Brentford F.C. Reserves was the
reserve team
In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...
of
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
. The reserve team played at varying times from 1900 until 2011. During the 2012 off-season, the English reserve football pyramid and
youth system
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if ...
was overhauled under the
Elite Player Performance Plan
The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is a youth development scheme initiated by the Premier League. The intention of the EPPP is to improve the quality and quantity of home-grown players produced by top English clubs. Measures introduced by th ...
and replaced with a new
Academy
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
system and development leagues. Brentford's reserve team was relaunched as the Brentford Development Squad in 2011 and in 2012 it began competing in
Professional Development League
The Professional Development League is a system of youth association football, football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the The Football Association, Footbal ...
2 South. After closing the academy in May 2016, the club withdrew from the Elite Player Performance Plan and Professional Development League and launched a new Brentford B team. Following the first team's promotion to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
in 2021, the club reopened its academy in time for the start of the 2022–23 season, under the Elite Player Performance Plan, while retaining the B team.
Reserve team
Background
Brentford Reserves was formed to give young players and first team players returning from injury game time in a competitive environment. The ever-changing structure of the game in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
reserve team included in leagues competing against the first teams of
amateur clubs. On occasion, the reserve team would compete in two leagues simultaneously. Upon the
Football League's acceptance of the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
's
Elite Player Performance Plan
The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is a youth development scheme initiated by the Premier League. The intention of the EPPP is to improve the quality and quantity of home-grown players produced by top English clubs. Measures introduced by th ...
in 2011, which replaced reserve teams with U21 Development Squads, the reserve team was permanently disbanded.
Winger Micky Ball made the most appearances for the reserve team, 159, without having ever made a first team appearance.
Two other players made more than 150 reserve team appearances –
Fred Ryecraft
Frederick Ryecraft (29 August 1939 – 26 September 2017) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford as a goalkeeper. He was a member of the club's 1962–63 Fourth Division championship-winning t ...
and
Johnny Hales.
London League (1900–1914)
The reserve team entered the
London League First Division in the 1900–01 season and finished 8th out of 11.
Following a demotion, the reserves were London League Second Division champions in 1902–03 and earned promotion back to the First Division.
They finished third in the First Division in the 1903–04 season and were promoted to the Premier Division for 1904–05, finishing in 8th place.
Bottom and second-from-bottom finishes saw the team back in the First Division for the 1908–09 season, which saw the reserves promoted back to the Premier Division as champions.
They achieved their highest Premier Division placing in 1909–10, finishing fifth.
Mid-table finishes followed in the Premier Division until 1913–14 when, competing for the first time in an all-professional reserve league, Brentford Reserves finished bottom in their final season in the league before the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Great Western Suburban League (1905–1911)
The reserve team entered the
Great Western Suburban League
The Great Western Suburban League was a football league that was primarily held in the Home counties, founded in 1904.
History
The Great Western Suburban League was founded in 1904, drawing its membership from the Home counties to the west of Lo ...
for the 1905–06 season and finished as champions in 1907–08, 1908–09 and 1910–11 and runners up in 1905–06, 1906–07 and 1909–10.
Their main rivals during those years were
Reading Reserves,
Hounslow
Hounslow () is a large suburban district of West London, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 12 metropolitan centres in Gr ...
and
Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Although primarily residential in character, i ...
.
The 1910–11 title win (in which the team failed to win only two of its games and was unbeaten during the season) forced the league's management to ban professional clubs from competing, which caused Brentford's departure from the league.
South Eastern League (1914–1915)
Brentford Reserves competed in the South Eastern League during the 1914–15 season, but due to falling attendances brought on by the First World War, the team was withdrawn from the league in January 1915 and its record was expunged.
Football Combination (1919–1967, 1998–2004, 2009–2011)
The reserve team spent much of its existence competing in the
Football Combination
The Football Combination was a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England, the Midlands and Wales; other clubs from the Midlands and those from the North playing in the Central League (it is n ...
. Brentford Reserves were London Combination (as the Football Combination was known then) champions in 1931–32 and 1932–33. The title-clinching game on 6 May 1933, against
Aldershot Reserves was watched by a crowd of over 9,000 at
Griffin Park
Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...
, the club record for a reserve team fixture. A notable achievement was 43-game winning run at Griffin Park between November 1931 and November 1933. Much of the success in those two seasons was down to the prolific goalscoring of
Ralph Allen
Ralph Allen (1693 – 29 June 1764) was an entrepreneur and philanthropist, who was notable for his reforms to the British postal system.
Allen was born in Cornwall but moved to Bath to work in the post office, becoming the postmaster a ...
