How Brentford are making strides to build a global brand

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Brentford is currently playing its second Premier League season since being promoted from the Championship and is quietly establishing itself as a stable Premier League side.

The club’s long-term development began long before its promotion; owner Matthew Benham also owns FC Midtjylland in Denmark and the clubs have long held an affiliation.

In Brentford’s first overseas venture to import and export ideas, tactics and most importantly personnel, the club began to make strides in terms of expanding its brand globally.

Global ventures

Back in 2013, the club announced a partnership with UMF Selfoss of Iceland which allowed Brentford to utilise the Icelandic club to develop players on loan as well as poach some of their top talents. 

A partnership is in place with lower league Ugandan club Gulu United as part of the “United for United” project aimed at allowing more people to play the sport in the region and also at identifying top talents in the region.

This infographic shows what drives sports streaming in the United Kingdom. Liverpool top the list of most searched Premier League clubs in terms of sports streaming despite Manchester City’s domestic dominance. Liverpool’s figures are likely hugely influenced by global interest as a result of top stars such as Mohamed Salah of Egypt and several top Brazilian stars for example. This shows that popularity and success in terms of building a brand are not solely down to games won but can be accumulated in many other ways.

Brentford has certainly begun tapping into global markets by signing stars from all around the world, including players from Scandinavia, various regions of Africa, the Caribbean and Iran.

By signing players from various parts of the world, many different groups of people can have their interests piqued as perhaps their compatriots who play for Brentford or the club have made football more accessible in their nation.

Brentford has also managed to build a diverse squad while maintaining their Moneyball approach in which they aim to sign players for small fees based on statistical analysis that suggests they will be a success.

The club have simultaneously created sustainability on the pitch and financially in terms of their transfer business while constantly growing the club as a global brand, continuing to set up football academies worldwide and bringing in talent from across the planet.

How TV benefits the club

Another form of building the club’s brand has happened indirectly through the BBC Television series ‘People just do nothing’ in which the club is regularly mentioned and memorabilia is often featured within the show as well as the clubs’ merchandise.

The show features as a method of advertising the club to an audience which has recently turned global as the show filmed a special episode in Japan.

The fact a club that was in the Championship 18 months ago could have its influence spread as far as Japan is remarkable and is sure to be a huge aid to the clubs’ internal efforts to put the club on the map globally.