Brentford F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Brentford Football Club | |
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| Nickname(s) | The Bees | |
| Short name | Brentford | |
| Founded | 10 October 1889 | |
| Ground | Brentford Community Stadium London, England |
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| Capacity | 17,250 | |
| Owner | Matthew Benham | |
| Chairman | Cliff Crown | |
| Manager | Thomas Frank | |
| League | Championship | |
| 2018–19 | Championship, 11th of 24 | |
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Brentford Football Club is a professional football team from Brentford, West London, England. They are often called "The Bees". The club plays in the Premier League, which is the top football league in England.
Brentford FC was started in 1889. For many years, their home ground was Griffin Park. In 2020, they moved to their new home, the Brentford Community Stadium. The team has a long history of playing in different leagues and has worked hard to reach the top level of English football.
Contents
History of Brentford FC
How Brentford Started (1889–1920)
Brentford Football Club began in 1889. It was formed by members of the local rowing and cricket clubs. They wanted to find a good way to use a new sports ground. On October 16, 1889, they decided to create a football club. They named it "Brentford Football Club".
The club played its first official match on November 23, 1889. It was a 1–1 draw against Kew. In 1892–93, Brentford joined its first league, the West London Alliance.
The Bees Nickname
The team got its famous nickname, "The Bees," in the 1894–95 season. Some students from Borough Road College came to support their friend, Joseph Gettins, who played for Brentford. They cheered with their school chant, "Buck up Bs!" People in the media misheard it as "Buck up Bees!" and the name stuck.
Brentford joined the London League in 1896 and quickly moved up. By 1898, they were good enough to join the Southern League. In 1899–1900, the club became professional, meaning players were paid. They earned a spot in the Southern League's top division in 1901.
In 1904, Brentford moved to Griffin Park, which would be their home for over 100 years. They even reached the third round of the FA Cup in 1905–06, which was a big achievement.
During World War I, regular football stopped. Brentford played in the London Combination league. They won this league in 1918–19.
Joining the Football League (1920–1954)
In May 1920, Brentford joined the Football League for the first time. They became part of the new Third Division. Their first Football League match was a 3–0 loss to Exeter City.
The Harry Curtis Era
In 1926, Harry Curtis became the manager. He is known as "The Guv'nor" and is the club's most successful manager. He slowly built a strong team. In the 1932–33 season, Brentford won the Third Division South title. Jack Holliday scored a club record 39 goals that season!
Brentford continued their success, winning the Second Division title in 1934–35. This meant they were promoted to the First Division, the highest league in England, for the first time ever! They also won the London Challenge Cup that year.
In the 1935–36 season, Brentford had their best-ever league finish, coming in 5th place in the First Division. They continued to do well, finishing 6th in the next two seasons and reaching the FA Cup sixth round. Between October 1937 and February 1938, they were even top of the First Division for 17 matches in a row!
Wartime and After
World War II stopped competitive football in 1939. Brentford played in wartime leagues. On May 30, 1942, they won the London War Cup final at Wembley Stadium, beating Portsmouth 2–0.
After the war, in the 1946–47 season, Brentford's team was getting older. They were relegated from the First Division. Harry Curtis left in 1949 after nearly 23 years as manager. In 1953–54, Brentford was relegated again, this time to the Third Division South.
Tough Times and Comebacks (1954–2014)
The 1950s and 1960s were a difficult time for Brentford. They moved between the Third and Fourth Divisions. In 1961, the club faced big debts.
Saving the Club
In 1966, Brentford was relegated again. In 1967, there was a serious plan for a rival club, QPR, to take over Griffin Park. This would have meant Brentford Football Club would stop existing! But fans protested and raised money. A group of people took over the club and saved it.
Brentford earned promotion back to the Third Division in 1972 but were relegated again in 1973. They were promoted to the Third Division again in 1978.
In 1985, Brentford reached their first major cup final, the Football League Trophy. They lost 3–1 to Wigan Athletic at Wembley. In 1989, they reached the FA Cup sixth round, losing to Liverpool.
Ups and Downs
In 1991–92, Brentford won the Third Division championship, returning to the second tier of English football. However, they were relegated again the very next season.
In 1997, they lost the play-off final for promotion. In 1998, they were relegated to the fourth tier. But they bounced back quickly, winning the Third Division championship in 1998–99.
In 2001, Brentford reached the Football League Trophy final again but lost. In 2002, they just missed out on automatic promotion and then lost the play-off final.
The club faced financial problems in 2002. Fans helped save the club again, and the supporters' trust, Bees United, took control. In 2006, a fan named Matthew Benham started helping the club financially.
