Who Is The Owner Of Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club, known as “The Bees,” is a professional football team from West London, England. They play in the Premier League, the top division of English football.
Established in 1889, Brentford played at Griffin Park for over a century before moving to the modern Brentford Community Stadium in 2020.
The club started in amateur football before joining the Football League in 1920, and their best league finish was fifth in the First Division in 1935–36. After years across divisions, Brentford returned to the top flight in 2021.
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Brentford F.C. Premier League History
After spending many years in the lower divisions, they made a strong comeback in recent years. Their rise to the Premier League began in the 2019–2020 season.
Brentford had not played in the top flight of English football for 74 years. In their first season back in the second tier of English football since 1993, Brentford performed well, finishing 5th in the Championship.
When Thomas Frank took over as manager, he led the team to more success. In the 2019-2020 season, Brentford finished 3rd in the Championship and reached the play-off final, where they faced their West London rivals, Fulham.
Unfortunately, they were beaten 2-1 in a close match. In the summer of 2020, Brentford moved out of their old home, Griffin Park, and moved into the Brentford Community Stadium.
The new stadium has a capacity of 17,250 and provided the team with a fresh start in their push for Premier League football.
The following season, 2020–2021, was the one where Brentford finally made it. They finished 3rd in the Championship again.
In the Championship play-off final, they defeated Swansea City 2-0, securing promotion and ending their 74-year wait to play in the top division. Brentford’s first season in the Premier League in 2021–2022 was a success.
They finished in 13th place, showing they could compete with the best teams in England. The following seasons saw Brentford continue to grow, finishing 9th in 2022–2023 and 16th in 2023–2024.
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Who Is The Owner Of Brentford F.C.?
Matthew Benham is the owner of Brentford Football Club. Benham grew up in Eton, where his parents were teachers.
He became a fan of Brentford at a young age, attending his first match when he was 11. He later studied physics at the University of Oxford and graduated in 1989.
After university, he worked in the financial sector for many years, including as a hedge fund manager and a vice president at the Bank of America. However, his career path changed when he joined sports gambling.
Using statistical models, Benham found ways to predict football outcomes more accurately, which made him very successful in the betting industry.
He established Smartodds, a company that provides statistical research for professional gamblers, and Matchbook, a sports betting exchange.
Benham’s connection with Brentford began when the club was struggling financially. In 2007, he helped by paying off £500,000 loans and later invested £700,000 to support the team.
By 2012, he took full control of the club, which was then playing in the third tier of English football. In 2021, Brentford achieved promotion to the Premier League, ending a 74-year absence from the top level of English football.
Benham also built a new stadium for the team, the Brentford Community Stadium, which opened in 2020. Aside from Brentford, Benham once owned a Danish football club, FC Midtjylland.
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Brentford F.C. Owner Net Worth
Matthew Benham, the owner of Brentford FC’s net worth is around £216 million ($280 million). His wealth comes mainly from the gambling industry, especially through the companies he has started, like Matchbook and SmartOdds.
In 2001, Benham moved into sports betting, joining Premier Bet, a company created by gambler Tony Bloom. In 2004, Benham founded SmartOdds.
SmartOdds has grown into a successful business, known for its innovative use of data to improve betting strategies. In 2011, he also acquired Matchbook, a betting exchange platform.
Benham also owned a majority stake in FC Midtjylland, a Danish football club, from 2014. Even though he sold his majority stake in the club recently, this investment added to his overall wealth.
Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.