. Overspending and the subsequent cutting of costs forced the club to disband the reserve team and quit the Football Combination in 1967. The reserves re-joined the Football Combination for the 1998–99 season and a notable third-place finish was achieved in 2001–02. The reserve team was withdrawn from competition in 2004, but was revived and won election to the Football Combination Central Division in 2009. The team played for two seasons before being replaced by the Brentford Development Squad in 2011.
During its final two seasons, the reserve team played its home games at Griffin Park.
London Midweek League (1938–1939, 1974–1985)
A Brentford reserve team was entered into the London Midweek League for the 1938–39 season.
The entry into the league was "to give promising young professionals, amateurs and any “finds” a test and to build up the playing strength".
After the Brentford Reserve team was revived in 1974, the team re-entered the London Midweek League. The team's best finish was as runners-up in 1982–83.
Capital League (1984–1998)
A reserve team was entered into the Capital League as founding members in 1984. Throughout its time in the league, the reserve team was competitive and won the title in 1987–88 and 1995–96.
The team won the Capital League Cup in 1987–88, 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1994–95.
Development squad
Background
The Brentford Development Squad was launched in May 2011.
The Development Squad played its home matches at the club's training ground at Jersey Road,
Osterley
Osterley () is an affluent district of the historic parish of Isleworth in west London approximately from Charing Cross and is part of the London Borough of Hounslow. Most of its land use is mixed agricultural and aesthetic parkland at Osterl ...
and a limited number of fixtures were played at Griffin Park. The team was made up of U21 players and was allowed to field three overage outfield players and one overage goalkeeper, which enabled first team fringe players to get game time. Scholars were also eligible to play for the Development Squad. After impressing during the 2011–12
pre-season
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...
,
Jake Reeves
Jake Kenny Reeves (born 30 May 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Stevenage.
He began his career in the youth system at Tottenham Hotspur, before beginning his senior career with Brentford in 2011. ...
became the first Development Squad player to be promoted into the first team squad.
Charlie Adams,
Josh Clarke and Mark Smith also graduated from the team. Josh Clarke made the most competitive appearances for the team during its existence (64) and
Jan Holldack,
Luke Norris
Luke Michael Norris (born 3 June 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Stevenage.
Having played in the youth academies at Luton Town, Hitchin Town and Brentford, Norris made his debut in the Brentford fir ...
and
Jermaine Udumaga tied as top scorers with 14 goals each.
The Development Squad model was abandoned in May 2016.
Speaking about the shortcomings of
Professional Development League
The Professional Development League is a system of youth association football, football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the The Football Association, Footbal ...
football, then-academy conditioning coach James Purdue stated in October 2020 that "one of the big things for us was that, physically, the players weren’t challenged enough to put them in a place where they were ready to step into first team football. We looked a lot at data from U23 games and it wasn’t comparable to first team football".
History (2011–2016)
The Development Squad played
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
es during the 2011–12 season.
It won its first silverware in August 2011, with a 3–2 victory over
Bedfont Sports claiming the Hounslow Borough Cup.
The team entered the Professional Development League 2 South for the
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
season and finished fourth, two places away from qualifying for the knockout stage.
The
2013–14,
2014–15 and
2015–16 seasons yielded poor finishes near the bottom of the table. The team entered the
U21 Premier League Cup
The Premier League Cup is an English football competition run by the Premier League for under–21 sides.
History
The competition was created in 2013 as the U21 Premier League Cup, an U21 equivalent of the FA Youth Cup (an U18 competition com ...
for only time in the
2015–16 season and reached the quarter-finals.
Brentford B
Original incarnation (1890s)
The original Brentford B team was active during the 1890s and functioned as the third XI, below the first team and reserve team.
From the beginning of the 1899–1900 season, the B team was renamed Brentford Thursday.
Relaunch (2016–present)
Background
After the Brentford Academy was closed at the end of the 2015–16 season,
the Development Squad was renamed Brentford B.
The team plays friendly matches against senior, U23, U21 and academy teams,
with a squad of players aged from 17 to 21.
In addition, the team plays in friendly cup competitions and entered competitive cups for the first time during the 2018–19 season. The players and staff are part of an ongoing exchange of information with Brentford's partner club
FC Midtjylland
FC Midtjylland (, "Central Jutland") is a Danish professional football club based in Herning and Ikast in the western part of Jutland. The club is the result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad. Midtjylland competes in the Danish Su ...
.
Owner
Matthew Benham
Matthew Alexander Benham (born May 1968) is a British businessman who is the owner of English Premier League club Brentford FC and FC Midtjylland in Denmark. He is also the founder and owner of Smartodds, a statistical research company for pro ...
revealed in July 2016 that, with the club needing to focus on the first team and its
new stadium, "the B team seemed like a simpler and more attractive option".
