I am guessing for many the reason is simple, you were brought up in Burnley or the surrounding areas of East Lancs?

My reason is slightly different, born and bred in Aberdeen and having no real affiliation to an English team it goes like this, i remember the Orient game hitting the National News in 87 and for a few years after followed the Clarets fortunes via various media sources right up until the promotion of 92, it turned out a few people i knew on the Building sites of Aberdeen around this time were Clarets! Fast forward a few years and my best mate at the time who was originally from Liverpool and a mad Everton fan asks me to go down to Liverpool for an Everton game so weekend on booze was planned! A quick look at the fixtures see that Burnley were at home to Boro on the Sunday, i begged his late Dad to take a detour to the Turf on the Sunday and that was it, we stood on the Bee Hole End 0-3 defeat to Bryan Robson's Boro and i knew Burnley were for me, there was something special about Turf! Fast forward over 24 years and i have attended over 50 Clarets games from Scotland and now have an ST in the JHU

Highlights

Stamford Bridge 2008
Wembley 09
Notts Forest 2014 3-1 going on 8-1
QPR game 2016 promotion, did not make Wigan in 14
Watford away 18 when the fighting spirit European tour became real
Scott Arfield! Have seen a good few of his goals at Turf

And the European tour which ended up with Burnley playing in my home town, utter madness!

UTC

Seeing Billy Hamilton banging goals in for fun.

Wow! That Middlesbrough game in ‘94/‘95 was truly awful. A truly abject performance from us and a Hat Trick from John Hendrie. If that was your first experience of watching Burnley and you came back, you must be a glutton for punishment!

I think it was just the whole Turf experience, always remember the Bouncers on the door at the Turf pub looking on in disbelief at my mates dad Everton rainjacket as we were going in, the Bee Hole End chanting "Elton Welsby your a ******" at the TV Box

I just wanted to play football and a mate of mine had heard about Junior Clarets, we first went in 1982 and I fell in love with the football club.

Dad was a Burnley fan. His entire family are Burnley fans and had roots in the Colne / Skipton area.

My first Burnley memory was the Orient game - my Dad was listening in our kitchen on the radio and he was so nervous at the end, he had his head in his hands, sat on the floor, praying for the full-time whistle (and for Lincoln to lose).

First game I attended was when Steve Bull and Andy Mutch bitchslapped us all over the park in 1988. 3-0 was a very generous score that day.

I got all sorts of crap from friends at school for supporting Burnley when they were all supporting Liverpool, Leeds or Bradford. Funny how things turn out.

I had very little choice really as my dad and uncle were avid Burnley fans.
Being born & bred in sight of the turf didn't help either.
68 FA Youth Cup final was the first time I attended the hallowed turf moor.

My dad was originally a Huddersfield fan, but having seen the light and moved to the Burnley area before I was born (born Burnley Bank Hall) he started watching the Clarets. In the late 60,s I was taken as a nipper by dad, then my uncle and cousin who had season tickets .........been a Claret ever since......

In the playground at primary school in 62/63, everyone was a Burnley or a Spurs fan. I knew Spurs were a London team and Burnley was only 18 miles from Skipton. However, it was some time later when I found out that Burnley wasn't in Yorkshire. Still, with a Yorkshire mother and a Lancs dad, it wasn't a problem and never has been since.

You could say I was a glory hunter as we were a truly top club in those days.

Pure glory hunter .all the kids in our village suppported
United or Everton(our closest top side)
Burnley had just won Div I and I watched the European games v Hamburg on my uncles b and w tv.That was that seen all the highs and the many lows since.
Just getting in the car for our 500 mile round trip to see another high v Fulham and a home win UTC

Born and brought up on Ormerod Rd just a short walk from the Turf and my dad started taking me 56-57. Before that, I used to stand in the front room window waiting for him to come home from the match. Always knew if Burnley had won or lost by the looks on the supporters' faces as they walked past our house. Not many cars in those days so most people were on foot.

As a football mad 80s young un, I had not much clue and so I had a glory hunting soft spot for Liverpool, kits too However my dad a claret (with no ties to the place itself) refused to take me to anywhere but turf moor. Like another above my first game was that 3-0 defeat in 88, at aged nearly 7, to wolves. From there I was hooked even though it took me nearly two more years to see us actually win. The whole experience of live football, the smells, the excitement, the atmosphere, spending time with my dad had drawn me in and looking back I wouldn’t change it for the world.

My dad took me in the longside when I was 10, a midweek match at home to Reading 3rd Novemer 1992. 1-1 it finished. It was an amazing experience, the sounds, the smell, (the language)!! Immediately addicted, and unable to quit 27 years later. (not that I would want to). Been all around the country and to Olympiacos supporting the Clarets, and other than the 5-0 at Ewood, have loved every minute. UTC

Some good tales there....

