Yankie Doodle-Dandy for Clarets!

Burnley chairman Barry Kilby, Operational Director Brendan Flood and Development Director Paul Fletcher together with assistant manager Sandy Stewart are off to the USA this Wednesday(4th June) to try and build relationships with US teams that could benefit the Clarets with a view to developing young talent on both sides of the Atlantic.

They will visit over the four days of the trip three franchises as part of a strategic youth development programme:

Carolina RailHawks

Minnesota Thunder

Richmond Kickers

It is hoped that the Clarets can then go into a partnership with a club similar to that recently announced by Stoke City and their new American partner Austin Aztex.

That set-up will hopefully lead to summer training camps in the USA with a view to scouting for local talent and exchanging players between the two clubs

Brendan Flood talking about the proposal said:

'The American market is exploding and, from being the 10th most popular sport just a few short years ago, football is now the third most popular and played by young people right across such a huge country. In many ways, this means America is still very much an untapped market and, from our research, the youth organisations and facilities over there are extremely well run.We feel there is an exciting opportunity to tap into that pool of talent before other clubs and hopefully, through an affiliation with one partner, start to build a relationship that will ultimately benefit both clubs.That may even entail us ultimately taking a franchise on as a partner and that particular club being re-branded as 'The Clarets', even potentially adopting the famous claret and blue colours we all wear with pride.

Flood concluded by saying:

'The potential is huge and with football being very much a global television event in the modern era, hopefully any link-up could be commercially and strategically beneficial'

This all sounds very exciting stuff and well done to the club for looking at this opportunity. Let's hope it bears fruit