Then-Head of Football Operations Robert Rowan stated that the team's initial objective was to promote at least one player into the first team squad by the end of the
2016–17 season,
which was achieved when
left back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
Tom Field
Thomas Geoffrey Field (born 14 March 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a left back for Canadian Premier League club Cavalry FC.
A product of the Brentford Academy, Field graduated into the senior team in 2016. A fringe player, h ...
signed a new contract and was promoted in December 2016.
Robert Rowan described the recruitment process as being to identify "different leagues where the physical qualities are often overlooked in favour of the tactical qualities, whereas in England if you are physical you have a good chance of being a good player. The tactical side of things can be taught" and that "there isn’t much point in us going to
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
young talent in lower league clubs as every Premier League club can out-spend and out-resource us".
A 2022 article in ''
The Athletic
''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports website that provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories from top professional and college sports ...
'' stated that "Brentford often sign players for their B team who have fallen out of favour or been released from Premier League academies. Non-League sides have proven to be a fertile hunting ground too".
Following the reopening of the Brentford academy in July 2022, the club's new U18 team fed into the B team.
Speaking about the benefits of the B team for the players, strength and conditioning coach James Purdue stated in October 2020 that "the games programme tests them more physically and better prepares them for first team football. It’s also treated a lot more like a first team so the environment that they’re used to is not dissimilar when they step up, as we’ve seen with our players over the course of the last four years, the transition becomes easier. It doesn’t mean they’re ready to slot straight in all the time, but it means that they understand the requirements".
Home stadiums
The B team is based at Brentford's Jersey Road training ground and plays the majority of its home matches there.
Prior to Brentford moving out of Griffin Park in 2020, the B team played occasional home matches at the ground.
The grounds of
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
,
Hanwell Town,
Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
, Bedfont Sports,
Woking
Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
and
Stevenage
Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
have also been utilised for home fixtures.
Matches, cup competitions and tours
The B team's first fixture took place on 9 July 2016, against
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the intercollegiate athletic teams who represent the University of California, Santa Barbara. Referred to in athletic competition as ''UC Santa Barbara'' or ''UCSB'', the Gauchos participate in 19 NCAA Division I ...
at Jersey Road, which resulted in a 4–1 victory to the Bees.
The team's debut season featured victories over U23 teams from
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
(on penalties),
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
,
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
, Reading and
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
.
On 27 August 2020, the team played the final match at Griffin Park, a 6–3
London Senior Cup
The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of Ar ...
semi-final win over
Erith Town.
Since its maiden cup appearance at the Kai Thor Cup in 2017,
the team has entered a number of domestic and overseas cup competitions, including the
Middlesex Senior Cup
The Middlesex Senior Cup is the most prestigious football cup competition in the historic county of Middlesex, England. The competition is run mainly for non-League clubs in the region, although league clubs have been known to enter the compe ...
, the London Senior Cup,
the Korantina Homes Cup, the
Atlantic Cup,
the Premier League Cup and one-off cup competitions. The team's cup wins include the 2017 Kai Thor Cup,
the 2018–19 Middlesex Senior Cup and the 2021–22 London Senior Cup.
Aside from domestic and overseas
training camps,
the team has toured
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
,
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
Youth team
History (1893–2012)
A Brentford youth team won the West Middlesex Junior Cup in 1893–94. A new youth team, named Brentford Town Juniors, was launched in 1948 and won the Hounslow Minor Shield in its inaugural season.
Products of the team included
Alan Bassham
Alan John Bassham (3 October 1933 – 1982) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford as a right back.
Club career
Brentford
Bassham began his career in the youth team at Second Division club ...
,
George Bristow,
Roy Hart
Roy Hart (born Rubin Hartstein; 30 October 1926 – 18 May 1975) was a South African actor and vocalist noted for his highly flexible voice and extensive vocal range that resulted from training in the extended vocal technique developed and tau ...
and
George Lowden
George Lowden is a luthier based in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. He constructs steel and nylon string acoustic guitars by hand without any UV finishing as well as solid-body electric guitars.
Early life
George Lowden was born ...
.
The youth team reached the semi-finals of the
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
in 1952–53, succumbing 8–1 on aggregate to the eventual winners
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. Under the stewardship of Alf Bew and because of the financial constraints imposed on the first team, the youth team of the early 1950s was particularly productive, yielding
Vernon Avis,
Johnny Pearson
John Valmore Pearson (18 June 1925 – 20 March 2011) was a British composer, orchestra leader and pianist. He led the ''Top of the Pops'' orchestra for sixteen years, wrote a catalogue of library music, and had many of his pieces used as the ...
