Ayr United and Burnley have linked up with Cobh Ramblers, Portadown and Llandudno to form a UK-wide strategic partnership.
The teams from all corners of the UK will seek to learn from expertise in development and education from English Premier League side Burnley. In return, the Turf Moor club will get to widen its transfer network and have young players from the four partner clubs travel to them for assessment over potential transfer moves.
Ayr are working with Burnley and four other clubs in a new UK-wide strategic partnership. (Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Ayr United chairman David Smith said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity for our club and we are looking forward to the learning journey we have ahead through the Burnley Partnership. As a football club and a business we spend a lot of time bench-marking ourselves against our peers, pushing innovative ideas and generally keeping us moving in a positive direction.
“The chance to get close to a hugely successful club like Burnley is something we want to grab with both hands to learn what works and what doesn’t at their level and see what can work at ours.
“The positive pathways available to our young talent, the chance to enhance our own player resources, learning experiences for coaches, staff and all the other benefits around tournaments, friendlies and the community make this a fabulous opportunity. All the discussions with Burnley have been refreshingly aligned with our own Ayr United ethos.
“The Burnley brand represents everything we respect in football and look forward to an exciting partnership with them, Cobh Ramblers, Portadown and Llandudno over the coming seasons.”
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