Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional football club in Brentford, Greater London, England, which competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1889 and played home matches at Griffin Park from 1904 until moving to Brentford Community Stadium in 2020.
Full name | Brentford Football Club | |||
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Nickname(s) | The Bees | |||
Short name | Brentford | |||
Founded | 10 October 1889 | |||
Ground | Brentford Community Stadium | |||
Capacity | 17,250[1] | |||
Owner | Matthew Benham | |||
Chairman | Cliff Crown | |||
Head coach | Thomas Frank | |||
League | Championship | |||
2019–20 | Championship, 3rd of 24 | |||
Website | Club website | |||
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In the 1930s, Brentford achieved three consecutive top-six finishes in the top flight. The club has been Football League Trophy finalists on three occasions. Its main rivals are fellow West London clubs Chelsea, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.
History
1889 to 1954
1954 to 1986
1986 to present
Current and future grounds
Griffin Park
Brentford Community Stadium
Current squad
First team
- As of 6 August 2020[2]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Brentford B
- As of 13 August 2020[3]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
- As of 12 August 2020[4]
First team
Name | Role |
---|---|
Head Coach | |
Assistant Head Coach | |
Assistant First Team Coach | |
Goalkeeper Coach | |
Head of Set Pieces and Individual Development | |
Head of Medical | |
Head of Athletic Performance | |
Head of Performance Analysis |
Brentford B
Name | Role |
---|---|
Head Coach | |
Assistant Coach & Technical Lead | |
Assistant Coach | |
Goalkeeper Coach | |
Strength and Conditioning Coach | |
Strength and Conditioning Coach | |
Physiotherapist | |
Physiotherapist | |
Analyst |
Management
- As of 12 August 2019[5]
Name | Role |
---|---|
Owner | |
Chairman | |
Vice-Chairman | |
Chief Executive | |
Club Secretary | |
Co-Director of Football | |
Co-Director of Football | |
Head of Recruitment | |
Director | |
Director | |
Director | |
Director |
Nickname
Brentford's nickname is "The Bees". The nickname was unintentionally created by students of Borough Polytechnic in the 1890s, when they attended a match and shouted the college's chant "buck up Bs" in support of their friend and then-Brentford player Joe Gettins. Local newspapers misheard the chant as "Buck up Bees" and the nickname stuck.[6]
Team colours and badge
Brentford's predominant home colours are a red and white striped shirt, black shorts and red or black socks.[7] These have been the club's predominant home colours since the 1925–26 season, bar one season – 1960–61 – when yellow (gold) and blue were used, unsuccessfully.[8] The colours on entering the Football League, in 1920–21, were white shirts, navy shorts and navy socks.[7] Away kits have varied over the years, with the current colours being a black shirt with black shorts, both with yellow detailing, along with yellow socks. Brentford have had several badges on their shirts since it was formed in 1889.[9] The first one, in 1893, was a white shield, with 'BFC' in blue and a wavy line in blue, which is thought to represent the river and the rowing club, who founded the football club.[9] The next known badge, the Middlesex County Arms, was on shirts donated by a club supporter in 1909.[9] The Brentford and Chiswick arms, as a badge, was used just for the one season, in 1938–39.[9] The next badge wasn't until 1971–72 when a shield, formed into quadrants, which had a hive and bees in one, 3 seaxes in another and the other two with red and white stripes.[9] In 1972, the club organised a competition to design a new crest, which was won by Mr BG Spencer's design, a circle with a bee and stripes with founded 1888. This was introduced in 1973 and used until May 1975, when it was brought to the club's attention, via Graham Haynes, that the club was formed in 1889 and not in 1888. Therefore, a new badge, reputedly designed by Dan Tana – the club's chairman at the time – was introduced for the 1975–76 season and continued until 1994 when the current badge was introduced.[9] In 2011 Russell Grant claimed to have designed the badge in a BBC interview,[10] however it was in fact designed in 1993 for two season tickets by supporter Andrew Henning, following a request from Keith Loring the then chief executive.[8] In 2017, the club redesigned its crest to a more modern, uncluttered, design with the flexibility for use in two tone colour print.[9] The design is a double roundel with the club name and year founded in white on a red background and a large central bee.[9]
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 | Hobot | |
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 | SkyEx | |
2013–2015 | Adidas | |
2015–2016 | Matchbook | |
2016–2017 | 888sport | |
2017–2019 | LeoVegas | |
2019–present | Umbro | EcoWorld London |
Honours
Champions and promotions
- Second Division / First Division / Championship (Tier 2)[11]
- Champions (1): 1934–35
- Third Division / Second Division / League One (Tier 3)[11]
- Champions (2): 1932–33 (South), 1991–92
- Runners-up (4): 1929–30,[lower-alpha 1] 1957–58,[lower-alpha 1] 1994–95,[lower-alpha 1] 2013–14
- Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (Tier 4)[11]
- Southern League Second Division: 1[11]
- London League First Division: 1[12]
- Runners-up: 1897–98[lower-alpha 2]
- London League Second Division: 1[12]
- Runners-up: 1896–97
- West London Alliance: 1[13]
- 1892–93[lower-alpha 3]
Cup winners
- Middlesex Junior Cup: 1[14]
- 1893–94
- West Middlesex Cup: 1[13]
- 1894–95
- London Senior Cup: 1[15]
- 1897–98
- Middlesex Senior Cup: 1[15]
- 1897–98
- Southern Professional Charity Cup: 1[16]
- Ealing Hospital Cup: 1[17]
- London Challenge Cup: 3[18]
- London Charity Fund: 1[19]
- 1928
Wartime honours
- London Combination: 1[20]
- London War Cup: 1[18]
Best performances
Leagues
- First Division / Premier League (Tier 1)[11]
- 5th – 1935–36
- Western League[11]
- 2nd – 1904–05
- Southern League First Division[11]
- 9th – 1905–06
Awards
- Football League Awards
- Stadium Business Awards
- Sponsorship, Sales and Marketing (1): 2013[26]
- League Managers Association Performance of the Week
- 3–0 vs West Bromwich Albion, Football League Cup first round, second leg, 18 August 1998[27]