,
Gerry Cakebread
Gerald Cakebread OBE (1 April 1936 – 16 September 2009) was an English footballer who made over 340 appearances in the Football League for Brentford as a goalkeeper. He remained a part-time player throughout his professional career. Cakebread ...
,
Dennis Heath,
Jim Towers
Edwin James Towers (15 April 1933 – 16 September 2010) was an English professional footballer, best remembered for his time as a centre forward in the Football League with Brentford. He is the club's all-time leading goalscorer and in 2013 wa ...
and
George Francis. Following financial problems in 1967, the youth team was disbanded, but was revived again in 1972 with money raised by supporters. The youth team won a youth tournament in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
the following year, beating
Frem
Boldklubben Frem (also known as Frem, BK Frem or BK Frem Copenhagen) is a Danish sports club based in the Valby- Sydhavnen area of Copenhagen. It is best known for its semi-professional football team. Since its foundation in 1886, Frem has wo ...
in the final,
with
Richard Poole top-scoring. Along with Poole,
Kevin Harding
Kevin Harding (born 19 March 1957) is an English retired footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford as a defender.
Playing career
Brentford
Harding was one of the first players recruited when the Brentford youth team was ...
and
Roy Cotton progressed to play league football with the first team, while Gary Huxley won
England Youth
England national under-18 football team, also known as England under-18s or England U18(s), represents England in association football at under-18 age level and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in Englan ...
international honours. The youth team ceased playing competitive fixtures at the end of the 1973–74 season.
The youth team was revived for the 1980–81 season. A team containing a young
Keith Millen
Keith Derek Millen (born 26 September 1966) is an English football manager and former player who played as a centre back. He was most recently manager of Carlisle United.
Millen was appointed as Steve Coppell's successor, after Coppell chose to ...
was crowned champions of the
South East Counties League
The South East Counties League (SECL) was a football league for the youth teams of clubs from Southern England.
The competition grew out of the Middlesex Youth Invitation Cup set up in the 1950s by the Middlesex FA and was formerly known as the ...
in 1983–84. A second FA Youth Cup semi-final was reached in 1988–89, in which Brentford were beaten by
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
. After the dissolution of the South East Counties League, the youths later competed in the
Football League Youth Alliance
The Football League Youth Alliance is a youth football competition in Football in England, England, consisting of four regional divisions. It acts as League 2 of the U18 Professional Development League system.
Current structure
North West Co ...
and, competing as an U19 team, they were Merit Division One South champions in 2001–02 and 2002–03.
The youths had a memorable run in the FA Youth Cup during the 2005–06 season, beating
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the third round on penalties
after extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a Draw (tie), tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is ...
and finally succumbing 2–1 to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
in the fifth round. The team enjoyed another run in the
2011–12 FA Youth Cup, beating
Lewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...
,
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
and
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
before being knocked out in the fourth round by
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
.
Brentford U18 (2012–2016, 2022–present)
Under the Elite Player Performance Plan, the Brentford Youth Team was officially renamed as the Brentford U18 team in 2012 (though it continued to be colloquially known as the "youth team") and fielded scholars, U16s and U15s. The U18s entered the Professional U18 Development League 2 South for the 2012–13 season, finishing bottom.
The U18 team reached the final of the Middlesex Senior Youth Cup in 2013, but were defeated 6–1 by
Wealdstone
Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone.
The area accommodates ...
.
The U18s finished
2013–14 season second-from-bottom in the Professional U18 Development League 2 South table.
In December 2014, the team was invited to take part in the prestigious IMG Cup: Boys Invitational at the
IMG Academy
IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...
in
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698.
History
Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...
and finished the tournament tied in fifth position with
United States U17.
Late in the
2014–15 season, the U18s qualified for the Professional U18 Development League 2 South
knockout stage
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
for the first time, after finishing second to
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
in the league stage. The team progressed to the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of the knockout stage, suffering a 1–0 defeat to Charlton Athletic.
10 second-year scholars graduated from the U18 team to sign professional contracts in April 2015, the generation which had previously won the Junior category at the
2012 Milk Cup while U15s.
Amidst upheaval behind the scenes and with many of its best players playing predominantly for the Development Squad, the U18s finished the
2015–16 season in eighth place. The academy was closed at the end of the 2015–16 season and the team ceased to exist, with the majority of the scholars being released or sold.
During the team's four-year history, the highest appearance-maker was
Zain Westbrooke (55) and Bradley Clayton top-scored (20).
In July 2022, the reopening of the Brentford academy saw the creation of a new U18 team and it took part in the EFL Youth Alliance South East Conference, the EFL Youth Alliance Cup and the FA Youth Cup during the 2022–23 season.
The team is run in conjunction with the club's Community Sports Trust.
