BURNLEY are considering asking their fans to 'lend' the club £100 to raise a total of £750,000 for the redevelopment of their Gawthorpe training ground.

The Clarets are keen to upgrade their training facilities but don't have the spare cash to fund the project from club coffers.

However, copying an idea used by Schalke FC in Germany to build their new ground could bring in the necessary funds if fans give the idea their backing.

The German club raised £3 million by asking 30,000 supporters to give a £100 interest free loan.

Burnley are working on a figure of around 7,500 fans and if they could get that many supporters to commit £100, the total raised would "more than pay for the redevelopment of the Gawthorpe training ground."

In return, supporters would get their money back on a staggered basis -- most probably through annual reductions on season tickets -- as well having their name on a brick at the entrance to the Jimmy McIlroy Stand.

Clarets chief executive Andrew Watson said: "We read that the idea came from a German club but had never been done in England before and we just wondered if it was an idea for here.

"We are keen to develop Gawthorpe into top-class facilities for the players and for the young players coming through."

The club are keen to stress that the fund-raising scheme is just a possibility at this stage.

However, if after consultation with the supporters it appears to have their backing, then the board will look to pursue the project which would mean improvement to pitches, changing rooms and fitness facilities at the out-dated training ground.

Watson added: "The fans are right behind it (improving Gawthorpe) and it's been a big subject in the two years that the chairman and I have been here. It's been discussed at every 'meet the board' meeting we've had.

"But we didn't just want to say this is an idea that we are going to do. We just want to test the reaction of people and we've had some really positive feedback already, although not everyone might think it's a good idea.

"It seems a decent project and if the feedback is really positive we might look at doing it.

"It's a no-lose situation for supporters really. I know they would have to give £100 but that would probably go against a season ticket for the next 10 years."

Burnley have dramatically increased their turnover and cut their losses in recent seasons but are still facing a deficit this year as footballing costs continue to rise in the club's battle to climb up the Nationwide League.

Plans to develop the void in the Jimmy McIlroy Stand for corporate facilities have again had to go on the backburner.

But the club remains keen to improve Gawthorpe to help the first-team, the club's centre of excellence and possibly the recruitment of new players, and despite their good intentions the piecemeal fund-raising that supporters have done already will never raise the cash needed.

"It's just a matter of priorities," said Watson. "We are doing a balancing act.

"There are five or six projects we would like to do but always at the top of the agenda is football and we have to put as many resources as we can into that

"While Gawthorpe might not make any money, where completing the Jimmy McIlroy void would, it's very important because football is our main objective and we want the best facilities."