Mine? Born on Cog lane, grew up on Accy rd. Burnley lad so that was that.

Dad from Darwen, Mam from Bacup. Dad grew up in the era when folk went to turf moor one week, then deadwood the next. He just liked football, and never told me who his favourite team were. Took it to his grave...

bobinho wrote:Some good tales there....

Mine? Born on Cog lane, grew up on Accy rd. Burnley lad so that was that.

Dad from Darwen, Mam from Bacup. Dad grew up in the era when folk went to turf moor one week, then deadwood the next. He just liked football, and never told me who his favourite team were. Took it to his grave...

Like a twisted version of mine ...

Supported Blackburn til other year but they got relegated and it was cheaper to visit Turf Moor.

Longsider wrote:Seeing Billy Hamilton banging goals in for fun.

You mustn’t have gone to away games then.


Me - simple, my dad too me. I come from a long standing family of Clarets.

Quicknick wrote:In the playground at primary school in 62/63, everyone was a Burnley or a Spurs fan. I knew Spurs were a London team and Burnley was only 18 miles from Skipton. However, it was some time later when I found out that Burnley wasn't in Yorkshire. Still, with a Yorkshire mother and a Lancs dad, it wasn't a problem and never has been since.

You could say I was a glory hunter as we were a truly top club in those days.

I can really relate to this Quicknick, I too was in the playground at primary school in Skipton (Brougham St) must have been just before the Spurs/Bfc cup final in 62, when some "big" lads (they must have been 10 or so,I was 6) and they said Burnley or Spurs ? to which I replied hesitantly, Burnley, right answer, been a Burnley fan ever since!

Born and lived in Oswaldtwistle. Mum had a season ticket at Blackburn but dad supported Burnley. I first went to the Turf in August 1952 when we played Middlesbrough and lost 0-1. I used to go with my mum to Blackburn if dad couldn't take me to watch Burnley or Preston, to see Tom Finney.
Joined the RAF in 1966 and have never lived nearer than 100 miles from the Turf ever since. USed to send money back from Germany in the 1960s and 1970s for the Development Association --I conned loads of lads on the RAF station where I was !
Still have a season ticket but VAR is not what I want to see in the game so it looks as though this will be my last season travelling to the Turf and other places after 67 seasons.

My dad took me for my first game,a 0-2 defeat v Nottm Forest in Nov. 1958. Went on the bus from Haslingden. That was it really. Think we beat Man Utd. at Old Trafford the following week(I didn't go) but I went to the next home game,another defeat. It got better after that. A lot better!

1st went on Turf Moor in the late 60's a wide eyed 9 year old ... went on and off for the next 4 or 5 years...

Fell out with Football in the mid 70's when I discovered Motorbikes, Beer and Girls (not neccessarily in that order ) and hated the violence on the terraces and beyond...

In Feb 93 I was asked if I wanted to go to the Turf as there was a spare seat in the car ...

A Tuesday evening and we walked up the Longside steps past the fragrant Gents toilets and the Burger stall that wide eyed 9 yr old returned..... the Floodlights and singing and sticking it to PNE 2-0....

Less 3 weeks later I had ordered a season ticket and the rest as they say is .... history.

I was a little later to the Burnley table than most as both my parents weren't interested in football at all. It was the start of the 1987/88 season and my best mate asked if I fancied going to the Turf. I always liked football and would watch the live games on TV (which were about once a week if you were lucky back then!) but had never been linked to a particular club. I accepted the offer and, as a 14 year old, thought the Turf was absolutely amazing. The Longside just "got me" and, despite Colchester beating us 3 nil, I was hooked. I bought my first season ticket for the 89/90 season and have had one ever since. No surprise that my wife and two lads are also Burnley mad. We've spent many an hour sharing the ups and downs together over the years and we've loved (most of) it.

Still get the excitement in the stomach (like today) for going to watch the Clarets.

Became a Burnley fan at the age of 6 when I watched the Spurs Burnley cup final. My dad and two older brothers wanted Spurs to win so I had to be different. Have followed the clarets ever since, living in Hampshire, then Essex and now Cornwall. Joined the London supporters club and South West Clarets and got to as many games as I could. My 2 sons are ardent Claret fans and when they were living at home I used to drive up from Cornwall on a Saturday leaving at 6am and getting home in the early hours of Sunday morning. Had a season ticket for a couple of years and still get to see the team when I can, mostly in the London area where my sons are based. Have made some really good friends following the team and long may it continue!

Bosscat wrote:1st went on Turf Moor in the late 60's a wide eyed 9 year old ... went on and off for the next 4 or 5 years...

Fell out with Football in the mid 70's when I discovered Motorbikes, Beer and Girls (not neccessarily in that order ) and hated the violence on the terraces and beyond...

In Feb 93 I was asked if I wanted to go to the Turf as there was a spare seat in the car ...

