PROMOTION to the Premier League is set to give Clarets fans a healthy dose of inspiration - both on and off the pitch – as part of a £90,000 initiative.

Elevation to football’s top flight has given Burnley FC access to a £70,000 share of the Premier League Health scheme, designed to improve the fitness of fans, especially men.

And now the club’s community arm has secured £20,000 in additional backing from Lancashire County Council to bring the project to Turf Moor.

Funding will be concen-trated on the club’s traditional areas of support in Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale and Hyndburn.

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, the county’s public health director, said in a report: “The funding will allow the county council and Burnley Football Club in the Community (BFCC) to ensure the delivery of an innovative health and wellbeing plan and enable a significant amount of ill health prevention funding to utilised in East Lancashire for use at a grassroots level.”

One study by Leeds Metropolitan University demonstrated that Premier League Health, which is worth £1.63million annually spread across the 16 participating clubs, helped three-quarters of the men involved to make positive changes.

This either involved reducing alcohol con-sumption, tackling obesity or improving levels of physical activity, all areas where the four boroughs need to make significant improvements.

Poor health, unhealthy lifestyles and behaviours and long term conditions all contribute toward economic inactivity, financial and social exclusion,” said Dr Karunanithi

“By improving the health and wellbeing of the most socially deprived of East Lancashire citizens, utilising BFCC as a delivery agent, the county council will directly contribute towards people’s ability to actively compete on the open labour market and, through activities that improve physical and mental health, support people to move closer to labour market activities.”

County councillor Azhar Ali, health and wellbeing cabinet member, who represents Nelson South, has approved the grant, subject to it being ‘called in’ by colleagues.