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'Telling us that Burnley is 'not normal' is the biggest compliment the town could receive /Burnley Brand Manager Rachel Bayley

Burnley isn’t normal.
By Rachel Bayley
Published 12th May 2023, 15:28 BST- 2 min read
Updated 12th May 2023, 15:28 BST

Usually when someone throws a dig at Burnley, we roll our eyes and continue our mission to prove that our borough is incredible in so many ways. But at Tuesday’s Burnley FC promotion parade, Vincent Kompany said that we weren’t ‘normal’ – and for once, we agree and took it as the

compliment that it is.

READ MORE: Burnley FC promotion party: Behind the scenes at the civic reception

Burnley Brand Manager Rachel Bayley (third from left) with Burnley FC manager Vincent Kompany and her colleagues Luke Pollard and Katie McGeeBurnley Brand Manager Rachel Bayley (third from left) with Burnley FC manager Vincent Kompany and her colleagues Luke Pollard and Katie McGee
Burnley Brand Manager Rachel Bayley (third from left) with Burnley FC manager Vincent Kompany and her colleagues Luke Pollard and Katie McGee
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If you happened to be in town on Tuesday, there was nothing normal about the electric atmosphere, the size of the crowds, the community engagement or the slick operation of the event from start to finish. You can see Vincent’s interview on the Burnley.co.uk YouTube channel.

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He told the adoring crowd below the town hall balcony: “I’ve been at a few clubs over the past 20 years, but there’s never been anything like this, never this many people, it’s not normal. Burnley is not normal.”

And we have to agree. Our drone shots show just how many people came out to support the Clarets. There is no other football club (in our very biased opinion) as well supported as Burnley. There is no place where people come together in the good and the bad times like here. And if that makes us ‘not normal,’ then we will grab that label with both hands.

Even people who don’t live here notice it. When we roped in Burnley Express editor John Deehan to interview JJ and Kealia Watt for us as we were a bit tied up, they both firmly answered that the best part of Burnley were the people. The USA sporting power couple are new minority investors in the club and it’s clear our people have made a big impact in such a short space of time. Other ways in which “we aren’t normal” is the fact we have such a huge array of incredible sectors here, all nestled amongst our stunning rural landscape. The fact we have the UK’s only canalside university campus. That we continue to push on even in the face of adversity. The fact that Burnley Together was the first hub in the country to be established during the pandemic shows the world that we don’t mess about when it comes to helping one another – we roll up our sleeves and get on with it.

Burnley Brand Manager Rachel Bayle with JJ and Kealia Watt, the American couple who have become minority investors in Burnley Football ClubBurnley Brand Manager Rachel Bayle with JJ and Kealia Watt, the American couple who have become minority investors in Burnley Football Club
Burnley Brand Manager Rachel Bayle with JJ and Kealia Watt, the American couple who have become minority investors in Burnley Football Club

And if all that makes us ‘not normal’, we welcome that description and might even start running with it on some of our Burnley Brand…

Related topics:BurnleyYouTubeUSA