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Brentford
Brentford FC crest.svg
Full name Brentford Football Club
Nickname(s) The Bees
Short name Brentford
Founded 10 October 1889; 135 years ago (1889-10-10)
Ground Brentford Community Stadium
Ground Capacity 17,250
Owner Matthew Benham
Chairman Cliff Crown
Head coach Keith Andrews
League Championship
2018–19 Championship, 11th of 24

Brentford Football Club is a professional football team from Brentford, England. They are known as "The Bees" and play in the Premier League, which is the top football league in England. The club started in 1889. For many years, they played their home games at Griffin Park, but in 2020, they moved to the Brentford Community Stadium.

Brentford first played amateur football. They joined the London League in 1896 and quickly moved up to the Southern Football League in 1898. They won the Southern League Second Division in 1900–01. In 1920, they became part of the Football League.

The club had a very successful period in the 1930s. They won the Third Division South title in 1932–33 and the Second Division title in 1934–35. They even reached their highest-ever league finish, coming in fifth place in the top division in 1935–36. However, after this peak, they faced several relegations and were in the Fourth Division by 1962.

Brentford won the Fourth Division in 1962–63. They moved between divisions for many years. In 1991–92, they won the Third Division title. After being relegated to the fourth tier in 1998, they won promotion as champions in 1998–99. They also won League Two in 2008–09 and were promoted from League One in 2013–14.

The club had some tough luck in play-off finals, losing several times. But in 2021, Brentford won the Championship play-off final. This meant they were promoted to the Premier League for the first time since the 1946–47 season! Brentford's main rivals are other West London clubs like Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.

Club History

Brentford FC League Performance
Brentford's league positions since the 1920–21 season.

How Brentford FC Started (1889–1920)

Brentford Football Club was formed in 1889. Members of the local rowing and cricket clubs met at a pub called the Oxford & Cambridge. They decided to start a football club to use a new recreation ground. The club played its first competitive match on November 23, 1889, which ended in a 1–1 draw.

The team joined a league for the first time in the 1892–93 season. Their famous nickname, "The Bees," came about in the 1894–95 season. Some students from Borough Road College were cheering for their friend, Joseph Gettins, who played for Brentford. They shouted their school chant, "Buck up Bs!" But people in the media misheard it as "Buck up bees!", and the name stuck.

Brentford became a professional club in 1899–1900. They moved to their first permanent home, Griffin Park, in 1904. During World War I, the main football leagues stopped. Brentford played in the London Combination and even won the title in 1918–19.

Joining the Football League and Golden Years (1920–1954)

In May 1920, Brentford joined the Football League as a founding member of the Third Division. Their first Football League match was on August 28, 1920, which they lost 3–0.

A very important person for Brentford was manager Harry Curtis, who joined in 1926. He is known as "The Guv'nor" and is the club's longest-serving and most successful manager. Under him, Brentford won the Third Division South title in 1932–33. Striker Jack Holliday scored a club-record 39 goals that season.

Harry Curtis, football manager, 1926
Harry Curtis, Brentford's longest-serving and most successful manager.

In the 1934–35 season, Brentford won the Second Division title. This meant they were promoted to the First Division, the top league, for the first time ever! They also won the London Challenge Cup that year. In their first season in the top flight (1935–36), Brentford finished in an amazing 5th place, which is still their highest league finish ever. They continued to do well, finishing 6th in the next two seasons.

During World War II, competitive football was paused. Brentford played in wartime leagues and even won the London War Cup in 1942, beating Portsmouth 2–0 at Wembley Stadium.

After the war, in the 1946–47 season, Brentford was relegated from the First Division. Manager Harry Curtis left in 1949 after nearly 23 years. In 1954, Brentford was relegated again to the Third Division South.

Tough Times and Financial Struggles (1954–1986)

The club faced financial problems in the 1960s. In 1967, there was a big scare when rival club QPR tried to take over Brentford and move into Griffin Park, which would have meant Brentford Football Club would stop existing. But fans and supporters rallied together, raised money, and saved the club at the last minute!

Brentford managed to get promoted back to the Third Division in 1972, but were relegated again in 1973. They earned promotion to the Third Division again in 1977–78. In 1985, Brentford reached their first major cup final, the Football League Trophy final, but lost to Wigan Athletic.

Modern Era and Promotions (1986–2014)

In the 1991–92 season, 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 in the play-off final for promotion. In 1998, they were relegated to the Third Division.

In 1998, Ron Noades became the owner and manager. Brentford won the Third Division championship in 1998–99 on the final day of the season. They reached another Football League Trophy final in 2001 but lost. In 2002, they narrowly missed out on automatic promotion and then lost the play-off final.

After financial difficulties, the club was taken over by the supporters' trust, Bees United, in 2002. In 2006, Matthew Benham started helping the club financially, first as an anonymous donor. In 2007, he helped pay off some of the club's debts.