In 2007, Brentford was relegated to League Two, the fourth tier. But Matthew Benham's support helped improve the club's finances. In 2009, Brentford won the League Two title and were promoted.
In 2011, they reached the Football League Trophy final for the third time, but lost to Carlisle United. In 2012, Matthew Benham fully bought the club from Bees United.
In 2013, Brentford almost won automatic promotion to the Championship but lost a crucial match. They then lost the play-off final. However, in 2014, they finally achieved automatic promotion to the Championship.
Reaching the Premier League (2014–Present)
In their first season back in the Championship (2014–15), Brentford finished 5th. They made it to the play-off semi-finals but lost. Under manager Thomas Frank, Brentford became a strong Championship team.
In 2020, they reached the Championship play-off final but lost to their rivals, Fulham. That same year, the club moved from Griffin Park, their home for 116 years, to the new Brentford Community Stadium. This stadium can hold 17,250 fans.
In the 2020–21 season, Brentford finished third in the Championship again. This time, they won the play-offs! They beat Swansea City 2–0 in the final. This amazing win meant Brentford were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 74 years!
Since then, Thomas Frank has led the team to finish 13th, 9th, and 16th in their first three Premier League seasons.
Where Brentford Plays
Brentford has played at several grounds over the years.
- Clifden Road (1889–1891)
- Benn's Field (1891–1895)
- Shotter's Field (1895–1898)
- Cross Roads (1898–1900)
- York Road (1900–1904)
- Griffin Park (1904–2020)
- Gtech Community Stadium (2020–present)
Players
Here are the players currently in the first team squad for Brentford FC:
First team
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Players on Loan
Sometimes players go to other clubs for a short time to get more playing experience.
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Brentford B Team
The B team is for younger players who are developing their skills.
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B Team Players on Loan
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Coaching Staff
These are the people who help train and manage the players.
First Team Coaching Staff
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
 Thomas Frank |
Manager |
Claus Nørgaard Justin Cochrane |
Assistant Manager |
 Kevin O'Connor |
First Team Coach |
 Manu Sotelo |
Goalkeeping Coach |
| Keith Andrews |
Set Piece Coach |
 Ben Ryan |
Performance Director |
| Chris Haslam |
Head of Athletic Performance |
 Steven Pressley |
Head of Individual Development |
| Josh Kirk |
Head of Analysis |
| Luke Stopforth |
Head of Data and Technology |
| Marc Ortí Esteban |
Set Piece Analyst |
| Bob Oteng |
Kit Logistics Manager |
| Lee Dykes |
Head of Recruitment |
| Vacant | Head of Medical |
| Vacant | Tactical Statistician |
Brentford B Coaching Staff
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Neil MacFarlane |
Head Coach |
| Sam Saunders |
Assistant Coach |
 Jani Viander |
Goalkeeper Coach |
| Jordan Marley |
Kit Manager |
Club Management
These are the people who run the club behind the scenes.
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Matthew Benham |
Owner |
| Cliff Crown |
Chairman |
| Jon Varney |
Chief Executive, executive director |
| Lisa Skelhorn |
Club Secretary |
| Phil Giles |
Director of Football, executive director |
| Lee Dykes |
Technical director |
| Nity Raj |
General counsel, executive director |
| Deji Davies |
Non-executive director |
| Stuart Hatcher |
Non-executive director |
| Preeti Shetty |
Non-executive director |
Team Nickname
Brentford's nickname is "The Bees". This name came about by accident in the 1890s. Students from Borough Road College were at a match, cheering for their friend who played for Brentford. They shouted their college chant, "buck up Bs!" The local newspapers misheard this as "Buck up Bees," and the nickname has been used ever since.
Team Colours and Badge
Brentford's home kit is usually a red and white striped shirt, black shorts, and red or black socks. They have mostly worn these colours since the 1925–26 season. Before that, in 1920–21, they wore white shirts with navy shorts and socks.
Away kits have changed a lot over the years. The current away kit is a sky blue shirt, navy shorts, and sky blue socks. It features a popular "castle" badge design from the 1970s and 80s.
Brentford has had several different badges on their shirts.
- The first badge in 1893 was a white shield with "BFC" in blue and a wavy line, which might have represented the river and the rowing club that founded the team.
- In 1909, they used the Middlesex County Arms badge.
- The Brentford and Chiswick arms badge was used for just one season in 1938–39.
- In 1971–72, a shield with four sections was used. It had a hive and bees, three swords (seaxes), and red and white stripes.
- A competition in 1972 led to a new circular badge with a bee, stripes, and the founding date of 1888. However, it was later found that the club was founded in 1889, so a new badge was designed in 1975.
