Burnley Football Club has launched a pioneering scheme aimed at teaching the club's illustrious history to a new generation of supporter.

A host of schools from across East Lancashire, along with Football league Trust officials and other sporting organisations attended the launch, which will hopefully be integrated into the curriculum of Year 5/6 pupils.

Burnley FC chairman Barry Kilby welcomed invited guests and said he hoped the scheme would be a useful and creative tool in schools, that would hopefully benefit the club long term by attracting the next generation of fans.

The Local History Scheme of Work for Primary Schools is the brainchild of lifelong Burnley fan Brian Heywood, who qualified with B.Ed (Honours) in Physical Education and English from the Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education in Leeds before embarking on a teaching career of 18 years in both junior and middle schools across England.

Club Chairman Barry Kilby and scheme author Brian Heywood flank Padiham St Leonard's Primary School pupils Matthew Hale and Abbie Ormerod

The scheme, unique in concept and the first of its kind to facilitate classroom teaching of local history through the history and heritage of a professional sports club, is now under consideration by the Football League Trust to be rolled out to other Football League clubs.

It provides a fully resourced and structured sequence of lessons and has a cross-curricular skills-base, is fully resourced and referenced to the National Curriculum and Primary Framework, and requires no specialist football knowledge from the teacher.

The launch ended with a report on a trial of the scheme, undertaken by Padiham St Leonard's Primary School, who have been delighted and encouraged by their pupils' enthusiastic approach to learning about the club.

All Primary Schools throughout East Lancashire are welcome to a free resource disc from the club and anyone who did not attend the launch will receive one shortly.

For more information, please contact Burnley Football Club PR & Communications Manager Darren Bentley on 01282 704701.