In 2009, Benham made a deal to provide more money to the club, eventually becoming the full owner in 2012. Under manager Andy Scott, Brentford won the League Two title in 2009–10. They reached the Football League Trophy final again in 2011 but lost to Carlisle United. In 2013, they missed out on automatic promotion on the very last day of the season and then lost the play-off final. But in 2014, under manager Mark Warburton, Brentford finally achieved automatic promotion to the Championship.

Reaching the Premier League (2014–Present)

Brentford Community Stadium 2020
The club moved out of Griffin Park and into the Brentford Community Stadium in August 2020.

In their first season back in the Championship (2014–15), Brentford finished 5th but lost in the play-off semi-finals. Under manager Dean Smith, Brentford became a strong Championship team. His successor, Thomas Frank, led Brentford to the 2020 Championship play-off final, but they lost to rivals Fulham.

In August 2020, the club moved from Griffin Park, their home for 116 years, to the new Brentford Community Stadium, which can hold 17,250 fans. In the 2020–21 season, Brentford finished third again. This time, they won the play-off final with a 2–0 victory over Swansea City. This amazing win meant they were promoted to the Premier League, the highest level of English football, for the first time in 74 years!

Thomas Frank guided the team to good finishes in their first four Premier League seasons. He left the club in June 2025 to manage Tottenham Hotspur. Keith Andrews was then announced as the new head coach.

Home Grounds

Brentford has played at several different 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

First Team Squad

No. Position Player
2 Scotland DF Aaron Hickey
3 England DF Rico Henry
4 Netherlands DF Sepp van den Berg
5 Jamaica DF Ethan Pinnock
6 England MF Jordan Henderson
7 Germany FW Kevin Schade
8 Denmark MF Mathias Jensen
9 Brazil FW Igor Thiago
10 England MF Josh Dasilva
11 Democratic Republic of the Congo FW Yoane Wissa
12 Iceland GK Hákon Valdimarsson
13 England GK Matthew Cox
14 Portugal MF Fábio Carvalho
15 Nigeria MF Frank Onyeka
17 Netherlands MF Antoni Milambo
18 Ukraine MF Yehor Yarmolyuk
19 Cameroon FW Bryan Mbeumo
20 Norway DF Kristoffer Ajer
No. Position Player
21 England DF Jayden Meghoma
22 Republic of Ireland DF Nathan Collins
23 England MF Keane Lewis-Potter
24 Denmark MF Mikkel Damsgaard
25 England MF Myles Peart-Harris
26 Turkey MF Yunus Emre Konak
27 Germany MF Vitaly Janelt (captain)
28 England MF Ryan Trevitt
30 Denmark DF Mads Roerslev
32 England MF Paris Maghoma
33 Italy DF Michael Kayode
36 South Korea DF Kim Ji-soo
39 Brazil FW Gustavo Nunes
43 England DF Benjamin Arthur
45 England FW Romelle Donovan
England GK Ellery Balcombe
United States GK Julian Eyestone
Republic of Ireland GK Caoimhín Kelleher

Players on Loan

No. Position Player
No. Position Player

Brentford B Team

Brentford also has a B team, which helps younger players develop their skills.

No. Position Player
37 England FW Michael Olakigbe
40 Wales FW Iwan Morgan
42 Republic of Ireland DF Val Adedokun
44 Nigeria DF Benjamin Fredrick
England GK Reggie Rose
Zimbabwe GK Marley Tavaziva
Germany GK Connor Wolfheimer
England DF Gregory Asemokhai
England DF Caelan Avenell
England DF Chanse Headman
Lithuania DF Matas Klimas
No. Position Player
Republic of Ireland DF Conor McManus
England DF Ollie Shield
England DF Joshua Stephenson
England MF Andre Grey
England MF Theo Mawene
England MF Riley Owen
England FW Isaac Holland
Scotland FW Ethan Laidlaw
England FW Michael McSorley
England FW Emeka Peters

B Team Players on Loan

No. Position Player
38 England MF Ethan Brierley (at Exeter City until 30 June 2026)
42 England FW Tony Yogane (at Dundee until 30 June 2026)
No. Position Player
England MF Ben Krauhaus (at Bromley until 30 June 2026)

Coaching Staff

The coaching staff helps the players train and get ready for matches.

