League of Ireland side Cobh Ramblers have signed a new partnership agreement with Burnley that will see the Premier League side send players to Ireland on loan.
Burnley's deal with the SSE Airtricity League First Division side will see players moving in both directions in the coming years.
Under the partnership agreement, Ramblers will also get access to Burnley's coaching development expertise and sports science programmes.
Cobh chairman Bill O'Leary, who initiated contact with Burnley over the deal, was at Turf Moor to sign the contract last night.
“We’re an ambitious progressive club, we’ve a new board in place and we’ve looked at many opportunities to do an affiliation with clubs across Europe,” said O’Leary.
“We looked at clubs in England and Burnley took our fancy for a number of reasons and we reached out to Burnley four or five weeks ago. This thing moved pretty fast and we’re delighted to be where we are today.”
Burnley will also send a team over to Cobh for the club's centenary celebrations next year.
Ramblers' claret and blue strip was based on Burnley's colours as they first wore the colours in 1922, the year after Burnley were crowned English champions.
“This agreement is multifaceted and we’re not just looking at the first team, we’re looking at all levels both on and off the pitch,” said O'Leary.