A Tuesday evening and we walked up the Longside steps past the fragrant Gents toilets and the Burger stall that wide eyed 9 yr old returned..... the Floodlights and singing and sticking it to PNE 2-0....

Less 3 weeks later I had ordered a season ticket and the rest as they say is .... history.

I was drawn to the terraces at a young age by the "Exitement" and Rumble of the crowd on the Cricket Field End..... Not politically correct.....but I/we used to make a few quid picked up from the floor on the with the visits of Leeds...stoke...utd..and city! And beating Spurs 5..1 in 67/8 had me hooked on the Football.

Being a Yorkie, my old man was a Bradford PA fan. I was given the choice between them, Leeds or Huddersfield (he wouldn't even mention Bradford City). He could see the writing was on the wall for Park Avenue though.

I took him by surprise by saying 'Burnley' (I was 6 year old) but the rest is history.

Ashingtonclaret46 wrote:Born and lived in Oswaldtwistle. Mum had a season ticket at Blackburn but dad supported Burnley. I first went to the Turf in August 1952 when we played Middlesbrough and lost 0-1. I used to go with my mum to Blackburn if dad couldn't take me to watch Burnley or Preston, to see Tom Finney.
Joined the RAF in 1966 and have never lived nearer than 100 miles from the Turf ever since. USed to send money back from Germany in the 1960s and 1970s for the Development Association --I conned loads of lads on the RAF station where I was !
Still have a season ticket but VAR is not what I want to see in the game so it looks as though this will be my last season travelling to the Turf and other places after 67 seasons.

Last season watching the Clarets, I hope not Ashington, never mind VAR, keep the faith!

Oh. Forgot to add. It’s been an absolute priveledge, even when we weren’t too clever.
And these last few years have been the ride of a lifetime.

Dad told me you have been born a claret never forget that utc

It was a slightly less conventional route for me. I grew up in Germany and East Yorkshire as my dad was in the army. My dad is a Nottingham Forest fan and my mum isn’t bothered about football but if pushed will say she supports Rochdale.

My first ever football match was Bayer Leverkusen vs Liverpool in a friendly and I didn’t go to another game until 1997, when out of the blue my dad’s mate Phil turned up and asked if I fancied going with him to York to watch Burnley play. We were living in a place called Leconfield then so York was fairly close.

Burnley lost 3-1 and my next game was Rotherham away in the FA Cup, which was a 3-3 draw. My first visit to Turf Moor came in January 1998 and we beat Watford 2-0. By this point I was firmly a Burnley fan and got my first season ticket when my maternal uncle started taking me to games after my dad got out of the army and we moved to Rochdale.

If things were different I could have ended up a Forest, Liverpool or Manchester United (like everyone else at my school) fan!

I went once and it just snowballed from there really.

None of my immediate family followed football. My Dad would spend hours in the Plane Tree on match days rather than go on t'Turf

My uncles were Bolton and Man United fans and would take me to Burnden and Old Trafford but, being born in Burnley, it was a done deal.

I am so glad I followed my Claret bloodline

Went with my pals from Rosehill Junior School - Jimmy Mac lived just around the corner.

I needed a sports bag for a new school, my Mum went to the sports shop and instead of coming home with a bag with a Liverpool or Everton logo (the 2 big teams at the time), she came home with a Burnley bag because they were cheaper. So I was the only one in the new school with a Burnley bag. Job done - thanks Mum!

Mr. spades was a Burnley supporter, living in Wheatley Lane. I was a Spurs supporter, living in Cambridgeshire. We met at college in Derbyshire. When I went to visit his family for a few days in 1962 he took me to The Turf. I have no recollection of the opponents or the result but I do know that Burnley scored. It was during the goal celebrations that Mr. spades proposed to me.There was one condition - if I said 'Yes' I was also committing to be a Burnley supporter for life. It was even written into our marriage vows (in invisible ink, you understand). Here I am, some 57 years later, still passionate about Burnley - and about Mr. spades, of course!

Within a mile of Turf Moor, popped my head out at Bank Hall hospital, April 1964, looked at the nurses and banged out, "There once was an ale house I used to frequent..'

I did go on to move to London

But proud to be a son of Burnley proud to be a Claret forever.

We moved to Burnley when I was 8 from NI. My dad felt we should attend the Orient Game which was my first ever live game.
We got season tickets the next year and that was how it all began

UTC

There has only been one show in town , now can't recall when i saw my first game but did have a season ticket
when i was 7 . Love the Clarets i must say and it fills my with joy when i see other Irish Clarets on here also .

stanley went bust

There used to be big meet up at me Nans house, in Hassy, and the banter got me enthralled.
I first went on Mar ‘62 v West Ham after pestering for ages. For the next 7 years if my Dad was on I was on. Loved it all apart from them 80s years when I’d played with better players than we stripped up.

