The owner of Brentford FC, Matthew Benham, is exploring potential offers for a share in the Premier League team.
According to Sky Sport, a confidential source revealed that the club is poised to engage a bank for advisory services regarding the sale.
Although not as widely recognized as larger counterparts like Manchester United and Everton FC, Brentford has become a remarkable success story in the fiercely competitive world of football, attributed in part to a strategic approach originating on the west coast of America.
A spokesperson for the club commented on the growing interest in investment opportunities, citing the recent success and evolving shareholder landscape in the Premier League.
The spokesperson emphasized Benham’s unwavering commitment to the club while acknowledging the need to explore new investments to ensure competitiveness and secure the team’s future.
“Given the recent rise and growth of our club and the changing shareholder landscape within the Premier League, it’s no surprise that there has been interest in investment opportunities at Brentford FC.
“While Matthew Benham’s commitment to the club remains as strong as it ever was, it is only natural, and perhaps even essential, for us to carefully explore what new investment could potentially mean for the future of Brentford FC.
“We must not stand still and we remain absolutely determined to safeguard the long term future of Brentford FC and to remain competitive in the world’s most challenging and successful league.”
Benham, a former Bank of America employee who invested in Brentford in 2007, transformed the club from lower league obscurity using data analytics to identify overlooked talent. His approach, reminiscent of Billy Beane in baseball, propelled Brentford to promotion to the Premier League in 2021, despite regular sales of key players.
The club moved from the historic Griffin Park stadium to the 17,000-capacity GTech Community Stadium in 2020. The latest financial statement for the year ending June 2022 revealed a profit of £29.9 million ($37.7 million) from £140 million in revenue. With a valuation potentially exceeding £500 million, Brentford’s profitability stands out, considering that many teams are valued at a multiple of four to six times their revenues.
All Premier League teams receive a minimum of £100 million annually from broadcast revenue, a figure recently extended for another four years through a £6.7 billion deal.
Brentford’s availability for sale also distinguishes it as a rare London-based club on the market, with West Ham selling a 10% stake, and an investor in Tottenham Hotspur open to a stake sale.
