Clarets charity to get on the pitch mentoring young players and coaches in Mongolia

Burnley FC in the Community has entered into partnership with Inner Mongolia-based football club organisation, the Lan’ao Football Group.

The partnership will see Burnley FC in the Community support the Lan’ao Football Club on the ground in the city of Tongliao, Inner Mongolia.

Tongliao is in the People’s Republic of China and home to over three million people.

The Claret’s charity will deliver a wide range of grassroots and community-based football development activities across the city, primarily working with five to 15-year olds, delivering both in-school and extra-curricular football activities.

The coaching team will also mentor a team of Chinese coaches to support them with their continual professional development in order to improve grassroots coaching standards.

Starting next month the programme will see five full time Burnley FC in the Community coaches re-locating to Tongliao for an initial 12 months.

Both organisations are also working closely with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) who were the initial catalyst for bringing the partnership to fruition.

Neil Hart, Chief Executive Officer at Burnley FC in the Community said: “This is a hugely exciting development in our overseas delivery.

"Through this exciting partnership, we’re continuing to take the Burnley FC brand out into the wider world and support communities around the globe.

"Our local community delivery is as strong as it’s ever been, with a significant infrastructure in place to preserve and sustain our operations - this strength has now enabled us to spread our wings further afield.

“I’d like to extend my thanks to both the Lan’ao Football Group and UCLan for their collaborative work in helping get this partnership off the ground, we’ve been in discussions for the last 12 months so we now look forward to getting started and making a tangible difference to football development in the City of Tongliao over the next year and beyond.”

A delegation of dignitaries from the City of Tongliao including the Mayor and chairman of the Inner Mongolian Football Association will visit Burnley FC in early 2020 to undertake a football and cultural tour of the club and area.