THE PREMIER PLAN
Building a Better Burnley
Working With The Prince's Charities

A bold 'Premier Plan' to breathe new life into Burnley by building the country's first Football University is today unveiled.

Burnley Football Club, along with several partners, including Burnley Borough Council - have drawn up ground breaking proposals, which could draw students from across the world to Turf Moor, provide a welcome boost for the town's struggling local economy and, for the first time in over 30 years, provide a direct rail link between Burnley and Manchester.

Turf Moor lies at the heart of this grand scheme, which is indicative at this stage and represents a five-year visionary masterplan requiring the co-operation of the principle stakeholders in the town.

These plans include the country's first 'StadiArena' stand - a dual facility to house exhibitions, rock concerts and conferences 365-days a year, in tandem with matchday use.

StadiArena: The concept

A brand new venture - a Football University linked directly to the Premier League club at Turf Moor - could now also be built, with the run-down area known as Weaver's Triangle identified as a possible location for supplementary new student accommodation.

HRH Prince of Wales, who visited the town on Friday, February 5, 2010, has long been keen to inject new life into the historically important Weaver's Triangle, which has become a graveyard for industry following the closure of mills in the town.

And during a special visit to Turf Moor, he was first to witness the exciting multi-million-pound proposals, which include:

• Building the country's first 'Football University' at Turf Moor on the current site of Burnley Cricket Club
• Erecting a new stand at Turf Moor to replace the ageing David Fishwick (Cricket Field) Stand
• Re-locating Burnley Cricket Club to a superb new location on the former Towneley Park School in Towneley Park
• Redeveloping Weaver's Triangle by building high-quality student accommodation and new entertainment complex
• Upgrading the Leeds/Liverpool Canal and Yorkshire Street; the gateway to the new University
• Re-opening the 'Todmorden Curve', linking Burnley directly to Manchester via a dedicated rail link

The ambitious plans would be a collaboration between many partners, including Burnley Football Club, Burnley Borough Council, The Prince's Charities and Burnley Cricket Club, while funding for the multi-million-pound scheme would be raised through debt funding, private equity and grant funding.
Burnley FC Chief Executive Mr Paul Fletcher MBE, who will be leading the project on behalf of the football club, said: "On the basis of one idea involving the building of a new stand at the football club, this could become a much bigger idea, shared by all parties.
"If you dare to dream, dream big and this is not just about Burnley Football Club, this is about the whole town of Burnley and potentially leaving a massive legacy brought on by promotion to the Premier League.
"The name of Burnley is now right around the world because of our standing in the biggest league in world football. Our games are beamed around the world and they all now know where we are. The trick now is getting people here.
"The University would do that and allow students from across the world to learn about every facet of the business side of the biggest sports industry in the world.
"Students would naturally need accommodation and that could bring in the Weaver's Triangle. That would breath new life into the area and, with a new dedicated rail link, we could once again form a connection with nearby Manchester, opening up commuting opportunities for all townsfolk.
"Burnley Cricket Club is another important partner and the plans, which we have discussed with them, offer the chance to become self-sufficient at a brand new, state-of-the art facility.
"This really is a win-win situation for everyone and we are very excited at what the future might hold.
"The Prince hasn't seen these plans yet. But we know he wants closure on Weaver's Triangle and both the football club, the cricket club and the local authority, who have worked in tandem on these plans, think this is a good solution.
"We can't just run off doing our own little thing. But if we can pull together as a town we believe this could be a blueprint for a new Burnley.
"Some of these ideas have been talked about for 20 years. It's now time for action."

The five point plan, with pdf downloads of each proposal, is outlined below:

