Clarets seeking new investment

Clarets seeking new investment

Published May. 15, 2010 8:41 a.m. ET

The Clarets reached the top flight for the first time in 33 years when they won the Championship play-off final in 2009, but were relegated after just a single season. If the club were to go up again, chief executive Paul Fletcher believes they would need to spend between £20million to £30m to stay up. While chairman Barry Kilby and operational director Brendan Flood have spent millions on the club over the years, the Clarets would also welcome more investment to achieve their aim - as long as it is local. Fletcher told the Lancashire Telegraph: "Maybe someone will come along who will put massive investment in to the club, without wanting to make a great profit out of the business. "Every club is looking for that person. But I wouldn't want a faceless owner, or a vanity owner - like a Roman Abramovich-type character at Chelsea. Would I want an outsider sat in an office on the other side of the world making decisions about my club? No. "I understand supporters would say that's the wrong way to look at it. Yes, it could be fine for the next year or so, but if they vanish the club goes with them. "What I would like for Burnley is for men or women whose mum or dad took them to Turf Moor when they were kids, got hooked on football, went into business and made millions and are now looking to invest in their team. "Barry Kilby's father brought him to the games as a child and he got hooked. He invested his hard-earned money into what he calls 'his club'. "If there's a local businessman, or woman, out there who is in a similar mould then we would be prepared to listen to them." Fletcher added the club have been on the look-out for the last five to 10 years for such an investor. He added: "What's coming to the forefront now are the different types of investors in football. "The principle of Burnley owners is that they are all fans of the club and have been for many years. You tend to make different decisions if you are that type of person. "Like Barry, Brendan Flood has put his hard-earned money in. "They make the decisions, and the way I see it they've made good decisions on behalf of the club."

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