Because I didn't know the other kid had a double headed penny.

Dad had never been into any sports. When he died, Mum started taking my handicapped brother to the games. They both loved it!

Then cancer meant Mum had to have a leg amputated and so I started taking her in her wheelchair. Sister took my brother. I really enjoyed those days taking my Mum.

But 8 years later cancer reached her lungs and she died. To be honest, I don’t enjoy the games as much. Those years sitting in the corner (under the screen), getting soaked to the skin in the February rain, listening to her shout instructions to Trippier (her favourite player) are great memories.

LoveCurryPies wrote:Dad had never been into any sports. When he died, Mum started taking my handicapped brother to the games. They both loved it!

Then cancer meant Mum had to have a leg amputated and so I started taking her in her wheelchair. Sister took my brother. I really enjoyed those days taking my Mum.

But 8 years later cancer reached her lungs and she died. To be honest, I don’t enjoy the games as much. Those years sitting in the corner (under the screen), getting soaked to the skin in the February rain, listening to her shout instructions to Trippier (her favourite player) are great memories.

Hard to know what to say LCP , glad you are still there maybe one

I am from the south of England although born in New Zealand, when I was about 10 years old I went to Charlton versus Burnley and although We lost 2-0 I was very impressed with Leighton James and it started there not sure what year it was 1972?
Took a lot of stick being a Burnley fan ever since these days I live in Ireland I go once or twice a season to Turf Moor and with my accent a lot of people still think I’m from the away team. I love Burnley

Born in Bank Hall, lived near Rosegrove during my formative years, joined the forces and moved away. Married a Blackburn lass so I could ruin the life of one of them but that kind of backfired as she has ruined mine! I call it a score draw which is the nearest they’ve come to beating us in about 10 years. Supported BFC since my first game in 1968 and was even paid to work the Turf on match days in my teens.

Brought up in Barlick but, to my knowledge, none of my family had any interest in Burnley, football or indeed any other sport.

So just lucky, I guess.

No one in my family supported Burnley or attended matches, my Mother watched Fulham/Chelsea in 1960’s.

My Mother’s work colleague used to take me with his son to watch the reserves in the Bob Lord stand 93/94’ I was given a bag of 6 pound coins for entrance and something to eat. Don’t remember my first proper match but enjoyed the Longside and Bee Hole as a kid, running up and down the banking behind the stands.

Said work colleague got me my first away ticket aged 11, Stockport at Wembley...glory supporter! For the next 20 years I attempted to attend almost all home and away games, Saturday Club, Bertie Bee Away trips (think they were the names of clubs organised kids clubs?) and Colne Clarets - still did not attend with any family members. Met many friends who I regularly go on’t Turf with

Esso!

Back in the 70’s you get tokens, stickers or a even badges with your petrol. One year they had the 22 top players of the British Isles and the only three choices, if you were Welsh, were Toshak, Mike England or Leighton James.

The rest is history. First game was Hereford Utd away in 76. Been home and away over the years, the best being the Wigan promotion game its Barnes and Kightly, in a season when survival was the goal.

Now reduced to watching every game live from Australia! Tired this morning but worth the effort.

brexit wrote:stanley went bust

At least you went in the right direction.

Had no real choice. Dad supoorted burnley. Uncles on both sides supoorted burnley. And even my mum supported burnley despite being from wales but moving to what was then known as 'turf moor estate' in the 60s.

Then after moving aged 7 (already a veteran claret at this age) I couldnt play out, go to town, walk to school, go swimming etc etc without seeing or passing the turf.

Soccer schools at school and in the summer helped too. Pretty much like now I was permanently exposed to the club living where I did.

Cant imagine growing up in another town where the club isnt as important to the town as it is here.

Genuinely think that without BFC the town would be nothing. And without the town the club would be nothing.

Hope to god we never move from Turf Moor.

Have always loved the game and the passion of the supporters. Remember watching Millwall on the CBC on a tape flown across the Atlantic and shown on the Sunday. I think the final score was 6-2 for the home side at The Den. I was 4. With the advent of the original NASL, I watched the Toronto Metros religiously every Saturday night, with Graham Leggatt, on his last legs, leading the way. When the Toronto Metros became Toronto Metros-Croatia, I lost interest, but still needed a real club to follow. Put 92 names in a hat, drew out one, and became a life-long Clarets fan. Have never, ever considered changing my allegiance.

I grew up in the Channel Islands so had the luxury of picking whatever team I wanted. I started with United but as I got more into football around 10 or 11 I decided to go with the team that my dad supported and he took me to a couple of games (losses to West Brom at Turf Moor and Watford at Vicarage Road).

Now I live in Australia and I try to watch every game and recently went to the Arsenal game at the Emirates. Seems like when I attend the games, we lose so it's probably best I stay watching on TV lol.