Other teams
A Team (1920s–1930s, 1940s, 1959–1961)
A third Brentford team, known as Brentford A, was active in the late 1920s and early 1930s and then again from 1948. The team later competed in the Seanglian League in 1959–60 and finished in mid-table.
The As fared worse the following season, finishing second from bottom and was disbanded.
The team was managed by former first team
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
Ted Gaskell
Edward Gaskell (19 December 1916 – 10 February 2009) was an English professional footballer, coach and manager. He is best remembered for his time in the Football League with Brentford, with whom he had a 15-year association as a goalkeeper ...
, with
Eddie Lyons
Eddie Lyons (November 25, 1886 – August 30, 1926) was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer of the silent era. He appeared in 388, directed 153, wrote for 93, and produced 40 films between 1911 and 1926. He was born in ...
as his assistant. Future key players
John Docherty,
Tommy Higginson and
Peter Gelson
Peter William John Gelson (18 October 1941 – 26 April 2021) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford as a centre back and wing half. A cult hero amongst the club's supporters, he is third on the ...
began their Brentford careers in the team.
C Team (1890s)
Brentford C functioned as a fourth XI and was active during the 1890s.
It later became known as Brentford Old Boys.
Elite Development Education Football Programme (2014–present)
The Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, in partnership with
West Thames College
West Thames College is a medium-sized college of further and higher education in West London, England. It was formed in 1976, originally named Hounslow Borough College, having gained its current name in 1993. The college has two campuses in the L ...
, runs an Elite Development Education Football Programme, which sees boys between the ages of 16–18 train with the club three times a week, while also studying for
BTEC courses at the college. The course also provides the opportunity for the players to gain FA coaching qualifications.
Between 2014 and 2018, two U19 teams, Brentford Griffins and Brentford Bees,
participated in the
Football Conference Youth Alliance and the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
U19 Alliance and played their home matches at
King's House Sports Ground
King's House Sports Ground (formally known as the Civil Service Sports Ground) is a multi-use sports ground in Chiswick, London. King George V presided over the official opening in 1926 and inspected the teams. The first recorded cricket match ...
. The teams played their inaugural seasons in 2014–15 and Brentford Griffins won the Football Conference Youth Alliance London & South East division title.
Despite the title win, coach Dan Wright revealed that the teams had fallen short of providing new scholars for the academy. Brentford Griffins again finished champions in the 2015–16 season, winning Division F' and advancing to the playoff semi-finals.
From the beginning of the 2016–17 season, the Griffins and Bees became the de facto replacement for the Youth Team, offering a pathway to the B team for local teenage players of the required standard. In 2016,
Ellery Balcombe became the first player to graduate from the programme and sign a professional B team contract. In 2018, Brentford Griffins and Bees were merged to form a single team, Brentford CST Bees, which entered the National League U19 Alliance and finished fourth in Division C. An additional CST team entered the Community & Education Football Alliance (CEFA) for the 2018–19 season and reached the final of the CEFA Regional Cup. Jason Evans, a player for Brentford CST Bees and the club's CEFA team, was nominated for the CEFA Player of the Year award at the 2019
EFL Awards
The EFL Awards is an annual awards ceremony commemorating association football players, clubs and associated individuals involved in the three divisions of the English Football League (EFL).
The event was established in 2006 and is usually hel ...
.
The number of CEFA teams was increased to three for the 2019–20 season, under the names Bees, Griffins and Reds. Also in the 2019–20 season, a team was entered into the South Premier Division of the National Youth Football League. As of October 2020, former Brentford youth graduate
Ryan Peters was running the programme. Following the reopening of the Brentford academy during the 2022 off-season,
the U18 academy team fielded the Community Sports Trust's players during the 2022–23 season.
Centre of Excellence
The Brentford Centre of Excellence was formed to nurture youth talent and was headed by
Barry Quin
Barry Quin (born 1949) credited also as Barry Quinn, is a British-Australian actor and briefly producer who has appeared on stage and television and film, on the small screen he has featured in numerous TV series and mini-series, but he is best ...
, Director Of Youth Football at the club for 20 years.
Quin was succeeded in the role by Ose Aibangee in January 2010 and officially left the club in July 2010.
During the interim period before academy status was awarded in July 2013, Brentford operated a four-tier youth system – Development Squad (ages 18–21), U18 (ages 16–18), Junior Centre of Excellence (ages 9–15) and Pre-Academy (age 9 and under). The Centre of Excellence ceased to exist in 2013.
Academy
Beginnings, planning and function (2010–2016)
Plans to upgrade the Centre Of Excellence to an academy began in 2010 after the takeover of the club by Matthew Benham. In December 2012, permission was granted by
Hillingdon Council's South and Central Planning Committee for Brentford to build a Category Two Academy on the grounds of
Uxbridge High School.
