Since starting the Stand Up & Be Counted campaign the Sky Bet Football League has been inundated with overseas supporters showing love for their club.
As things stand, over 48,000 fans have registered, but few have come from further afield than Burnley fan Pete Smith.Pete has lived amid the ice of Antarctica since 2014, where he works for the British Antarctic Survey.
His love affair with the Clarets started as a child and, here, he tells us about what it is like following a Football League side in the Antarctic conditions.
“I grew up in Burnley and Turf Moor was only a 10-minute walk from home,” he said.
“Of course, when I first went to matches there it only cost seven pence to get in. The ground has changed quite a bit since the seventies but the atmosphere is still the same.
“I have lots of good memories there, especially from the early days when the team was managed by Jimmy Adamson and included such Burnley footballing legends as Martin Dobson and Peter Noble.
“I’ve seen so many of the greats of football playing at Turf Moor including George Best, Bobby Charlton and the all-conquering Leeds United team of the seventies. But my best memories are of promotion to the Premier League via the 2009 Championship Play-Off final, for the first time in 33 years.”
Pete’s current situation makes it difficult to keep up with the day-to-day goings on at the Clarets, but he is confident that under the current regime, the club can make a swift return to the Premier League.
“Unfortunately it’s hard to follow the club regularly out here,” he added.
“Although we have an internet connection here, it is extremely slow and so streaming video just isn’t possible.
“Nevertheless, I have every confidence that Sean Dyche will do a superb job yet again this season and that Burnley will be back in the Premier League soon. Hopefully, next time, we can stay there.”
Pete is one of 1,267 Burnley fans who have registered for the Stand Up & Be Counted campaign.
Stand Up & Be Counted asks fans to register their country and city of residence via a dedicated microsite at representyourclub.com, so whether you are a supporter of Accrington Stanley in Argentina or York City in Yemen you can show your support of your club.