Alan Pace opens up on how his faith influences his Burnley ownership

Alan Pace has admitted he uses prayer for guidance when making decisions as the owner of Burnley.

It’s already well known that the Clarets chairman, as well as others involved with ALK Capital, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormon.

But now, Pace has opened up on his fath in an appearance on the For All The Saints podcast, where he discusses the influence of his religion, the similarities and differences between church and football and the significance of prayer on his decision-making.

Here’s what he had to say:

Comparison between church and football

“We’re very lucky in the town we’re in, in Burnley, in that there is only one team, there is only one stadium, there is only one gathering if you will, so I can understand the comparison to church.

“I think from a community gathering place, it’s been great to watch that coming together of various ages, various backgrounds, various situations, all coming into one place. From a gathering perspective, it is very much correct in that it’s very much like a church of trying to bring people together.

“It’s not always with the same spiritual significance, I’ll give you that, but the community side has been really, really fun to watch and also really nice to watch.

“When I was first visiting Burnley before we even made the decision, I actually was a little surprised to see there was a church building right behind the stadium. I called my partners and said: ‘you’re never actually going to believe this, but there’s a ward building right behind the stadium’ and they were like: ‘huh, maybe that’s a sign’.

“We were still looking at various different things, so I can’t say if it was a sign or not a sign, but I did think it was very unique about how that kind of played out.

“What I’ve loved seeing is that gathering place. A few things have happened over the years that we’ve been involved where we have had a number of people, as we’ve invested more in the women’s side, as we’ve tried to use the stadium for other community gatherings. We even just had a YSA event at the stadium.

“We’ve tried to have youth conferences there every year we’ve been involved, just to get that community and spiritual side starting to interact more so.

“It’s been a fantastic experience so far and it’s great to watch and be a part of.”

Stewardship, not ownership

“It definitely has ties to gospel principles, but I’ll probably go a little but further back to being a boy scout in America.

“One of the things you’re taught when you go to the outdoors, if you’re camping and you’re in nature, leave it better than the way you found it.

“Don’t make a mess of it, make sure it’s better for the next person than the way you found it when you came to it.

“Growing up, I loved hiking, hiking, climbing mountains, that was a big thing for me since I was a kid. I loved that. I would say that has instilled, very much along with the gospel, this stewardship perspective that leave it better than the way you found it when you got there.

“That is very true how we feel about Spain, it’s very true how we feel about Burnley, it’s very true about the other things we’ll do related to sport, because I don’t think we will be done, there’s other stuff we will do.

“But it’s something that has been with me all of my life.”

Vocational, rather than hobby

“There are certain aspects of that I would absolutely say: ‘yes’. Being able to hold youth conferences and YSA events and trying to make people feel these are opportunities for them to come together communally and be involved.

“But I don’t think I’ve ever come at it as like, this is something that we were called to do. I probably look at it a little bit differently.

“I look at it and think there’s a unique set of opportunities that I’ve been blessed with and I need to share that with people.

“It’s no different than in our church, where we grow up with feelings of wanting to share the gospel as missionaries. You feel like you’ve been blessed with something, carry that forward.

“Switch it slightly, because I don’t think it’s necessarily the same responsibility as being a missionary, but do I feel like we’ve been blessed with an opportunity to be involved with some really amazing things in football? Absolutely.

“Do I feel like we have a responsibility to share that involvement with others? Absolutely. Do I feel like we have a responsibility to make it better? Yes I do.

“That combination of making it available to people as well as making it better than we found it, yes I’ll always feel that way.

“It’s a unique situation, opportunity or blessing in life, however you want to look at it, but I probably wouldn’t equate it to being called to do something.”

Family ties to Burnley

“My father’s been passed away for a number of years, over 20, so when this whole opportunity came around, this was not something I could talk to him about.

“But the reason I was even in England is because of him. He served his mission here when he was 19, he spoke very eloquently of England and all of the great things here and how he loved it here.

“When we first moved here, it was because he very much encouraged me that, if I had an opportunity, I should live in England for some time and see what it’s like.

“I grew up loving Yorkshire pudding and loving many things that are English based because of him and the time he spent here.

“Then when we got to Burnley, it was actually amazing because we got to meet people that knew him when he was a missionary. We had paths crossed with situations I would never have guessed.

“There were ties to the area that I’ve had to learn and kind of discover in some cases, whereas in other cases people have been kind enough to share. Those were things that were wonderful to learn about.

“But to say he pinpointed me to the Burnley area, probably not. But England? Absolutely.

“He served in and around Burnley, Manchester, right up until the Scottish borders.”

Mission to Burnley documentary

“When I first heard the title ‘Mission to Burnley’, I thought it was super cool from that perspective because it resonated very well.

“But when I thought about it, missions are always temporary. It’s a point in time, it’s a couple of years or two or three years, and so more about the journey rather than the permanency of.

“One of the things that struck me was like okay, this is a journey and this is part of my journey and bringing others onto the same journey. It’s very cool and again, it came from people outside of the church that came up with that title and asked us what we thought of it, and I love that when people get to know me or my partners or my family, they relate it back to the gospel.

“To come up with a title that resonates with both a gospel perspective as well as resonating in the world perspective, many people might not see the overlap but any of us that have served a mission go like: ‘that’s very cool, it’s part of my journey’.”

Separating faith from football

“No, that’s never been my perspective.

“There have been times where it’s hard to hang onto your faith, depending on what you’re dealing with or experiencing, but no, there’s never been a desire to separate the two.

“That’s why it’s pretty easy to share, because we share those things every day we work with and the people we’re around.

“One of the reasons why we’re in Burnley as part of my journey is to be close to the temple, there’s a temple 20 minutes away. Some of the clubs we looked at, it wouldn’t have been possible to go the temple every week like we do when we’re in Burnley.

“Those things, I would never want to separate them. In fact, I’m very excited for when there will be a temple in Barcelona, although they have some work to do.

“But everything that we look at, we think: ‘how can we make sure our faith is part of the same things that we’re doing every day from a work perspective, a leadership perspective?’, not to shy away from them, but integrate them better.”

Making decisions

“It’s hard to understand for people that sometimes, when we have to make decisions, we go and pray. Like a manager or big decisions we’re going to do.

“It’s hard to explain to people how that is an integral part of how our faith and business actually comes together, but it’s very true. It’s something that is really important.

“If I don’t feel like we can get confirmation we’re doing the right thing, then I tend to take more time and back away than not. But I need confirmation that we’re getting the inspiration we need to make the right choices and right decisions.

“In everything that happens, there’s not a major decision, I would even say a lot of minor decisions, that aren’t taken with lots of prayer.

“That’s really hard for people outside of our faith to understand, and I’m sure it’s hard for people inside of our faith to understand, but that’s why it’s never really been about separating the two. It’s more integration and more involvement.

“Some people would say it’s just meditation, pondering, thoughtfulness. I will say it’s speaking to our heavenly father and asking for his guidance and trying to find the best way to be guided and the help I’m constantly in need of.

“I couldn’t see any other way to make a decision than to involve him.”