The academy facility was paid for by the club, with a contribution from the school.
In July 2013, the academy was awarded Category Two status for the next three years.
Brentford was the only
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
club to make the advance from a Centre Of Excellence to a Category Two Academy.
At the official opening of the academy in January 2014, Ose Aibangee predicted that by 2019, a Brentford academy graduate would be selected for the
England national team. In April 2014, after the first team's promotion to the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
for the 2014–15 season, then-U18 defender
Richard Bryan
Richard Hudson Bryan (born July 16, 1937) is an American attorney and politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and cr ...
said he believed that the academy could step up to produce players to play at Championship level, saying "for all the players here that want to get into the first team, it is definitely another step up and a harder challenge, but they have got to step up to the plate and be ready for it. There is a hunger in the team and in the coaches". An indicator of the academy beginning to bear fruit was evidenced by the call ups of
Joshua Bohui
Joshua Raymond Bohui (born 3 March 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward.
Bohui is a product of the Brentford and Manchester United academies and began his senior career in the Netherlands with NAC Breda. Followi ...
, Harry Francis and Ross McMahon to England and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
youth-level training camps respectively during the 2014–15 season.
Julius Fenn-Evans won
Wales U16 caps in April 2015,
Ian Poveda
Ian Carlo Poveda-Ocampo (born 9 February 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Leeds United and the Colombia national team.
He is a product of the Manchester City, Barcelona and Brentford you ...
represented England at
U16 level in August 2015 and Joshua Bohui made his England
U17 debut in February 2016. In March 2018,
central defender
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
Chris Mepham became the first former academy player to be capped at full international level (by
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
) and in January 2019 he transferred away from the club for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £12 million.
In March 2022,
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
left back
Tyrick Mitchell became the first former Brentford academy player to be capped by England at full international level.
Facility
The Brentford Academy was based in an indoor facility on the grounds of Uxbridge High School and became fully operational in November 2013.
The academy building contained a 60m x 50m third-generation
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Since the early 2000s, AstroTurf has m ...
pitch, learning zones, changing rooms, a gym and a physiotherapy room.
The academy was officially opened on 16 January 2014, by
FA chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
and former Brentford chairman
Greg Dyke
Gregory Dyke (born 20 May 1947) is a British media executive, football administrator, journalist, and broadcaster. Since the 1960s, Dyke has had a long career in the UK in print and then broadcast journalism. He is credited with introducing ' ...
.
Closure (2016)
On 11 May 2016, a statement from co-
directors of football Phil Giles and
Rasmus Ankersen
Rasmus Ankersen (born 22 September 1983) is an author, public speaker, director of football at Southampton and president of Göztepe.
He is the co-founder and CEO of Sport Republic, the major shareholder of EFL Championship club Southampton an ...
revealed that prior the beginning of the
2016–17 season, Brentford would withdraw from the Elite Player Performance Plan, the Professional Development League and would no longer run a full academy system between U8 and U21 level.
Owner Matthew Benham later revealed the reasons for the closure in an
open letter
An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally.
Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...
, saying "it is a competitive area, there are lots of academies in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. The risk is you have a great player, but he defects at the age of 16 and you get peanuts in return. In theory the player builds up loyalty to the club, but in practice there are other factors and the parents have an influence. EPPP made it difficult to run an academy, but also there is only so much the club can focus on. Overall, it seems to be difficult for smaller academies to keep hold of players".
A 2017 article in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' stated that "at a cost of around £2m a year, Brentford decided it was simply too much of a risk that their academy – with so much competition on its doorstep in London – would produce enough first team players to make that investment worthwhile".
Co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen stated in 2020 that "for every player produced who is good enough for the first team, there are seven or eight who don’t make it. You can accept that if, when that one player comes through in whom you have invested so much,
is salecan effectively pay for the rest. But when those talents did come through, their scholarships ended at 17, they became free agents and went off and joined Manchester United and
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
. We ended up getting something ridiculous, like £30,000, because that’s what they judge their training to have been worth. It’s like having a winning lottery ticket and then someone comes along and steals it".
Reopening (2022)
In December 2021, a public consultation began regarding a new planning application for improved facilities at Brentford's Jersey Road training ground.
With the Brentford's promotion to the Premier League in 2021, the club stated that new facilities could be utilised for a "football academy in line with
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
requirements".
With aspirations of the first team playing in
European competitions, "UEFA rules stipulate that clubs who wish to take part in its competitions have to operate an academy, otherwise they will be refused entry".
