Burnley
Burnley Football Club is a professional football club based in Burnley, Lancashire, England, founded in 1882. The team currently compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system, and play their home matches at Turf Moor since 1883. Burnley are one of only five sides to have won all four professional divisions of English football and have been crowned champions of England twice, in 1920–21 and 1959–60. They have won the FA Cup once in 1913–14 and the FA Charity Shield twice in 1960 and 1973. Known as "The Clarets" for their traditional claret and blue colors adopted in 1910, the club has a long-standing rivalry with nearby Blackburn Rovers in the East Lancashire Derby.
History
Overview
General information about the club
Burnley Football Club was founded on 18 May 1882 by members of rugby team Burnley Rovers, who voted for a shift to association football as the sport was gaining prominence in the area. The club became one of the first to turn professional in 1883 and was instrumental in pressuring the Football Association to permit payments to players. They were among the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888–89, the world's first league football competition. The team have played home games at Turf Moor since 1883 and are nicknamed "The Clarets" due to their claret and blue colors adopted in 1910.
Most recent season and achievements
In the 2024–25 season, Burnley won promotion back to the Premier League under manager Scott Parker, ending the season with a club record 33-match unbeaten run. The team conceded just 16 goals in 46 matches, setting the best defensive record in English league history with an average of 0.35 goals per game. They kept a record 30 clean sheets and became the first side to reach a three-figure points total in the same division on two occasions, earning 100 points. 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.
History
Early years
The club was founded on 18 May 1882 by members of rugby team Burnley Rovers, dropping the "Rovers" suffix a few days later. They won their first silverware in 1883 with the Dr Dean's Cup and turned professional by the end of the year, signing many Scottish players. Burnley initially refused to join the Football Association and its FA Cup because it barred professional players, leading a group of 35 clubs in forming the breakaway British Football Association in 1884. When the FA changed its rules in 1885 to allow professionalism, Burnley made their first FA Cup appearance in 1885–86.
In October 1886, Turf Moor became the first professional ground visited by royalty when Prince Albert Victor attended a friendly against Bolton Wanderers. As a founder member of the Football League in 1888–89, William Tait became the first player to score a league hat-trick in their second match. The club faced early struggles with relegations to the Second Division in 1896–97 and 1899–1900, the latter involving a bribery scandal with goalkeeper Jack Hillman attempting to fix a match against Nottingham Forest.
Successful period
Under chairman Harry Windle from 1909 and manager John Haworth from 1910, Burnley's fortunes improved significantly. The club adopted claret and blue colors in 1910 and won promotion to the first tier in 1912–13. Their first major honor came in 1914 when they defeated Liverpool in the FA Cup final, with Bert Freeman scoring the only goal. Captain Tommy Boyle became the first to receive the trophy from a reigning monarch, King George V.
Burnley won their first First Division championship in 1920–21 after losing the opening three games but going unbeaten in the following 30 league matches, setting an English record. From the 1950s to 1970s, under chairman Bob Lord, the club became renowned for their youth policy and scouting system, setting up a purpose-built training ground at Gawthorpe. Manager Harry Potts, appointed in 1958, led the team to their second First Division title in 1959–60 with a squad costing only £13,000 in transfer fees, most players having progressed through the youth academy.
Crisis and recovery
The abolition of the maximum wage in 1961 meant small-town clubs like Burnley could no longer compete financially with larger settlements. The controversial departure of Jimmy McIlroy to Stoke City in 1963 and Jimmy Adamson's retirement in 1964 damaged the club's fortunes. Despite retaining First Division status throughout the 1960s, relegation followed in 1970–71 under manager Adamson, who had replaced Potts in 1970.
The team won the Second Division title in 1972–73 and the FA Charity Shield against Manchester City in 1973. However, financial difficulties led to the sale of star players like Martin Dobson and Leighton James, causing rapid decline. Burnley were relegated to the Third Division for the first time in 1979–80, returning as champions in 1981–82 under Brian Miller before dropping back down. They reached the Fourth Division for the first time in 1984–85 and narrowly avoided relegation to non-League football in 1986–87.
Current period
Under manager Jimmy Mullen, Burnley won the Fourth Division in 1991–92, becoming only the second club to win all four professional divisions of English football. After various promotions and relegations through the 1990s and 2000s, Owen Coyle led them to Premier League promotion in 2008–09 after 33 years. Sean Dyche was appointed manager in October 2012 and guided multiple promotions, including the Championship title in 2015–16 with a 23-game unbeaten run.
In December 2020, American investment company ALK Capital acquired an 84% stake for £170 million, marking the first time the club was run by anyone other than local businessmen. Vincent Kompany was appointed manager in June 2022, becoming the first person from outside the British Isles to manage the club. He secured promotion back to the Premier League in 2022–23 with seven matches remaining before leaving for Bayern Munich for £10.2 million.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
Burnley are one of only five teams to have won all four professional divisions of English football. They have been crowned champions of England twice, winning the First Division in 1920–21 and 1959–60. The club has won the FA Cup once in 1913–14, defeating Liverpool in the final. They have also won the FA Charity Shield twice, in 1960 (shared) and 1973, and finished as runners-up in both the First Division (1919–20, 1961–62) and FA Cup (1946–47, 1961–62) on two occasions each.
In the lower divisions, Burnley have won the Second Division/Championship four times (1897–98, 1972–73, 2015–16, 2022–23), the Third Division once (1981–82), and the Fourth Division once (1991–92). They have also won regional competitions including the Lancashire Cup 13 times and various cup competitions such as the Anglo-Scottish Cup in 1978–79.
