[a] From the 1950s until the 1970s, under chairman Bob Lord, Burnley became renowned for their youth policy and scouting system, and were one of the first to set up a purpose-built training ground.

[5] In 1884, Burnley led a group of 35 other clubs in the formation of the breakaway British Football Association (BFA) to challenge the FA's supremacy.

[7] In the second match, William Tait became the first player in history to score a league hat-trick, when his three goals gave Burnley their inaugural win in the competition.

[10] Burnley were relegated again in 1899–1900 and found themselves at the centre of controversy when their goalkeeper, Jack Hillman, attempted to bribe opponents Nottingham Forest in the last match of the season.

Tommy Boyle became the first captain to receive the trophy from a reigning monarch, King George V.[17] The team finished second to West Bromwich Albion in 1919–20,[18] before winning their first ever First Division championship in 1920–21.

[13] In the first season of post-war League football, Burnley gained promotion and reached the 1947 FA Cup final but were defeated by Charlton Athletic after extra time.

[23][24] Burnley were one of the first to set up a purpose-built training ground, at Gawthorpe,[22][25] and they became renowned for their youth policy and scouting system, which yielded many young talents.

[31] The team finished the 1961–62 First Division as runners-up to newcomers Ipswich Town after winning only one of the last ten matches, and had a run to the 1962 FA Cup final but lost against Tottenham Hotspur.

[36] Burnley won the Second Division title in 1972–73, and were invited to play in the 1973 FA Charity Shield,[g] where they emerged as winners against Manchester City.

[38] In 1975, the team were victims of one of the great FA Cup shocks of all time when Wimbledon, then in the Southern League, won 1–0 at Turf Moor.

[40] During this period, a drop in home attendances combined with an enlarged debt forced Burnley to sell star players such as Martin Dobson and Leighton James, which caused a rapid decline.

He was criticised by the fans for signing expensive players increasing Burnley's debt, and for selling the young talents Lee Dixon, Brian Laws and Trevor Steven.

[53] Burnley also reached the semi-final of the League Cup for the first time in over 25 years but were beaten on aggregate by Tottenham in the last minutes of the second leg.

[59] In his first full season in charge, Dyche guided Burnley back to the Premier League in 2013–14 on a tight budget and with a small squad.

In 1910, Burnley changed their colours to claret and blue, which they have had for most of their history, save for a spell in white shirts during the second half of the 1930s and the Second World War.

[76] The adoption of the claret and blue combination paid homage to Football League champions Aston Villa, who wore those colours.

[77] Prince Albert Victor had watched the team play against Bolton Wanderers at Turf Moor in October 1886—the first visit to a professional football ground by a member of the royal family.

[4] To commemorate the visit, the club received a set of white jerseys featured with a blue sash and embellished with the royal coat of arms.

[77][81] In 2023, Burnley coloured the elements in white and placed them on a claret shield;[82] from the 2024–25 season, the crest appeared on the club's home kits.

[84] During the mid-1990s, the ground underwent further refurbishment when the Longside and Bee Hole End terraces were replaced by all-seater stands as a result of the Taylor Report.

[96] The club is one of the best supported sides in English football per capita,[97] with average attendances of around 21,000 in the Premier League in a town of approximately 78,000 inhabitants.

The East Lancashire Regiment soldiers acquired a taste for the drink while stationed at the birthplace of the beverage in Fécamp, Normandy, during the war.

In excess of 30 bottles are sold at each home game, which makes the club one of the world's biggest sellers of Bénédictine; Turf Moor is the only British football ground to sell it.

[116][117] Burnley's main rivals are Blackburn Rovers, with whom they contest the East Lancashire derby, named after the region both clubs hail from.

[118] The two clubs are separated by only 14 miles (23 km) and besides the geographical proximity,[119] they also have a long-standing history of rivalry; the earliest competitive clash was a Football League match in 1888.

Source:[126] Burnley-born Harry Bradshaw was Burnley's first manager—he was appointed in August 1894—and was the first to win a league title with the club, taking them to the top of the Second Division at the end of the 1897–98 season.

[132] Source:[133] The following have been chairman of the club's board of directors:[134] Burnley were the second, and are one of only five teams to have won all four professional divisions of English football, along with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Preston North End, Sheffield United and Portsmouth.

[47][48] The club's honours include the following:[9][137] League Cup Regional The record for the most first team appearances in all competitions for Burnley is held by goalkeeper Jerry Dawson, who played 569 games between 1907 and 1929.

[151] The youngest player to play for the club is Tommy Lawton, who was aged 16 years and 174 days on his debut against Doncaster Rovers in the Second Division on 28 March 1936.

[153] The oldest player is Len Smelt, who played his last match aged 41 years and 132 days against Arsenal in the First Division on 18 April 1925.