Following the announcement tonight by Stewart Purvis, chair of the Brentford Supporters Trust, Bees United, that he will be standing down in the New Year after nearly four years, Brentford FC have confirmed that his successor, Stuart Hatcher, will take up Purvis' place on the Club board.

Purvis joined the Club board in 2019 as the representative of Bees United, a position enshrined following Matthew’s Benham’s takeover of the Club. 

Stuart Hatcher has been formally appointed as the elected chair of Bees United and in turn, joins the Brentford FC board.

Hatcher is a long-term Brentford fan and season ticket holder. For many years he was involved with Bees United behind the scenes working as a volunteer using his day job skills as a corporate lawyer.

He advised Bees United on how to acquire the Club and then later to sell it to Matthew Benham. In particular he advised on the creation of the special share which ensures that the fans, through Bees United, have a voice and a veto if required in key decisions around the future of the stadium.

Reflecting on his involvement and his election as chair of Bees United in February 2019, Stewart Purvis said: “Brentford were in 18th place in the Championship and a few faint-hearted fans were worried about possible relegation to League One.

“Under the recently appointed head coach Thomas Frank, the Bees had gone ten matches with just one win. Quite a lot has changed in these four years and we are currently tenth in the Premier League.

“So, it has been a brilliant time to be the Bees United chair and Bees United’s representative on the Club board.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I have had absolutely no role in the Club’s success on the pitch, but as somebody who went to their first Bees game 65 years ago, it has been great to have been an eyewitness to Club history.

“I would like to thank all those I have worked with on the BU and Club boards and all the wonderful Bees fans I have met during my term as chair. Tonight, I was able to thank Thomas Frank personally on our Q&A for all the success he has brought the Bees.”

Cliff Crown, chair of Brentford FC said: “On behalf of Brentford FC, I would like to thank Stewart for his contribution to the work of the board during his time on it.

“His representation of Bees United and their membership was first class, helping to steer and to challenge, where necessary, our decision making, ensuring that the fans’ voice was heard and made a positive contribution. 

“We now looking forward to welcoming Stuart Hatcher on to our board. He is well known to us through his previous work, particularly in setting up the ‘golden share’ scheme which has recently been acknowledged as being best practice in the government’s recent fan-led review.”