Burnley Football Club, nicknamed The Clarets, are a professional English football club managed by Owen Coyle and based in Burnley, Lancashire. They were founder members of The Football League in 1888 and in 2009 returned to the top division after a 33 year absence. The club colours are claret and blue and their home ground since 1883 has been Turf Moor.

Burnley have been Football League Champions twice, in 1920-21 and 1959-60, and were FA Cup winners on 25 April 1914, beating Liverpool 1-0 at Crystal Palace. The Clarets also reached the 1961 quarter-finals of the European Cup before losing to Hamburger SV (Germany).

As recently as 1960 they were league champions, but were outside the top flight from 1976 to 2009. From 1985 to 1992 they had a seven-year spell in the lowest tier of the Football League. In 1987 they narrowly avoided relegation to the Conference. Between 2000 and 2009 they played in the second tier of English football, until they gained promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 33 years after defeating Sheffield United 1-0 in the Championship play-off final.

Burnley will restart life in the top division with an away trip to the Britannia Stadium to take on Stoke City followed by a home game at Turf Moor against Manchester United.

The team were founded as St. Luke's in 1877 by John Baynton and John Brodie, after a group of pupils at St Luke's school in Blakenhall had been presented with a football by their headmaster Harry Barcroft. Two years later, they merged with local cricket and football club The Wanderers, to form Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The club were initially given the use of two fields — John Harper's Field and Windmill Field — both off Lower Villiers Street in Blakenhall. From there, they moved to a site on the Dudley Road opposite the Fighting Cocks Inn in 1881. The club then became one of the twelve founders of the English Football League in 1888 and finished the inaugural season in a creditable third place, as well as reaching their first ever FA Cup Final, losing 3-0 to the first "Double" winners, Preston North End.

During May 1882, Burnley Rovers Football Club decided to shift their allegiance from rugby union to football. Playing in various 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 1883 the club moved to Turf Moor and remain there, only their Lancashire rivals Preston 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 (near Blackburn). When it was decided to found The Football League for the 1888-89 season, Burnley were among the 12 founders of that competition. Burnley, now known as 'The Turfites', 'Moorites' or 'The 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 Blackburn Rovers.

Before Burnley would win a trophy again, they would be 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's reputed collusion. Burnley were relegated again in 1899-00 and found themselves at the centre of a controversy when their goalkeeper, Jack Hillman attempted to bribe their opponents in the last match of the season (Nottingham Forest), resulting in his suspension for the whole of the following season. 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.

Burnley changed their colours from green to their now traditional claret and sky blue 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, won 1-0 in the last final played at Crystal Palace against Liverpool. This cup final was historic in that King George V became the first reigning monarch to present the cup to the winning captain. 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 Brom 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.

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.

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, 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. 1956-57 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 of the 1950s 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 1959-1960 managed by Potts (who now gives his name to the road which Turf Moor occupies). After a tense season in which Spurs and Wolves were the other main protagonists in the chase for the league title, Burnley clinched the championship at Maine Road, Manchester with a 2-1 victory on 2 May 1960 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. The following season Burnley played in European competition for the first time beating Reims and losing to Hamburger SV, lost in an FA Cup semi-final and finished fourth in the league and the highlights of the 1961-62 season were finishing second in the league and a run to The FA Cup Final, where a Jimmy Robson goal was Burnley's only reply to 3 from Spurs. 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 managers post which then went to Alf Ramsay. 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 3rd in 1966 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. 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 had several players with international caps in the 1950s-1960's including, for England Ray Pointer (3 caps), Colin MacDonald (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).

Burnley won the Second Division title in 1972-73 with Adamson still in charge. 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 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.

Three non-descript seasons in the Second Division followed before relegation to the Third Division 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. 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.

