when a boy alastair would go over the county border to lancashire to watch burnley f.c. with his father. he remains a lifelong burnley supporter and writes about their exploits in a column called "turf moor diaries" for the fanhouse uk football blog. he is also known for his famously biased commentaries for the club's "clarets player" website. he is regularly involved in events with the club. he was heavily involved in rescuing the club from potential bankruptcy, gaining the support of many high-profile public figures. he was one of the founders of the university college of football business, based at burnley's stadium.