CONCERNS have been raised that the football college started at Turf Moor in Burnley five years ago is in the ‘death throes’ with more of its qualifications moving to campuses in Manchester and Wembley.

In what was dubbed a world first, UCFB Burnley launched the ‘university of football’ campus in 2011 providing degrees in football, sport and events industries.

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The £2million university was the brainchild of Clarets’ director Brendan Flood. At the time it launched bosses said they hoped to have capacity for 1,000 students.

Since then The University College of Football Business has opened a campus inside Wembley Stadium and at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in 2015.

The Burnley campus now works alongside the club’s charity Burnley FC in the Community and Nelson and Colne College to provide BTECs, apprenticeships and adult learning courses, but is no longer offering undergraduate degrees.

It is understood student accommodation provided at two hotels in the town are also standing empty while plans for new accommodation in the town centre did not materialise.

Cllr Gordon Birtwistle, who was Burnley MP when the university launched, said: “I think it is a shame.

“It was the first university of football and we got it in Burnley. It was flying.

“The club had rooms overlooking the pitch then they took on other premises.

“At one stage they were looking at a big building in the town centre for extra capacity then suddenly they were moving things to Wembley.

“We had the UTC, the football university and Burnley College. Burnley was becoming a place of learning and now we haven’t got the UTC and the football college. It is tragic really.

“It looks like it is in the death throes. They have a small faculty carrying on at Burnley but for how long we do not know.”

The university did reiterate its commitment to the town this week after announcing a renewed partnership with Burnley Council to offer three of the borough’s students a £3,000 scholarship to study at the Etihad Campus.

As part of the council’s drive to encourage residents to go on to further and higher education it will fund additional training and skills development, and provide ‘add on’ support to an existing course.

Mr Flood, who is also a chairman of UCFB, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to partner with the council to offer the chance for students from the town to study at our state-of-the-art Manchester campus.”

Council leader Mark Townsend said: “Burnley Council sees raising educational standards as an essential for our borough’s future prosperity. That applies from nursery school right up to college and university. The council supports UCFB’s move to offer financial support to local students who want to add some practical life skills to their studies.”