Bees play in front of record league crowd

The record for the largest official attendance ever for a Brentford FC league match was broken at the weekend. The Bees faced Arsenal in a Premier League encounter on Saturday, 19 February. Arsenal announced the number of tickets sold as 60,015. It is the first time The Bees have ever played a league match with an attendance that high.

It has been more than a century since Brentford entered the Football League. The Bees have played more than 4,200 league matches at well over 100 stadiums. But matches in front of crowds of more than 50,000 have been rare. And games with attendances of more than 60,000 are even rarer.

The highest crowd The Bees have ever played a recognised fixture in front of came in 1942. The Bees beat Portsmouth in the London War Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. The official attendance for that fixture was 69,792.

The game against Arsenal is now the largest crowd for a league game and we have played in front of more than 50,000 people on five more occasions this term – at West Ham United, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester City. Our visit to Manchester United in April could also be record-breaking.

Highest Attendances for Brentford matches:

69,792 Brentford v Portsmouth 30 May 1942 (Wembley Stadium) (London War Cup)60,015 Arsenal v Brentford 19 February 2022 (Emirates Stadium)59,889 West Ham United v Brentford 3 October 2021 (London Stadium)56,810 Chelsea v Brentford 23 October 1937 (Stamford Bridge)56,692 Newcastle United v Brentford 6 September 1947 (St James’ Park)56,624 Chelsea v Brentford 13 November 1935 (Stamford Bridge)56,190 Manchester City v Brentford 23 January 1932 (Maine Road) (FA Cup)55,338 Everton v Brentford 31 August 1946 (Goodison Park)54,202 Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford 2 December 2021 (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)52,824 Liverpool v Brentford 16 January 2022 (Anfield)52,131 Newcastle United v Brentford 20 November 2021 (St James’ Park)51,885 Newcastle United v Brentford 15 October 2016 (St James’ Park)51,658 Manchester City v Brentford 9 February 2022 (Etihad Stadium)