1. England's First Football Study Centre & New 'StadiArena' Stand

pdf: University Proposal 2010

pdf: StadiArena Proposal 2010

Plans for England's first Football University are being investigated by club chiefs.
Burnley's promotion to the Premier League has put the club on the world map and opened up unforeseen avenues of opportunity.
And the club hopes to build on these foundations with an ambitious scheme that would attract students from across the globe to a brand-new reputable seat of learning, dedicated to the workings of professional football clubs.
Courses at the new university would be based on the everyday running of a club, including commercial activities, catering and stadium design.
Burnley FC Chief Executive Mr Paul Fletcher MBE revealed the university was the brainchild of club operational director Mr Brendan Flood, who has undertaken over 50 major development projects during the past 20 years.
Mr Fletcher said: "Brendan has always had this vision to introduce a football university, which we all think is a fantastic idea.
"If we could build on the rest of the Turf Moor footprint a University of Football, we would attract young, enthusiastic students from all over the world.
"We have done research on this and we are convinced it would work. We still have more to do, like speaking to existing universities and the new campus that has recently opened, but we think it is a great idea and one worth pursuing."
The university would be cited on the current footprint of Burnley Cricket Club - adjacent to Turf Moor - and would see the cricket club relocated to a new state-of-the-art facility nearby in picturesque Towneley Park.
And Fletcher believes this will be a unique facility, offering unique studies.
He said: "This is not a seat of learning to become a footballer and learn about the beautiful game and its many intriguing nuances.
"It is a university to study every facet of the business side of the biggest sports industry in the world.
"The Premier League is a billion pound industry, but the game is much bigger than one league, so this university would allow students to learn everything about sponsorship, commercial activities, television and the media, stadium design and management, alongside such unique ancillaries such as exhibitions, pitch technology and the catering side of football, which is a multi-million pound business in itself.
"The courses would cover just about everything that is nothing to do with kicking a ball!
"I am always being asked 'how does my son become a commercial manager, a sponsorship executive or a stadium manager'.
"This would hopefully answer those questions and many more."

2. New Home For Burnley Cricket Club

pdf: Cricket Club Proposal

As part of the Premier Plan, Burnley Cricket Club could 'up stumps' and move across town to a brand new stadium in Towneley Park.
The historic Lancashire League club has played at its Turf Moor home for over 100 years. However, a dramatic decline in crowds in recent decades has hit most amateur clubs hard.
And following discussions with Cricket Club chairman Mr John Stubbs, it is hoped the proposed move to state-of-the-art facilities in Towneley Park - an integral part of the Premier Plan to rejuvenate the entire town - will help to revive the club in tough times.
Burnley FC Chief Executive Mr Paul Fletcher MBE said: "The football club started out with a scheme a few years ago to develop the Cricket Field Stand.
"The deeper we got into it, the more we realised the significant implications to others. "We realised it would compromise the new stand if we could not use some of the land owned by Burnley Cricket Club.
"That obviously impacts on them, so it was not an easy decision.
"We have yet to explore the Towneley Park option in full detail as we would have to speak to all partners involved, but it could be the perfect solution: new facilities for the Cricket Club whilst allowing for the expansion of Turf Moor to benefit the entire town.
"The Cricket Club has a rich association with Turf Moor, stemming back 100 years, so decisions about relocation do not come lightly, but being a Premier League club means we have a commitment to the town, not just the supporters.
"There is still more work to do on this, but as there is plenty of green field space, a golf course and a dedicated driveway right to the club's doors, we think it is an idea worth serious thought and effort."
"To have cricket in there would be an ideal haven and that seems to be the way everyone sees it.
"By building these facilities it allows the Cricket Club to be self sufficient - and we would ensure they would be."

3. Weaver's Triangle

pdf: Weaver's Triangle Proposal 2010

The historic Weaver's Triangle would become a vibrant entertainment hub if the Premier Plan to revive Burnley takes shape.
Bars, restaurants and fashionable student accommodation could provide a new lease of life for an almost forgotten area of Burnley that HRH Prince Charles has taken a special interest in reviving over recent years.
Students would be housed near to the mooted Football University, planned for Turf Moor. And with achievable plans to redevelop the Leeds to Liverpool canal and form a conduit between the two historic locations, Plan chiefs are confident these proposals would provide a legacy for future generations.
Burnley FC Chief Executive, Mr Paul Fletcher MBE, said: "The University of Football at Turf Moor is already a splendid idea and it becomes a great idea once it is linked to student accommodation.
"We would have to house all the students that come to Burnley and the Weaver's Triangle is perfectly placed, between the existing college and the new university at Turf Moor.
"This bold plan would totally rejuvenate a run down area of town and it could even become a mixture of a retail haven, with restaurants, bars, entertainment, and new, high quality accommodation for the town's student population."
The plans were seen by HRH Prince Charles during a special visit to Turf Moor on Friday, February 5. The Prince has long taken a special interest in the Weaver's Triangle, which was once at the heart of Burnley's textile industry. Key to preserving Burnley's industrial heritage, many buildings from the days when the town led the world in the production of cotton cloth have fallen into disrepair, but it remains one of the best examples of surviving Victorian industrial landscapes in the country.

