Brentford Football Club is delighted to announce a ground-breaking new partnership with Icelandic football club UMF Selfoss.
The arrangement will see players from Brentford’s Youth Team and Development Squad; those aged 17 to 21, going to play in Iceland as part of their professional development.
The Bees will also be able to exchange coaching ideas with the Icelandic team and will be able to use Selfoss’ scouting network to learn about the best young players from the Northern European nation.
Ose Aibangee, Brentford FC Academy Director, said: “This is a very exciting arrangement and very unusual for a club at League One level to be able to secure this sort of partnership.
“We have a number of successful partnerships with teams in and around London for young players but this breaks new ground and the name of Brentford will be known much further afield.
“I have been over to Iceland to secure the partnership and I have seen first-hand they have some very exciting ideas in terms of coaching and developing players.
“There is a possibility we can play games against them and it will offer a chance for our players to play in Iceland.
“The Icelandic season runs from May to September so our young players can go there on loan during our summer if it will aid their development.
“Some may even be able to use it as an exit route if their time at Brentford has come to an end.”
Selfoss was founded as a general sports club in 1936 and the football department, which has become, UMF Selfoss was founded in 1955.
Selfoss were generally a second tier club in Iceland but over the past few years have yo-yoed between the Premier League, Úrvalsdeild, and the second tier, 1. deild.
Gunnar Guðmundsson is the current Head Coach at Selfoss and he is also in charge of the Iceland Under-17 team.
Ose added: “Selfoss have a young squad; it is a club that brings young players through in the First Team ranks.
“They are keen to work with us as they see a club with a similar ethos.
“Working with Selfoss, and also Gunnar, will expand our scouting network.
“You can look throughout Europe and see some top players that have come from Iceland.
“Eiður Goðjohnsen was a star at Chelsea and won the Champions League with Barcelona.
“And at Brentford Hermann Hreiðarsson, Ívar Ingimarsson and Ole Gottskálksson were loved by the fans.
“These players were all young players in Iceland once.
“Our link will help us find those stars before they hit the wider stage and possibly get them to Brentford.
“We will get to hear about the best players in Iceland before the rest of Europe.
“This is another great deal for the Academy and for the Club and I hope it will bear fruit.”