- The current badge was introduced in 1994. In 2017, it was updated to a more modern design. It's a double circle with the club name and founding year (1889) in white on a red background, and a large bee in the middle.
Kit Suppliers and Shirt Sponsors
| Period | Kit supplier | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1975–1976 | Umbro | None |
| 1977–1980 | Bukta | |
| 1980–1981 | Adidas | |
| 1981–1984 | Osca | DHL |
| 1984–1986 | KLM | |
| 1986–1988 | Spall | |
| 1988–1990 | Hobott | |
| 1990–1992 | Chad | |
| 1992–1995 | Hummel | |
| 1995–1996 | Core | Ericsson |
| 1996–1998 | Cobra | |
| 1998–2000 | Super League | GMB |
| 2000–2002 | Patrick | |
| 2002–2003 | TFG | |
| 2003–2005 | St. George | |
| 2005–2006 | Lonsdale | |
| 2006–2007 | Samvo Group | |
| 2007–2008 | Puma | |
| 2008–2012 | Hertings | |
| 2012–2013 | Sky Ex | |
| 2013–2015 | Adidas | |
| 2015–2016 | Matchbook.com | |
| 2016–2017 | 888sport | |
| 2017–2019 | LeoVegas | |
| 2019–2020 | Umbro | EcoWorld London |
| 2020–2021 | Utilita | |
| 2021– | Hollywoodbets |
Rivalries
Brentford has strong rivalries with other West London clubs: Fulham, Chelsea, and Queens Park Rangers. Matches against these teams are often very exciting and intense, as local pride is on the line. The rivalry with QPR became even stronger in 1967 when QPR tried to take over Brentford's stadium, which would have meant Brentford leaving the Football League.
International Connections
Brentford has worked with football clubs in other countries.
- In 2013, they partnered with UMF Selfoss, a club in Iceland. This allowed young Brentford players to gain experience there.
- They also connected with Gulu United in Uganda to help with youth training.
- Brentford's owner, Matthew Benham, also owned FC Midtjylland in Denmark for a while. The clubs shared ideas, but Benham sold Midtjylland in 2023, so they are no longer sister clubs.
Clubs Brentford is Connected With
- London Tigers
UMF Selfoss
Gulu United
Famous Fans and Connections
Many famous people have a connection to Brentford FC:
- The BBC comedy People Just Do Nothing often mentions Brentford.
- Actor and comedian Bradley Walsh was a professional player at the club in the late 1970s, though he didn't play for the first team.
- Dan Tana, a Hollywood actor, was once the club's chairman.
- Model Stephen James played for the club's youth team.
- Entertainer Vic Oliver was the club's vice-president and later president of the Supporters' Club.
- Politician Jack Dunnett was chairman from 1961 to 1967.
- Rick Wakeman, a musician, was a director of the club for a year in 1979.
- Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien is a big supporter and season ticket holder.
- Status Quo bass player John "Rhino" Edwards is a huge fan and even wrote a song for former Brentford player Lloyd Owusu.
Club Achievements
Brentford FC has won many titles and had great performances over the years.
- Source:
League Titles
- Second Division / Championship (Level 2)
- Champions: 1934–35
- Play-off winners: 2021
- Third Division South / Third Division / League One (Level 3)
- Champions: 1932–33, 1991–92
- Promoted: 2013–14
- Fourth Division / League Two (Level 4)
- Champions: 1962–63, 1998–99, 2008–09
- Promoted: 1971–72, 1977–78
- United League
- Champions: 1907–08
- Southern League Second Division
- Champions: 1900–01
- London League Second Division
- Champions: 1896–97
- West London Alliance
- Champions: 1892–93
Cup Honours
- Football League Trophy
- Runners-up: 1984–85, 2000–01, 2010–11
- Middlesex Junior Cup
- Winners: 1893–94
- West Middlesex Cup
- Winners: 1894–95
- London Senior Cup
- Winners: 1897–98
- Middlesex Senior Cup
- Winners: 1897–98
- Southern Professional Charity Cup
- Winners: 1908–09
- Ealing Hospital Cup
- Winners: 1910–11
- London Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1934–35, 1964–65, 1966–67
- London Charity Fund
- Winners: 1928
Wartime Honours
- London Combination
- Winners: 1918–19
- London War Cup
- Winners: 1941–42
Best Performances
- Highest league finish: 5th in First Division (level 1), 1935–36
- Best FA Cup performance: Sixth round/quarter-finals, 1937–38, 1945–46, 1948–49, 1988–89
- Best League Cup performance: Semi-finals, 2020–21
- Best League Trophy performance: Runners-up, 1984–85, 2000–01, 2010–11
See also
In Spanish: Brentford Football Club para niños
- Football in London