- 4–0 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, Championship, 29 November 2014[28]
- Littlewoods Giant Killers Award
- 2–1 vs Norwich City, FA Cup third round, 6 January 1996[29]
Rivalry
Brentford's main rivals are Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.[30] Brentford have a long standing rivalry with Fulham.[31] In the past this fixture has been marred by crowd violence.[32] Brentford's rivalry with Queens Park Rangers intensified in 1967, when Rangers failed in an attempted takeover of Brentford, a move which, had it succeeded, would have seen Rangers move into Griffin Park and Brentford quit the Football League.[33] As with the Fulham rivalry, this fixture sees passions run high amongst both sets of supporters with local pride at stake.[34]
International links
In February 2013, it was announced that Brentford had entered into partnership with Icelandic 1. deild karla club UMF Selfoss, which would enable Brentford to send youth and development squad players to Iceland to gain experience.[35] The partnership also sees the two clubs exchanging coaching philosophies and allows Brentford to utilise UMF Selfoss' scouting network.[35] In May 2013, the Brentford staff forged links with Ugandan lower league club Gulu United as part of the "United for United" project, aimed at forming the region's first youth training camp and identifying talented players.[36] Brentford owner Matthew Benham became majority shareholder in Danish club FC Midtjylland in 2014 and the staff of both clubs share ideas.[37]
Affiliated clubs
Celebrity connections
- Actor and comedian, Bradley Walsh was a professional at the club in the late 1970s, but never made the first team squad.[40]
- Dan Tana, Hollywood actor and restaurateur, served on the club's board and was chairman.[41]
- Model Stephen James played for the club's youth team prior to his release in 2008.[42]
- Entertainer Vic Oliver served as the club's vice-president in the early 1950s and was later president of the Brentford Supporters' Club.[43]
- Politician Jack Dunnett served as club chairman between 1961 and 1967.[44]
Past managers
Past players
Capped international players
Player of the Year
Hall of Fame
Seasons
Records
Notes
- Not promoted
- Elected into Southern League
- No system of promotion in place
See also
References
- "Our New Home". Brentford Football Club New Stadium website. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- "First Team". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- "B Team Squad 2019/20". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- "Brentford FC Football Staff". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- "Brentford FC Company Details". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- KD. "Ken Daly's alternative look at the history of Middlesbrough and Brentford who play in a Sky Bet Championship play off at Griffin Park on Friday 8 May 2015". www.mfc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- Haynes 1998, p. 30-31.
- "Brentford – Historical Football Kits". Historicalkits.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- "Introducing our new club crest". Brentford FC. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- "Which Strictly star designed Brentford's badge?". BBC News. 12 November 2011.
- Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
- "London League 1896–1910". nonleaguematters.co.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Yore Publications. pp. 135–136. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
- Haynes 1998, p. 96.
- White 1989, p. 354.
- Haynes 1998, p. 119-120.
- White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 97. ISBN 0951526200.
- White 1989, p. 82-84.
- Argus (16 November 1928). "A Changed Brentford". The Brentford & Chiswick Times.
- "England 1918/19". Rsssf.com. 15 February 2003. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- Haynes 1998, p. 46.
- Haynes 1998, p. 51.
- "Brentford FC CST: Awards". www.brentfordfccst.com. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- Chapman, Mark. "Brentford win 2015 Football League Family Excellence Award". brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
- FC, Brentford. "Brentford achieves the Football League Family Excellence Award". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- Chris Wickham. "A list of all the awards collected by Brentford FC, staff and players over the past year". brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Brighton & Hove Albion. Charlton, London: Morganprint. 22 August 1998. p. 3.
- "League Managers Association". leaguemanagers.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- "Brentford FC Moment in Time: Norwich City". Retrieved 22 December 2017.
- "THE RESULTS OF THE LARGEST EVER SURVEY INTO CLUB RIVALRIES" (PDF). Footballfancensus.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- "Football Ground Guide". Football Ground Guide. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- "Fulham F.C. – The 1995/1996 Season". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 23 August 2002. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- Haynes 1998, p. 123-125.
- "Brentford FC vs. QPR". Footballderbies.com. 6 October 2006. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- Wickham, Chris. "BEES AGREE ICELANDIC PARTNERSHIP". brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- Wickham, Chris. "JOIN BRENTFORD IN SUPPORTING GULU UNITED". brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- Chris Wickham. "Brentford club staff visit FC Midtjylland". brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- "BBC Sport – FC Midtjylland: Brentford owner Benham invests in Danish club". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- "London Tigers play on Griffin Park pitch". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | EX BEES ROVER RETURNS". brentfordfc.co.uk. 16 August 2006. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- "A match made in Hollywood interview". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- "Stephen James | The Man Behind The Body Art Model". www.brother2brother.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Haynes 1998, p. 100-101.
- Haynes 1998, p. 27.
External links
- Brentford FC – the club's website
- Griffin Park Grapevine – Largest and Busiest Unofficial Brentford FC Website
- Bees United – The Brentford Supporters' Trust and owners of the majority of shares in BFC
- BIAS – Brentford Independent Association of Supporters