Following the preservation of Brentford's Premier League status at the end of the
2021–22 season, it was reported that talks were underway to reopen the academy.
In July 2022, Brentford was accepted into the 2022–23 FA Youth Cup.
Also in July 2022, a new Premier League ruling stipulated that all member clubs must operate a category 3 academy by the beginning of the 2024–25 season.
On 15 July 2022, Brentford announced that it had been "granted a licence to open and operate an Academy under the Elite Player Performance Plan" and would "initially open a Category Four Academy for the start of the 2022–23 season".
The club signed players from U17 level upwards and fielded an U18 team during the 2022–23 season.
Teams
U17
The U17 team played outside the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
for the first time when they journeyed to the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
for a friendly match against
AZ Alkmaar
Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and ho ...
's Academy on 29 October 2013, with Brentford running out 4–1 winners. The U17s entered the
Milk Cup
SuperCupNI, formerly called the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament and the Dale Farm Milk Cup, is an international youth football tournament held annually in Northern Ireland. The cup matches are mainly played in the North Coast area of ...
for the first time in 2014, going out on penalties to
Club América
Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
in the Premier Section Globe semi-final.
U16
On 29 October 2014, the U16s took on a
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
youth team in a prestigious friendly at
La Masia
La Masia de Can Planes, usually shortened to La Masia (; en, "The Farmhouse"), is a term used for FC Barcelona's youth academy. The academy includes more than 300 young players. It has been an instrumental factor in Barcelona's European success ...
. Brentford took the lead through Danny Parish, but lost 2–1. 12 members of the 2014–15 team signed scholarship deals in April 2015, with Parish being the only member of the group to sign a professional contract at Griffin Park.
U15
Brentford made its Milk Cup debut in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
and finished 23rd out of 24 entries.
The team had some joy in the competition's Dunluce Trophy, finishing as runners-up to County Down. The U15 team were winners of the Junior category at the 2012 Milk Cup, seeing off
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...
and
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
along the way and beating
Everton in the final.
The U15s again competed in the Junior category in
2013 Milk Cup and lost 3–2 to a
Japan FA team in the Junior Vase final. The team were 2–1 victors over
Inter Milan U15 in a friendly played at the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
club's academy on 17 April 2014. At the 2014 Milk Cup, the U15s won the Junior Globe.
The U15s were victorious at the 2015 Sportfan Football Festival in
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, beating
Skonto FC
Skonto FC was a Latvian football club, active from 1991 until 2016. The club played at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's resumption (15 in total), and often provided the core of the Latvia ...
in the semi-finals and FM Vilnius in the final.
U14
At the time of the resumption of the Brentford youth system in 1970, an U14 team was created and coached by former player
Ken Horne.
U13
In May 2016, the U13 team won the Elite Neon Cup in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, beating
AEK Athens
A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club based in Nea ...
in the final.
U11
In June 2014, an U11 team entered the 28-team Holstein Cup (held in
Bad Oldesloe, Germany) and finished third in the tournament, behind
Hertha 03 Zehlendorf
The Hertha Zehlendorf is a German football club from the suburb of Zehlendorf in Berlin.
The club is one of the largest football clubs in the country and has a strong youth department which has won two national youth championships. The depar ...
and
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
.
In late February 2015, Brentford hosted a prestigious England vs Germany U11 tournament, featuring teams from the academies of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United,
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
,
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
,
Hertha Berlin
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend (Berlin), Westend of the ...
,
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...
and
Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
. Brentford won the Silver Group to finish runners-up in the tournament, behind Manchester United.
The U11s took part in the
Mediterranean International Cup
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the eas ...
in April 2015, going out to
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
in the last 16.
Partnerships
The academy had a number of partnerships with football clubs and sports organisations in and outside the
UK:
UK
*
Uxbridge High School
*
North Hertfordshire College
North Hertfordshire College ("NHC") is a further education and higher education college operating in Stevenage, Hitchin, and Letchworth Garden City. NHC was established on 1st April 1991, through the amalgamation of Stevenage College, Hitchin ...
*AVC Sports Management
*Elite Preparation Centre
*
CB Hounslow United
*Football Magic Coaching
*
University of Westminster
, mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength
, type = Public
, established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster
, endowment = £5.1 million ...
*Rural Friendly League
* Isledon Wolves
*
West Thames College
West Thames College is a medium-sized college of further and higher education in West London, England. It was formed in 1976, originally named Hounslow Borough College, having gained its current name in 1993. The college has two campuses in the L ...
* GSK Human Performance Lab
Europe
*
UMF Selfoss
Ungmennafélag Selfoss, commonly known as Selfoss or UMF Selfoss, is an Icelandic multisport club, located in the town of Selfoss in the Southern Region. In May 2019, the Selfoss men's handball team won the national handball championship for ...
