Brentford FC’s remarkable journey from the fourth tier to the Premier League stands out as the top sporting story of the year. In a two-part series, we delve into the various aspects of the club that have captured our attention as avid sports fans.
This first part covers Abhijeet’s learning from his visits to Brentford’s old (Griffin Park) and new (Brentford Community Stadium) stadiums early last year and assignments he undertook as a part of his studies at AMOS Sport Business School. We also talk about what makes Brentford FC different from the rest of the football clubs and the impact of Brexit on the club’s future.
What makes Brentford different?
In my visit to Brentford, two things that stood out to me were –
i) the club’s harmonious community approach and
ii) Moneyball way to determine success.
Brentford Community Stadium – The name of the new stadium says it all. They really do care about their fans and the community. In the times we are living in, when we see the big clubs run behind money and don’t care much about the community (as seen in the European Super League fiasco), Brentford’s trust in their fans and its reciprocation by the fans is a subject worth studying.
The fan interaction I witnessed during the sales pitch for seats in the new stadium was unique. Each patron who came in was received with great affection and respect. The elderly and the young adults were received in the same manner. I felt a family-friendly atmosphere for the entire day I was there. The temporary ticketing hub was a place of great hospitality.
They have always cared for their fans. Brentford was one of the first clubs in Britain to formalize a community program, and it continues to engage with its community like no other club. Thinking of fans and involving them in decision-making and the structure of the business is remarkable! Believe it or not, this approach is becoming less common these days. But this is what makes Brentford different. The club is rooted in tradition but is now building for the new world.
Brentford is also an intelligent club and much of the credit goes to owner Matthew Benham. Ever since Matthew has taken over, the club has done exceptionally well. He has built a team that has gone on to surprise everyone in the footballing world. They are using analytics to turn from underdogs to champions. Instead of outspending the competition, they are outthinking them.
Here’s what Rasmus Ankersen (now Director of Football at Brentford FC) had to say about Matthew Benham in 2015:
“I met Matthew (Benham) a few years ago..we met at Brentford’s training ground at Jersey Road, London. At the time Brentford was 3rd in League One. There were a couple of games to go and I asked him, do you think you’re going to get promoted? When you ask that question you expect to get an emotional yes or no from a football (club) owner, but he just looked at me..very rational…and said, at the moment there is a 42.3% chance of being promoted. That moment I knew he was the guy that was thinking very differently about football than I had ever experienced before.”
After what I saw on and off the field, I am easily convinced that the club is ready to welcome a new generation of fans and commercial partners to achieve success on all fronts. You will see it all unfolding in the coming season of the Premier League.
License fee at Brentford
During the sales pitch, I learned about how the license fee structure works at Brentford. I’ve seen many ticketing models, and this was probably the best model I’ve seen in football.
A license fee enables people to acquire a personal seat license which by definition is a paid license that entitles the holder to the right to buy season tickets for a particular seat in a stadium.
Most license fees are reserved for hospitality packages as opposed to single-match tickets.
Premium Seats are Brentford’s hospitality packages. They are structured very well, and done in a Brentford way of business. They are categorized into three packages – 1889, TW8, and Red & White. 1889 was the year the club was founded. TW8 is the postal code of where Brentford is located. And Red & White are the club’s home colors.
The license fees are available for renewal (3 or 5 years) or a lifetime.
Here are reasons why Brentford have a license fee –
i) Most importantly, the license fee helps to fund the operations of the club. This allows the club to run smoothly.
ii) The license fee guarantees monthly payments to the club – outstanding for cash flow.
iii) The license fee gives fans a sense of ownership.
iv) In case of no payment, it allows the club to take away/transfer the license to other fans quickly.
What kind of research goes into Season Ticket Buyers?
After interacting with sales managers, I understood their research focuses on gathering essential information and then acquiring specific knowledge of fan behavior.
Basic: Demography
They find out about age, sex, income level, employment, location, homeownership level of education, etc., for each Season Ticket Buyer.
Specific: Historical
They find out a list of queries as to –
i) How many games does a Season Ticket Buyer attend in one season?
ii) Which days in the week does a Season Ticket Buyer attend the games?
iii) How frequently do they purchase any food and/or beverages? iv) How much do they usually spend on food and/or beverages? v) Which factors would make their experience at a game more enjoyable?
vi) How much do they usually spend on merchandise? etc.
Today, data is considered more valuable than oil. Brentford dives deep into research and development with their community’s consent to make a better experience for each Season Ticket Buyer. The club does well at business as they do on the field. The club’s success is interlinked with the community.
Brentford’s B team and Brexit
Back in 2016, Brentford decided to restructure their football academy and formed a ‘B team’. The club, for their B team, takes a chance on players who did not get a contract or were released by their original clubs.
The B team trains with the first team. This ensures the management always gets a bunch of players at their disposal and doesn’t have to make desperate buys from the market. The players are motivated to do well with a realistic chance to play first-team football. Many of these talented youngsters from the B team go on to become an integral part of the first team.
Birmingham City FC released a statement last year which said that they were scrapping their academy and instead were considering going for a ‘B team’ and a ‘C team’. While the B team model worked well for Brentford FC, the same may not be true for other clubs jumping on the bandwagon.
While Birmingham has claimed that Brexit is one of the reasons they’ve decided to re-evaluate their approach to player recruitment and youth development, Brexit could also prove to be a problem for clubs looking to emulate what Brentford has achieved.
Brentford adopted the B team model in 2016 and has enjoyed great success. Much of Brentford’s first team and B team has come from clubs outside Britain and that’s where the challenge lies going forward. Brexit is going to make it harder for clubs to sign young talent from European nations.
For clubs like Birmingham, the cost of running an academy may be higher than having a B team, it is going to be much more difficult to get players for their B team than it was for Brentford all these years. With more and more clubs looking inward (within Britain) for local talent, Brentford is set to face a stiff challenge for players in the future. It will be interesting to see how Brentford adapts to this new reality.
What lies ahead for the Bees?
Brentford’s smart decision-making has got them far but the real challenge has just begun. Life can be tough for newly promoted teams in the English Premier League.
Take the 2017/18 season for instance, when newly-promoted sides Huddersfield, Newcastle, and Brighton have all managed to retain their place. What have these sides been up to since the first season? Huddersfield got relegated in their second season in the top flight and barely managed to survive the Championship this season. Newcastle and Brighton have averaged 12 and 15 in terms of league position in the last four seasons of the EPL – which is to say they have been better than the relegated teams but not much more.
Will the poster boys of footballing analytics survive in the premier league?
Authors
Abhijeet Dangat is a sports law and business professional from India. He is the founder of Earnest Sports Management.
Mihir Narvilkar
Mihir Narvilkar 