First Team Coaches

Name Role
Republic of Ireland Keith Andrews Head Coach
Republic of Ireland Kevin O'Connor Assistant Head Coach
Scotland Neil MacFarlane Assistant First Team Coach
Turkey Mehmet Ali Assistant First Team Coach
England Martin Drury Assistant First Team Coach
Spain Manu Sotelo Goalkeeping Coach
England Ben Ryan Performance Director
England Josh Kirk Head of Analysis
England Luke Stopforth Head of Data and Technology
Vacant Set Piece Analyst
England Bob Oteng Kit Logistics Manager
England Dr. Stephen Thompson Head of Medical
England Nick Stubbings Senior Physiotherapist
Wales Rhys Weston Head of Football Operations

Brentford B Coaches

Name Role
England Sam Saunders Head Coach
Finland Jani Viander Goalkeeper Coach
Cameron Tucker-White Athletic Coach
Alex Davis Performance Coach
England Haydee Agras Analyst
England Jordan Marley Kit Manager

Club Management

The management team helps run the club behind the scenes.

Name Role
Matthew Benham Owner
Cliff Crown Chairman
Jon Varney Chief Executive
Lisa Skelhorn Club Secretary
Roger Crook
Phil Giles Director of Football
Lee Dykes Technical director
Nity Raj General counsel
Deji Davies Non-executive director
Stuart Hatcher
Preeti Shetty
Marcus Gayle Club Ambassador
Peter Gilham

Team Nickname: The Bees

Brentford's nickname is "The Bees". This name came about by accident in the 1890s. Students from Borough Road College were at a match. They were cheering for their friend, Joseph Gettins, who played for Brentford. Their college chant was "buck up Bs!" But local newspapers misheard it as "Buck up Bees," and the nickname has been used ever since.

Team Colours and Badge

Brentford's home kit usually features red and white striped shirts, black shorts, and red or black socks. They have worn these colours since the 1925–26 season. Before that, in 1920–21, they wore white shirts with navy shorts and socks.

Away kits change often. The current away kit is a light pink shirt and socks with purple shorts.

The club has had several badges over the years. The first known badge in 1893 had "BFC" in blue on a white shield. In 1972, a competition was held to design a new crest. The winning design was a circle with a bee and stripes. This badge was updated in 2017 to a more modern design. The current badge is a double circle with the club name and founding year (1889) in white on a red background, with a large bee in the middle.

Kit Suppliers and Shirt Sponsors

Period Kit supplier Shirt sponsor (front) Shirt sponsor (sleeve) Shirt sponsor (back) Shorts sponsor
1975–1976 Umbro None None None 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
2003–2004 St. George PLC
2004–2005 UK Packaging UK Packaging
2005–2006 Lonsdale
2006–2007 Samvo Group
2007–2008 Puma
2008–2009 Hertings (Home) & MKT Computers (Away) Intermode Shipping (Home) & Cardiac Risk in the Young (Away) MKT Computers (Home)
2009–2010 SPIT Tools (Home) & Cardiac Risk in the Young (Away) Reliable Networks
2010–2011 Hertings (Home) & Bathwise (Away) Reliable Networks Thames Valley University
2011–2012 None None
2012–2013 SkyEx.co.uk Reliable Networks
2013–2014 Adidas Reliable Networks (Home)
2014–2015 Matchbook.com Matchbook.com
2015–2016 Matchbook.com None
2016–2017 888sport
2017–2019 LeoVegas
2019–2020 Umbro EcoWorld London
2020–2021 Utilita Hollywoodbets Hollywoodbets
2021–2023 Hollywoodbets SafetyCulture None
2023–2025 PensionBee
2025–present Joma Cazoo

Club 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 for the fans. The rivalry with QPR became especially strong in 1967 when QPR tried to take over Brentford.

International Connections

Brentford has worked with clubs from other countries. In 2013, they partnered with Icelandic club UMF Selfoss. This allowed Brentford to send young players to Iceland to gain experience. They also shared coaching ideas. In the same year, Brentford staff connected with Ugandan club Gulu United to help set up a youth training camp there.

Brentford's owner, Matthew Benham, also became the main owner of Danish club FC Midtjylland in 2014. The two clubs shared ideas and strategies. However, Benham sold FC Midtjylland in 2023, so they are no longer sister clubs.

Partner Clubs

  • England London Tigers
  • Iceland UMF Selfoss
  • Uganda Gulu United

Club Achievements

Here are some of Brentford's main achievements:

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
  • London League
    • Champions: 1908–09
  • Southern League Second Division
    • Champions: 1900–01
  • London League Second Division
    • Champions: 1896–97
  • West London Alliance
    • Champions: 1892–93

Cup Wins

  • Football League Trophy
    • Runners-up: 1984–85, 2000–01, 2010–11
  • London Senior Cup
    • Winners: 1897–98*, 2021–22
  • London Challenge Cup
    • Winners: 1934–35, 1964–65, 1966–67
  • Middlesex Junior Cup
    • Winners: 1893–94
  • West Middlesex Cup
    • Winners: 1894–95
  • Middlesex Senior Cup
    • Winners: 1897–98
  • Southern Professional Charity Cup
    • Winners: 1908–09
  • Ealing Hospital Cup
    • Winners: 1910–11
  • 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

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Brentford Football Club para niños

  • Football in London
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