UPWARDLY mobile Burnley have launched The Clarets Foundation which they hope will raise £2 million and help establish the club in Division One.

The scheme was unveiled at Turf Moor last night by chairman Barry Kilby, manager Stan Ternent and captain Steve Davis.

The Foundation offers an exclusive membership for 2,500 Burnley fans at a cost of £104 a year.

In return, members will receive weekend membership of the Clarets gym, invitations to player-of-the-month nights and the chance to win a £500 cash prize each month and £10,000 once a year.

And it's hoped the scheme, which will start up in three months' time, will bring more than £2 million into the club's coffers in the next 10 years -- money which will go straight onto the pitch.

"This is not for the chairman or me but aimed to bring more quality players to Turf Moor and pay for the next Mitchell Thomas or Ian Cox," said general manager Andrew Watson.

"Eighteen months ago Burnley FC suffered a £1.8million loss. The cash injection from the chairman and board has meant we've achieved a lot in the last 18 months, from a bottom six place to a top six, and we went to put the finance in place so when we get in Division One we stay there."

Manager Ternent said the money will go on players who have "the ability and the will to win."

"To be able to play out there is not easy," said Ternent. "The fans are demanding, it is a big stadium, some players can play out there and some can't." However, Ternent was staying tight-lipped about the possibility of immediate promotion to the First Division.

"Ask me on Sunday morning," he laughed.

What has made it even more imperative to get into the next division this season or next is a television deal which Kilby says could mean a difference of around £2million to a Division One club.

Kilby attended a meeting of leading football figures yesterday and said: "The current figures are around £400,000 in Division Two and £800,000 to each club in Division One.

"When a new television deal comes in, in about 16 months time, Division One clubs could get six times as much as Division Two, so it is a real scramble to get into the next division as the chasm will be enormous."

He added: "Bolton launched such a scheme when they were in Division Four. It allowed them to put the foundations in place to become an established Division One club, bordering on the Premier League.

"And it put the foundations in place for two Rugby League giants, Leeds and Wigan. Leeds, having not won a trophy for 27 years, after launching this scheme started getting to semi-finals then finals and winning things.

"We need the financial muscle to punch us into the next division. All the money we make will go into the club, everything will go on the pitch to get us into Division One where we belong."

And Ternent has also seen a similar foundation scheme work when he was at Crystal Palace under the stewardship of Ron Noades, where the cash generated allowed them to buy a young player called Ian Wright.

"It was particulary beneficial to the club. The 'Lifeline' was really important at the time at Palace," he said.

The Clarets Foundation appeared to be well received by some 400 Burnley season-ticket holders who were invited to the top-secret launch in the James Hargreaves Stand last night, with many signing up there and then.

For more information on the Clarets Foundation call 01282 704700 or write to The Clarets Foundation, FREEPOST, Burnley FC, Turf Moor, Burnley BB10 4ZZ.