Union Star were formed in 1881, primarily by cotton mill workers. They reached their pinnacle in 1885, when they won the Burnley Hospital Cup at Turf Moor, beating Haggate 3-0 before an estimated 10,000 spectators. The photo shows them with the trophy. The eleven are probably those who played: William Whitehead (weaver), Arthur Birley (mill owner), Robin Tattersall (weaver), Norman Foulds (weaver), Isaac Elliott (weaver), John Latham (weaver), Tom Wilkinson (joiner), Willie Starkie (weaver), William Procter (-), James Nutter (weaver / cashier), T. ‘Dodge’ Trafford (-). The player bottom left (James Nutter?), is decidedly young.
In March 1890, Union moved to a ground near the railway station, hoping to attract out of town clubs and more spectators. Unfortunately, behind the scenes intrigues led to the club’s demise. After finishing third in the North East Lancashire League in 1891 – their first season playing league football – they switched to the more prestigious Lancashire League. They even made plans to start their own league. The club secretary’s abrasive approach soon led to fractious relationships with the Lancashire League. ‘Financial jeopardy and footballing irrelevance beckoned.’ Or, as one newspaper put it, ‘nothing but disaster seemed to stare them in the face’.” The club disbanded in March 1891 but not before playing Everton at Anfield, where they lost 4-0.
Lancashire clubs were the most vociferous in the country about paid players, and Union Star were no different. During the 1887-88 season, they had 13 registered paid players.
Their rivals, Burnley Rovers, formed in 1874, as a rugby playing side. They disbanded within three or four seasons, only to re-establish themselves – playing rugby rules – in 1881. The following season they dropped rugby in favour of association football, along with ‘Rovers’, and have been Burnley FC ever since. They were the pre-eminent Burnley football club from the get-go.
Other Burnley clubs of the era include Burnley Olympic, Burnley Wanderers, Burnley Lane Rovers, Burnley Ebenezer Rangers, Burnley Excelsior, Burnley Wood Ramblers, and Burnley Swifts.
Local Lancastrian teams included Accrington Grasshoppers, Accrington Remnants, Star of Accrington, Darwen Zingaras, Liverpool Ramblers, Stacksteads Working Men, Greenwood Millers, Blackburn Providence, Padiham Blue Ribbon, Clitheroe Wanderers, Heydock Temperance, Reedley Hallows, Darwen Hibernians, and Oswaldtwistle St Pauls.
Material sourced from British Newspaper Archive and (with kind permission) Dr Steven Tate at Friends of Lancashire Archives: https://www.flarchives.co.uk/resources/clarets-collected/longer-reads/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-local-lads-a-history-of-burnley-union-star-football-club