In May 1988, Burnley were back at Wembley; this time to play Wolves in the final of the Sherpa Van Trophy. 80,000 people packed Wembley to its capacity, unsurprisingly a record for a match between two teams from English football's fourth tier, as two great old clubs started to find an upturn in their fortunes. Wolves ran out convincing 2-0 winners. 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. However, relegation followed after just one season and in 1997-98 only last match 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 (now the Championship), where they remained until getting promoted to the Premiership via the play-offs at the end of the 2008-09 season. During the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons, Burnley emerged as serious contenders for a promotion play-off place in the Championship, however, by 2002-03 the side's form had declined despite a good FA Cup run, and started to concede goals at an alarming rate. This was repeated the following season and in June 2004, Ternent's six-year reign as manager came to an end and Steve Cotterill was appointed as manager of the club.

Steve Cotterill's first year in charge produced two notable cup runs, knocking out Premiership giants Liverpool and Aston Villa, and a 13th place finish in The Championship. Cotterill overhauled the squad with younger players and produced a notable improvement in the side's defensive record in 2004-05. Aston Villa's Gary Cahill - tipped by some as a future England star - was on loan at Turf Moor for most of the season.

The 2005-06 season started promisingly but in January 2006, Ade Akinbiyi was sold to Sheffield United and the season tailed off badly, Burnley ending in a 17th place. Cotterill made signings during the summer of 2006, including two acquisitions from Crewe Alexandra, Steve Jones and defender Stephen Foster - both on free transfers. He also signed Andy Gray permanently from Sunderland A.F.C. after having had him on loan since January 2006.

Burnley made a good start to the 2006-07 season and looked contenders to gain a top division place for the first time in some 30 years, but their form tailed away badly in mid-season leaving them threatened by relegation going into March 2007, partly due to an injury to leading goalscorer, Gray. Akinbiyi was re-signed less than 12 months after he left, for a fee of around £750,000, but was less prolific than in his previous spell. Mid-season also saw the loan signing of Eric Djemba-Djemba from Aston Villa and the signings of both Joey Guðjónsson from AZ Alkmaar for £150,000 plus add ons and Steven Caldwell who signed just 9 minutes before the transfer deadline. These changes were not enough to save Burnley from falling to 19th place by the middle of March, 3 points away from the relegation zone. The 2006-07 squad set an unenviable club record - the longest run in a season without a league win, with their 18th winless game (19 including a cup game) against Luton meaning they were one worse than the 17 league game streak of the 1889-1890 season. The winless streak was finally broken on 3 April, as Burnley beat Plymouth Argyle 4-0 at Turf Moor and a run of good form thereafter saw Burnley finish comfortably above the relegation places and ensure they would remain in the Championship for the 2007-08 season.

The arrival of a new director during the 2006-07 season, Brendan Flood, sparked hopes of a financial injection that would aid a push towards Premiership status and redevelopment of Burnley's stadium, Turf Moor.

For the 2007-08 season, Cotterill added a number of players with significant Championship or Premiership experience. These included Gabor Kiraly, Robbie Blake, Clarke Carlisle, Stephen Jordan, David Unsworth and Graham Alexander. Additionally, Jay Rodriguez signed his first professional contract coming through from Burnley's youth team and Besart Berisha was signed from Hamburger SV, having played and scored at Turf Moor for Albania against England B.

Burnley's form at the beginning of the season was inconsistent and, despite his having assembled a much-improved squad, the team's style was regarded as unattractive. Following a very poor performance at home against Hull City, it was announced on 8 November that Cotterill had left Turf Moor by mutual consent. His legacy was a more stable team and position in the Championship. Through his dealings in the transfer market, he had also made a significant financial contribution over his three years. However, he had been unable to provide either league success or attractive football.

Steve Davis was given the job of caretaker manager and in his first, and only, game Burnley beat Leicester City 1-0.

