Iron Maiden founder plays Burnley FC friendly

The match took place the day after Iron Maiden's show at Manchester's Co-Op Live arena

Iron Maiden founder Steve Harris has played in a "special friendly match" against staff from Premier League side Burnley FC.

The bassist and singer featured in an Iron Maiden FC side made up of the band's crew and management, up against a Clarets' side captained by former skipper and now academy coach Jack Cork.

Tuesday's 3-3 draw at the club's Gawthorpe training ground came the day after Iron Maiden played at Manchester's Co-Op Live arena.

The 69-year-old rocker, a West Ham United fan, said he wished Burnley all the best for their 2025/26 season, "except for when they play the Hammers".

Steve Harris is Iron Maiden's longest serving member since he founded it in 1975

Steve Harris formed Iron Maiden in east London in 1975, and they have sold more than 130 million copies of their albums worldwide and are considered one of the most influential rock bands of all time.

They have received numerous Grammy's, Brit Awards and have even had a set of Royal Mail stamps commissioned.

Iron Maiden FC's squad was also made up of members of their crew and management

The game was arranged around Iron Maiden's Run for Your Lives European Tour, which the band said would see them perform to more than one million fans.

"We've been playing these matches all around the world for years and we were delighted to be able to get a game in.

"We've been lucky enough to play at clubs like Barcelona, LA Galaxy and Bayern Munich and Burnley felt like the obvious choice in the North West," Mr Harris said.

Alan Pace, Burnley chairman, said: "It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Steve and the Iron Maiden team to Burnley.

Football has a special way of bringing people together and this was a fantastic example of that."