‘PASSIONATE’ Clarets fans from Uganda are aiming to set up their own supporters club.

Footballers from across the country’s northern towns and cities have become ‘Clarets mad’ after seeing Burnley in the Premier League.

Seeds for Development, a charity working with poor farming communities in the African country, is helping set up the official club.

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The region has suffered from several conflicts which led to a rise in poverty and left many people vulnerable.

Alison Hall, founder of the charity, said the love for the side developed over a period of years.

She said: “We have had shirt donations through various community projects and we have had volunteers from Burnley go out there.

“The football has such an impact on their lives.

“We have a team from a village called Koro made up of very young mothers who were kidnapped and raped and left to raise a child.

“But through the work over the years the girls managed to form a team and play regularly in Burnley shirts.

“They’ve become really good and they played a team from Sweden and beat them, it was a great occasion for them.

“It goes beyond football. They are respected by the men in their villages because they play football.

“We brought people over from Uganda a few years ago to visit the club and Burnley were fantastic.

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“It’s great there are passionate fans from the big towns of Gulu, Kitgum and smaller villages from Parabongo.”

If a team is established, it will be recognised as an official supporters team by Burnley FC, which has several supporters clubs all over the world.

They range from ‘Cape Town Clarets’ in South Africa, ‘Benalmadena Clarets’ in Spain, ‘Clarets in Thailand’ to the ‘North American Clarets’.

A Burnley FC spokesman said: “We welcome friends and groups from all over the world.

“We have done a lot of community work over there in Uganda and this has helped a lot of people become aware of us.

“It shows our good work is spreading fast.”

And when the Clarets kick off in the FA Cup fourth round against Bristol City on Saturday the chant ‘Tunakupenda Burnley sisi kufanya’ will be heard around the area...or in other words, ‘We love you Burnley, we do’.

“The group should go on our website to find out how to set up a club.”

Ms Hall added: “It would be fantastic to set up a team, there’s so many fans over there now it’s great.

“I’ve had several texts about the recent match against Arsenal and how they should have drawn.”