Owen Coyle was officially announced on 22 November 2007 as Burnley FC's new manager. His first game in charge was a goalless draw, in which Burnley wore their 125th anniversary kit against fellow Football League founder members Stoke City, on the 24 November. In the January transfer window, Coyle sold Andy Gray to Charlton Athletic for £1.5 million, rising to £2 million depending on appearances. In the same transfer window Stanislav Varga and Andy Cole (both from Sunderland A.F.C.), and Mark Randall (from Arsenal) arrived on loan until the end of the season.

Burnley's form during 2007-08 improved under Coyle's management and they achieved a total of 62 points; their largest points haul since the 2001/2002 season under Stan Ternent (75 points).

In advance of the 2008-09 season, Scunthorpe United striker Martin Paterson was signed for £1 million (rising to £1.3 million depending on appearances) on 23 June 2008; Coyle's first permanent signing as Burnley Manager. This was followed by Dundee midfielder Kevin McDonald, former Dundee United left-back Christian Kalvenes, and Peruvian goalkeeper Diego Penny after Penny's work permit was granted on 27 June. Coyle made his fourth signing; former Holland U21 international midfielder Remco van der Schaaf on a free transfer on 7 June followed by Manchester United winger Chris Eagles for £1.25 million.

Burnley's 2008-2009 season started with a 4-1 defeat away to Sheffield Wednesday and a 3-0 defeat at home to Ipswich Town, a match in which a Red Devil parachutist got caught in the stadium roof during a pre-kick off display. After two draws, a 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest was the first league win. However, their form improved thereafter through to the end of the 2008 and saw them end the calendar year in fifth position.

In the Carling Cup, Burnley beat Fulham in the third round before surprising Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as they reached the quarter-finals, winning 5-4 on penalties after the match finished 1-1 after 120 minutes. Burnley continued this cup run at Turf Moor by knocking out Arsenal 2-0 in the quarter-final and becoming the first lower league club to beat Arsenal since Arsene Wenger became their manager. In the two-legged semi-final, Burnley were two minutes away from a final against Manchester United before Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe scored a goal each to put Tottenham Hotspur through. Burnley lost five consecutive league matches over the Christmas and New Year period but ended this run with a win over Charlton. They also enjoyed a run in the FA Cup after replay wins over QPR and West Brom, facing Arsenal again in the 5th round, this time at the Emirates Stadium. The team's 2008-09 cup exploits ended in a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal on March 8, 2009.

Burnley secured fifth place in the league after a 4-0 victory in the season's final match against Bristol City on May 3. This was their highest league finish since relegation from the top division of English football in 1976.

They beat Reading 3-0 on aggregate in the two-legged play-off semi-final for promotion to the Premier League (Home 1-0; Away 2-0). This put them in the Championship's playoff final against Sheffield United - their first ever game at the new Wembley Stadium, which they went on to win 1-0 through a Wade Elliott goal and thus gained entry into the Premiership, a return to the top flight after 33 years.

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.

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.

On Monday 4 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 125th anniversary year of the club.

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 2008-09 home kit was claret with sky blue arms and a sky blue stripe under the right arm, while the away kit was mostly sky blue with a claret trim. The club have confirmed that for the 2009-10 season they will wear 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 for 2009-10, closely based on the previous crest which was first used by the Champions during the 1960 Summer Tour to North America.

Burnley have played their home games at Turf Moor since 1883. It now consists of 4 stands, the James Hargreaves Stand (The Longside), the Jimmy McIlroy Stand, the Bob Lord Stand and the David Fishwick Stand for away fans. The current capacity is 22,546, all seated. Post war crowds in the old stadium were in the 40,000 - 50000 range with the record attendance set in 1924 against Huddersfield in a FA Cup match with 54,755 attending the match.

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 U.K.

On promotion to the Premier League in 2009, it was estimated that approximately £1M of work would be required to bring the ground up to Premier League standards.

Due to the estimated £60 Million promotion to the Premier League will earn Burnley, they will go ahead with the plans drawn up in 2008 and will begin work in 2010.