Burnley FC given back world's oldest season ticket from 1884-85 By Rachel Mcdermott The world's oldest season ticket has been handed back to Burnley FC by the great-grandson of its former holder. The document, which dates back to the 1884-85 season, was issued by Burnley to Leonard Metcalfe, who had also played on the team. It was referred to then as a members' card, and was presented back to the club by David Metcalfe, after it was passed down through the generations to him. Memorabilia: The members' card, now known as a season ticket, has been returned to Burnley Cup winners: Burnley FC from the late 1880s, who went on to win the Lancashire Cup in 1890 Trophy cabinet gift: David Metcalfe, the former owner of the world's oldest football season ticket, handed over the iconic piece of memorabilia to Burnley The red season ticket is embossed with the member's name and has a gold plated stamp emblazoned on to the front. David, who now lives in Bristol, handed over the iconic piece of memorabilia to the trophy cabinet at Turf Moor as he felt that was where it belonged. The 66-year-old said: 'My father passed the ticket over to me about 25 years ago. He was a keen footballer and he started to take me to a lot of the games. Leonard Metcalfe appeared for Burnley FC at a senior level for the club in 1883. He played his early games as a winger but it was at left back that he became a regular in the team until 1885 - the year football became professional. It was in this position that he earned a winners' medal, when Burnley beat local side Trinity FC at Turf Moor, to win the famous Hospital Cup in May 1884. David, a retired accountant, said: 'I went to the Burnley games right up until 1973 when I moved down to Bristol. My son James does not follow them so I thought the best place for the ticket to go was back to the club, where it will be presented in the trophy cabinets. 'A lot of people have asked me why I haven't sold it as it's likely to be valuable but I don't think that's right. It was meant to be in our family and as it can't any longer, I feel it should go back to its home. David, who also has two daughters and is married to Jane, was born in Burnley and attended the town's Grammar School. Despite moving away, he still follows the Clarets. Ray Simpson, the club's historian and archivist, said: 'The members' card was issued to David's great-grandfather, Leonard Metcalfe, who was actually a playing member of Burnley FC. He was born into a farming community near Bradford in 1865 and moved to Burnley as a teenager, with his parents George and Mary. He worked as a weaver for many years and later became a manager within the cotton industry. Big draw: The Burnley squad from 1882 - two years before the world's oldest season ticket was issued Modern-day Clarets: Burnley's Marvin Bartley (left) and Blackburn's David Dunn in action during the Lancashire derby earlier this month 'The members' card is the oldest artefact that we have at Burnley FC. We have a medal from the 1890s but this is far more interesting. 'It's music to our ears when people say it belongs here. We are very grateful to David for bringing it to our attention.