Change of sponsor for Leeds United game in aid of Burnley FC in the Community

The gesture of solidarity comes as part of the upcoming ‘Community Day’ – an annual celebration of Burnley FC’s official charity that will take place at the game this Saturday.

As the sponsor of the event, Oak Furniture Land, the UK’s largest retailer of solid wood furniture, have put their name to the day’s activities, to both raise awareness and generate vital funds to support the work of Burnley FC in the Community.

This one-off logo swap will see Burnley’s first team players sporting Burnley FC in the Community’s branding on their shirts at one of the most highly publicised games of the season.

With the Championship promotion battle in full throttle and a high attendance anticipated, the fixture will also be televised live on Sky Sports.

Jason Bannister, the founder and owner of Oak Furniture Land explained: “Burnley FC is the club I have supported since being a small boy and the town where I grew up.

“The same as most Burnley fans I am proud to be a product of this great community club and I am grateful to offer a small gesture to the community that has given me so much over the years”.

Burnley FC in the Community was founded as a registered charity in February 2014 and in the space of two short years, has experienced significant growth.

Now employing 30 local people, the charity delivers over 30 life-changing projects that aim to improve the lives of people living in the communities surrounding Turf Moor.

Delivering work across the key areas of sport, education, health and social inclusion, the charity engaged with 35,000 people in 2015 alone.

Jason added: “As someone who has reason to spend time in lots of other towns across the UK, I can honestly say that this town is unique with its passion for the football club!

“It never ceases to amaze me how the club is the common denominator between people of all ages and backgrounds.

“Wherever I go in the world I bump into our mad keen supporters and I firmly believe this unconditional love for Burnley FC is more than just football, its engrained in the DNA of the locals more so than any place I know.

“Burnley FC in the Community are working incredibly hard to further improve on this amazing and unique link between club and community and I could not think of an organisation I would rather work with.”

“The more the fans get involved with Burnley FC in the Community the better it is for the club and town as a whole.

“I believe the club is vital to the community and the community is equally vital to the club.

“I know everyone in the town will get behind at this important and exciting time.

“Just as importantly, I hope the fans will get behind Burnley FC in the Community with the same amount of passion as the they do the team this Saturday and for a long time afterwards”.

Neil Hart, CEO of Burnley FC in the Community said: “The support that Jason and the team at Oak Furniture Land have shown to our Community Day efforts is truly extraordinary.

“We’re working hard every day to make real, positive changes to people’s lives in our region and for Oak Furniture Land to offer this unprecedented platform to showcase our work is almost unheard of from a football club’s main sponsor.

“With this gesture, Jason – a born and bred Claret himself - has really demonstrated the value he places on community and his belief, which mirrors ours, that it is the very heartbeat of our club.”

Community Day will be celebrated at the Burnley FC v Leeds United FC fixture on April 9th. If you would like to make a donation to support the work of Burnley FC in the Community, text ‘BFCC16 £1’ to 70070.

To find out more about Burnley FC in the Community, visit www.burnleyfccommunity.org