Our History

From formation through to promotion to the Premier League. Scroll down to go back in time through the history of Brentford Football Club.

After promotion to the top flight, Gtech Community Stadium was host to the first game of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, as Brentford took on Arsenal. Goals from Sergi Canós and Christian Nørgaard sealed the 2-0 victory for Thomas Frank’s side, which certainly set the tone for what the Bees would bring to the division.

The club ended the campaign in 13th place and were given a mid-season boost with the arrival of Christian Eriksen, who scored in the terrific 4-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge - one of many standout results since promotion.

Brentford's second term in the Premier League ended with an incredible ninth-place finish, which saw the Bees set a new standard for fewest defeats and least goals conceded in a season, whilst recording their highest post-war finish.

The first home game of the 2022/23 season saw a historic 4-0 win over Manchester United (which saw the west Londoners score all four in an unforgettable first half), and also register an incredible double over treble winners Manchester City, which meant Brentford were the only team in the division to achieve that feat against Pep Guardiola’s European champions.

The Premier League

2020 - 2021

The Bees spent most of the campaign close to the top of the table and were fourth when the Covid-19 outbreak halted football for around three months in spring 2020. Brentford surged towards promotion winning game after game behind closed doors.

The Bees eventually finishing third in the table and losing the Play-Off Final to Fulham in extra time. Brentford Community Stadium opened in September 2020 and the Bees pushed for promotion and again finished third, reaching the Play-Offs. This time The Bees were successful at Wembley, beating Swansea City 2-0 in May 2021. Brentford were back in the Premier League.

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A New Home for the Bees

2013 - 2020

In December 2013, Brentford FC were granted planning permission to build a new community stadium close to Kew Bridge. After some alterations to the designs, ground was broken in March 2018 and development commenced.

The Club reached the Sky Bet Championship Play-offs in 2014/15 season, but were beaten in the Semi-Finals by Middlesbrough on aggregate. On the pitch the buying and selling of players, with subsequent reinvestment, enabled Brentford to go in to the 2019/20 season under Head Coach Thomas Frank with a squad that challenged at the top of the Sky Bet Championship.

From League One to the Championship

2011 - 2014

The Club made it to Wembley again in the 2011 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final, but were beaten 1-0 by Carlisle United. In the summer, the Club announced it had purchased the land intended for a new stadium located in Lionel Road South, Brentford.

The Club came within a last minute penalty kick of being promoted back to the second tier – now The Championship – in an emotion-charged match with Doncaster Rovers in April 2013, but Rovers, subsequently scored and were promoted instead. The Bees overcame the disappointment in 2013/2014 by securing a place in the Sky Bet Championship for 2014/2015.

Third division champions

Under manager Phil Holder’s reign the club won the 1991/1992 Third Division Championship on the final day with a 1-0 victory at Peterborough United. Despite being in the top half by December 1992, as in 1972, history repeated itself with the Club relegated immediately back to the lower divisions in May 1993. Unsuccessful Second Division Play-Off campaigns in 1995 and 1997 then followed before relegation to the bottom tier in 1998 after a turbulent campaign that saw demonstrations by supporters against new owner David Webb’s running of the Club.

Takeover

In January 1967, the shock news broke that it had been secretly arranged with Chairman of local rivals Queens Park Rangers to take over Griffin Park the following season and close Brentford down. However, a consortium of businessmen - with significant help from supporters - bought out shares, guaranteeing the Club a significant loan to keep it operational.

Harry Curtis

In May 1926, former Football League referee Harry Curtis was appointed as Secretary Manager. Curtis would transform Brentford, taking them from a struggling third tier club to the First Division in only nine years.

An FA Cup run to the Fifth Round in 1927 was followed by winning all 21 home league matches in 1929/30, an achievement still not bettered. The 1932/33 campaign saw Brentford become Football League Division Three (South) Champions, swiftly followed by the Second Division title two years later, which gave the Club a place in the top tier of English football for the first time.

Where it all started

The formation of Brentford Football Club in 1889 is owed to the decision by the Brentford Local Board [a forerunner of today's councils] to open a new Recreation Ground in the town. At a meeting convened on 10 October at the Pavilion of the Oxford and Cambridge Public House, adjacent to Kew Bridge, it was resolved that a Club should be formed to utilise the land for sporting purposes.

Six days later, a vote took place to decide which code of football would be played by the new side – association or rugby – with the round ball game winning by eight votes to five. Negotiations to use the Recreation Ground broke down, but the decision to form a Club continued, Brentford playing their first game against a Kew eleven on 23 November 1889 that resulted in a 1-1 draw.

On 1 September 1904 Brentford played their first game at their new home - Griffin Park- a draw against Plymouth Argyle in a Western league fixture