Neil Hart appointed new Head of Community at Burnley FC

Burnley Football Club is delighted to announce Neil Hart as the new Head of Community.
Neil HartNeil Hart
Neil Hart

Neil arrives after spending eight years in a similar role at Watford, where he was instrumental in making their scheme one of the most successful in the country.

And after carrying out an immediate re-branding of our scheme, which will now be known as ‘Burnley FC in the Community’, he intends to hit the ground running!

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Neil said: “I have worked in football the whole of my life on the community side, so I am really passionate about working for a football club and, more importantly, I’m really passionate about community work.

“I have proven track record of developing community work, having come from Watford who have real strong reputation for their commitment to the community.

“The department here does need rebuilding and I think what is important is that we get out there and start talking to talking to partners and schools right away”

“We are here, we have a plan and we want to have a positive impact in Burnley and the surrounding areas, so come join us on this journey.

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“Like anything it will take time, but firstly we need to be set up as a charity as this is really important for us so we can operate in the right way.

“There is a lot of work to be done, we are at the very beginning, but I am aware that it does need a lift and hopefully I can do that!”

Neil, who originally hails from Rochdale, added: “I wanted to come back to the north and I was looking for a new challenge and I think this is it.

“Burnley is a great club with a great tradition which is crying out for a vibrant community programme and to really take the football club out to schools and community organisations, colleges, universities and into areas of deprivation and communities of need.

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“Working with all partners across the town really appeals to me and this is a really traditional club close to the town centre. That makes it a real town club and I got that straight away – working in partnership with a wide range of partners from the public, private and voluntary sectors will be crucial to our success.”

And Neil insists the Clarets squad will have an important part to play as ambassadors for the new Community scheme.

He said: “I know Sean Dyche from my time at Watford and I think he and the players have a crucial role to play in this.

“We, as a club, have a real duty to get out there and do our bit for the community and I know Sean will be 100% behind that because he was brilliant at Watford on the community side.

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“I am ready for all the challenges and really open to see anybody, anytime, anywhere in the town who wants to talk to us about community work and working with us because for me, we are all about partnerships.­”

Neil can be contacted at [email protected] or through the main telephone number at 0871 1221 1914 (option 0).