LANDMARK buildings in the centre of Burnley look set to be transformed into halls of residence for the world’s first football university.

Clarets bosses say they are in advanced talks with the owners of the Sparrowhawk Hotel, Keirby Hotel and an unnamed site in the Weavers’ Triangle, over the siting of halls for the University and College of Football Business (UCFB).

The accommodation plans for the town are aimed at making Burnley a “special experience” for the students.

At the official launch of the university on Friday, supporters said the initiative would also generate 140 jobs for the borough by 2014 and hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Burnley economy.

Initially a 35-bedroom complex will be refurbished for students at one of the locations, which will have its own private gym, bar area and games room.

Around 150 under-graduates are expected to start in September, with a target of around 700 cited within the first three years.

The majority of students will be expected to find their own accommodation in digs around the town.

Students will have access to the health and fitness rooms at the club’s academy at Gawthorpe and Crow Wood county and leisure club.

The tutition fees will be £3,500 per year for UK students and £7,000 for international candidates.

Matchday jobs will also be offered to selected students for Burnley home games and each will receive a complimentary season ticket for Turf Moor.

The New Bucks University (NBU) will be accrediting the football business degrees and have offered similar courses at their campus in Wycombe.

Prof Chris Kemp, NBU pro-vice chancellor, said the university wanted to ensure its students had the best possible experience and lifestyle while studying in Burnley.

“We want to provide something special in Burnley.

"There is a big market out there and we have lots of experience in helping students to adapt to university life and that is what we will be trying to do here.”

“Our degrees in Buckinghamshire were initially popular with students in the likes of Norway, Sweden and Finland.

“But now we are attracting interest from all over the world from Hong Kong to Africa.

"And we want to integrate these students with the local community.”

Club director Brendan Flood, who has been a key figure in the university project, said: “We are hoping that up to 50 per cent of the intake will be foreign students when we are up and running.

“We are trying to be play a central part in making Burnley a leading town.

"We had the first youth academy outside the Premier League and have always been known for innovation.”

Club chief executive Paul Fletcher said: “Towns and cities are competing against each other all the time you have got to be different.

“We are one of the founder clubs of the Football League and helped to give football to the world, and now students can come here to learn all about how the game has developed since then.”

An advisory board headed by former Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick, and featuring broadcaster and Clarets fan Alistair Campbell, Gordon Taylor, who heads the Professional Footballers Association and Neil Doncaster, the Scottish Premier League boss, has been recruited.

Clarets defender Clarke Carlisle and England and Everton Ladies goalkeeper, Burnley’s own Rachel Brown, will also act as ambassadors for UCFB.

Mr Campbell said: “This will not only benefit the club but the people of Burnley because I think people will come to this area as students and settle and take up positions locally in much the same way as it often happens with American universities and colleges.”

Kevin Keith, brand manager for the Better Burnley initiative, said: “This is the first of its kind in the world and will be great for the town.”

University bosses will use case studies from the world of football for the degrees, which cover football and its relationship with finance, marketing and media.

The students will digest in-depth accounts of Europe’s leading outfits and learn about aspects as diverse as crowd control, dealing with the media and managing the club’s superstore from visiting lecturers.

State-of-the-art lecture theatres, a library and IT suite have been established in the Jimmy McIlroy stand at Turf Moor for the degree courses.