Continental and global competitions
Burnley qualified for European competition following their 1959–60 First Division title, participating in the 1960–61 European Cup where they defeated former finalists Reims in the first round before losing to Hamburger SV in the quarter-finals. The club returned to European football after 51 years when they qualified for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League following their seventh-place Premier League finish in 2017–18, though they were eliminated in the play-off round by Greek club Olympiacos.
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
Burnley's jerseys first featured a crest in December 1887 with the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales, commemorating Prince Albert Victor's visit to Turf Moor. The royal arms were worn regularly until 1894–95 but reappeared for the 1914 FA Cup final. The town of Burnley's coat of arms first appeared on shirts during the 1934–35 FA Cup semi-final and became permanent following the 1959–60 title win.
In 1973, the club adopted a new badge designed by Mr Jolleys of Ashton-on-Ribble, featuring two lions, two red roses, a bee, a shuttle, a knight's helmet and a hand. This was replaced by a simple "B.F.C." cypher in 1983 before being reinstated in 1987. In 2009, to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1959–60 title, the club reintroduced the town's arms. The current badge is based on the town of Burnley's coat of arms, with elements including a stork representing the Starkie family, cotton plants reflecting the town's heritage, and bees symbolizing the work ethic.
Traditional home and away kits colors
In the early years, Burnley used various kit designs and colors, including blue and white permutations from their forerunners Burnley Rovers. The club experimented with all-blue, all-white, amber and black, pink and white stripes, all-red, and all-green jerseys before adopting claret and blue in 1910. These colors have remained for most of their history, save for a spell in white shirts during the 1930s and Second World War. The club re-registered as claret and blue in 1946 following a successful appeal in the Burnley Express that brought donated coupons from supporters for a new kit.
Traditional club anthem
The source material does not contain specific information about a traditional club anthem, though it mentions that "No Nay Never," an adaptation of "The Wild Rover," has been a frequently sung chant since the early 1970s with lyrics referencing their rivalry with Blackburn Rovers.
Traditional Rivals
Blackburn Rovers
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 mill towns are also known as the "Cotton Mills derby." Both are founder members of the Football League and have won the First Division and FA Cup. Separated by only 14 miles, they have a long-standing rivalry dating back to their earliest competitive clash in a Football League match in 1888, though they first met in a friendly four years earlier. Burnley hold the better head-to-head record, having won 45 games to Blackburn's 41.
Other rivals
Burnley also have rivalries with nearby clubs Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, and Preston North End. They share a Roses rivalry with West Yorkshire sides Bradford City and Leeds United. During their time in lower leagues in the 1980s and 1990s, the team contested heated matches with Halifax Town, Plymouth Argyle, Rochdale, and Stockport County, though these rivalries were mainly one-sided according to the 2003 Football Fans Census.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
Burnley's kits have been supplied by various manufacturers since 1975, when Umbro first produced the club's jerseys, and have featured shirt sponsors since 1982. The first sponsor was Poco Homes, a Manchester-based building firm, from 1982 to 1983. The club's longest-running shirt sponsorship was with Endsleigh Insurance, lasting from 1988 to 1998. In 2017, the club secured its first sleeve sponsorship deal with Golf Clash, a mobile game developed by Playdemic, appearing on the left sleeve.
Nicknames
The club is known as "The Clarets" due to their claret and blue colors adopted in 1910. In earlier decades, the side had been referred to by various monikers including "The Turfites," "The Moorites," "The Royalites," and "The Brunsiders."
Ownership and finances
From their establishment until 2020, Burnley were run by local businessmen and supporters. In December 2020, Velocity Sports Partners, the sports investment arm of American management firm ALK Capital, acquired an 84% stake for £170 million. Alan Pace, managing partner of ALK Capital, replaced Mike Garlick as chairman. The leveraged takeover left Burnley with debts of around £100 million at eight percent interest rates. In May 2023, J. J. Watt and his wife Kealia Watt became minority investors, along with YouTube group Dude Perfect later that year.
Traditions and culture
A popular drink served at home matches since the First World War is "Béné & Hot"—French liqueur Bénédictine topped with hot water. East Lancashire Regiment soldiers acquired this taste while stationed in Fécamp, Normandy, during the war, drinking it with hot water in the trenches. Over 30 bottles are sold at each home game, making the club one of the world's biggest sellers of Bénédictine, and Turf Moor is the only British football ground to sell it.
Notable fans include football pioneer Jimmy Hogan, journalist Alastair Campbell, cricketer James Anderson, King Charles III, and South African cardinal Wilfrid Napier. The club's supporters have had a long-standing friendship with Dutch team Helmond Sport since the 1990s, with Helmond adopting claret and blue away kits in tribute for 2022–23 and 2023–24.
Stadium
Burnley have played at Turf Moor since February 1883, replacing their original premises at Calder Vale. The site has been used for sport since at least 1843 when Burnley Cricket Club moved there. Only Preston North End at Deepdale have continuously occupied their stadium longer among Lancashire rivals. The ground originally consisted of only a pitch, with the first grandstand built in 1885.
Turf Moor's capacity was increased to 50,000 under chairman Harry Windle during the 1910s. The ground hosted its only FA Cup semi-final in 1922 and its only full international match in 1927 between England and Wales. The attendance record is 54,775 for an FA Cup match against Huddersfield Town in 1924. During the mid-1990s, terraces were replaced with all-seater stands following the Taylor Report recommendations. The current capacity is 21,944, consisting of four stands: the North Stand, Jimmy McIlroy Stand, Bob Lord Stand, and Cricket Field Stand.