–62, 1962–63

FA Youth Cup

• Winners (1): 1967–68

Records

Club records

• Record League victory: 9–0 v Darwen, Division 1, 9 January 1892
• Record Cup victory: 9–0 v Penrith, FA Cup, Round 1, 17 November 1984 also v Crystal Palace, 10 February 1909 and v New Brighton, 26 January 1957
• Record League defeat: 0–10 v Aston Villa, Division 1, 29 August 1925
• Record Cup defeat: 0–11 v Darwen Old Wanderers, FA Cup, 1st Round, 17 October 1885
• Record home attendance: 54,775 v Huddersfield Town, FA Cup, Round 3, Turf Moor, 23 February 1924
• Record undefeated run: 30 League games, Division 1, 6 September 1920 to 25 March 1921 – a record for many years
• Most points in a season: 93 Sky Bet Championship, 2013–14 & Sky Bet Championship, 2015–16
• Record transfer fee paid: £15,000,000 Chris Wood, Leeds United, 21 August 2017
• Record transfer fee received: £25,000,000 Michael Keane, Everton, 3 July 2017

Player records

• Most League appearances: 522 Jerry Dawson
• Most League goals: 178 George Beel
• Most League goals in a season: 35 George Beel, Division 1, 1927–28
• Most capped player while playing at the club: 51 Jimmy McIlroy – Northern Ireland

Overall league history

Main article: List of Burnley F.C. seasons

• 56 seasons in Tier 1 of the English football league system
• 46 seasons in Tier 2 of the English football league system
• 11 seasons in Tier 3 of the English football league system
• 7 seasons in Tier 4 of the English football league system

As of the 2018–19 season

See also

• Burnley FC Girls & Ladies
• UCFB

External links

• Burnley FC official website
• Burnley FC – Vital Burnley
• Burnley FC – Clarets Mad
• UpTheClarets – Unofficial Burnley FC Supporters Website
• The Longside forum
• The Longside
• Burnley FC – Clarets Trust
• Latest Burnley FC news and video
• Silent footage of Burnley v Manchester United (Busby Babes) 19 April 1957 by Sam Hanna (Vimeo – North West Film Archive)