4. Canal Upgrade as Pedestrian/Student Link

The Straight Mile, regarded as one of the 'seven wonders' of the British Waterway System, would form a vital link for an expected influx of students under new town proposals.
The stretch of canal, including the embankment and aqueduct, could help students from a 'new' Weaver's Triangle area to travel safely to the proposed Football University at Turf Moor.
Access routes at both ends of the journey would tie in the 200-year-old Leeds to Liverpool canal to the multi-million-pound Premier Plan to rejuvenate the town.
Burnley Football Club Chief Executive, Mr Paul Fletcher MBE, explained: "The canal already provides a perfect conduit between the Weaver's Triangle and the new Football University and the football club itself.
"I remember this from my schoolboy studies of the Industrial Revolution, and the straight mile, which runs towards and beyond Yorkshire Street, would be a perfect way of linking the students to Turf Moor and Burnley."
Plans for the upgrade of the canal are linked into the bigger ambitions of building a University at the football club, student accommodation at Weaver's Triangle - and an improvement to the rail network linking Burnley to Manchester.
Yorkshire Street, which would then form the final part of the trip to Turf Moor, could also benefit from a facelift as an impressive new gateway to the University and football club.

5. Burnley/Manchester Rail Link

A bold bid to halve train travel time to Manchester from 80 minutes to 40 minutes is being investigated by rail and council chiefs.
Network Rail has already carried out in-depth studies into reopening the 'Todmorden Curve', a 450-metre stretch of disused track which could create a direct route between Burnley's Manchester Road station and Manchester Victoria for the first time since the 1960's, with the cost estimated to be around £5m.
It is also estimated that reinstating the track will bring £8.4 million per year to Burnley's economy by 2018 and open access to higher paid employment in the super-economy of the north, Manchester.
Burnley FC Chief Executive, Mr Paul Fletcher MBE, said: "Reinstating the Todmorden Curve is very much the icing on the cake of all the plans to redevelop the town. It represents both good business sense and good common sense and is a must for the continued economic growth of our town.
"At present, only 3% of people in Burnley commute to higher paid jobs in Manchester, yet it is just 21 miles away.
"The reinstatement of a track around the same length as once around a football pitch will halve travel time and benefit some 180,000 people, including those in a re-built Weaver's Triangle, whilst offering our fantastic countryside to the people of Manchester too.
"Suddenly, this small town of ours would be right back on the national rail map and that has to be wonderful news for everyone."

In Summary: The Future Starts Here!

Burnley FC bosses, who plan to complete the redevelopment of Turf Moor by building the country's first StadiArena stand, say they are determined to help make the vision of Burnley's 'Premier Plan' a reality.
The plans outlined above have developed from many months of meetings between club chiefs, civic leaders and Cricket Club bosses.
And Clarets Chief Executive Mr Paul Fletcher MBE believes having the Royal seal of approval could now be the catalyst to get the grand proposals off the ground.
He said: "In a perfect world you would like this to happen tomorrow.
"But reality says this is at least a two-to-three year project, starting when HRH the Prince of Wales visited on Friday.
"We know that for 20 years he has been trying to get some redevelopment of the Weaver's Triangle. It's been a passion for him and suddenly we all feel we have a viable answer to the problem.
"This may well be an answer to Burnley's falling population - and naturally the Prince is extremely interested in it."

Mr Fletcher concluded: "As a town we all have to pull together to see if it can happen, because this is a win-win situation.
"The Cricket Club gets a brand new ground and the opportunity to be a profitable club in a beautiful location.
"The football club gets a new stand that isn't compromised, and can be used seven days a week.
"The town wins because it gets a new university and the impact of that is massive, and finally the Weaver's Triangle is redeveloped."