(
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
)
* Combined Counties Football League (
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
)
*
FC Midtjylland
FC Midtjylland (, "Central Jutland") is a Danish professional football club based in Herning and Ikast in the western part of Jutland. The club is the result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad. Midtjylland competes in the Danish Su ...
(
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
)
*
Käpylän Pallo
Käpylän Pallo or KäPa for short, is a football (soccer) club from the Käpylä district of Helsinki. The club currently plays in the Kakkonen, the third tier of the Finnish league system. KäPa play their home matches at the Max Westerberg A ...
(
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
)
North America
* Next Gen USA (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
Africa
*
Gulu United (
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
)
Squad list
Brentford B
Staff
Current staff
Reserve team/Development Squad/B Team manager history
Youth team/U18 manager history
Awards
B Team Player of the Year
B Team Players' Player of the Year
Youth Team Player of the Year
Honours
Reserve Team/Development Squad/B Team Honours
Leagues
Capital League
*Winners (2): 1987–88, 1994–95
Great Western Suburban League
*Winners (3): 1907–08, 1908–09, 1910–11
London Combination
The Football Combination was a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England, the Midlands and Wales; other clubs from the Midlands and those from the North playing in the Central League (it is n ...
*Winners (2): 1931–32, 1932–33
London League First Division
*Winners (1): 1908–09
London League Second Division
*Winners (1): 1902–03
Cups
Capital League Cup
*Winners (4): 1987–88, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95
Hounslow Borough Cup
*Winners (1): 2011
Kai Thor Cup
*Winners (1): 2017
Middlesex Senior Cup
The Middlesex Senior Cup is the most prestigious football cup competition in the historic county of Middlesex, England. The competition is run mainly for non-League clubs in the region, although league clubs have been known to enter the compe ...
*Winners (1): 2018–19
London Senior Cup
The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of Ar ...
* Winners (1): 2021–22
Youth Team Honours
Leagues
Football League Youth Alliance
The Football League Youth Alliance is a youth football competition in Football in England, England, consisting of four regional divisions. It acts as League 2 of the U18 Professional Development League system.
Current structure
North West Co ...
Merit First Division South
*Winners (2): 2001–02, 2002–03
South East Counties League
The South East Counties League (SECL) was a football league for the youth teams of clubs from Southern England.
The competition grew out of the Middlesex Youth Invitation Cup set up in the 1950s by the Middlesex FA and was formerly known as the ...
* Winners (1): 1983–84
Cups
Hounslow Minor Shield
* Winners (1): 1948–49
Chertsey Minor Cup
* Winners (1): 1949–50
Frankfurt International Youth Tournament
*Winners (1): 1973
West Middlesex Junior Cup: 1
*Winners (1): 1893–94
Royal Mail Cup
* Winners (2): 1996, 1998
Academy Team Honours
U15
Milk Cup
SuperCupNI, formerly called the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament and the Dale Farm Milk Cup, is an international youth football tournament held annually in Northern Ireland. The cup matches are mainly played in the North Coast area of ...
: 2
*Winners (1): 2012 (Junior)
*Winners (1): 2014 (Junior Globe)
Sportfan Football Festival
* Winners (1): 2015
U13
Elite Neon Cup
* Winners (1): 2015
U11
England v Germany Tournament
* Winners (1): 2015 (Silver Phase)
Other Honours
Brentford Griffins
Football Conference Youth Alliance / National League U19 Alliance
*Winners (1): 2014–15 (London & South East Division)
*Winners (1): 2015–16 (Division F)
Noted graduates
Brentford's youth, reserve, Development Squad and B teams produced many players who made
25 or more appearances for the first team. Players marked * won a full international cap while with Brentford or later in their career. Players are listed according to the decade of their senior debut for the club.
And those who made it elsewhere
Many former Brentford schoolboy, youth, reserve, Development Squad, B team and CST players found success with other clubs. Those marked † did not make a senior appearance for Brentford, but made a first team appearance for another club in a
fully professional league. Players marked * won an international cap while with Brentford or later in their career. Players are listed according to the decade of their senior debut or, if they did not make a senior appearance, the decade of their departure from the club.
International players
Brentford's youth, reserve, Development Squad and B teams have produced many players who were capped at full and youth international level during their career with the club.
Notes
References
External links
Brentford FC Official WebsiteBrentford B Player ProfilesBrentford B Fixtures & Results
{{Football in London
Reserves
Brentford, London
Football academies in England
Association football clubs established in 1889
Football clubs in London
Southern Football League clubs
1889 establishments in England
Sport in the London Borough of Hounslow
London League (football)
Great Western Suburban League