Last month, Brentford B welcomed Paris Saint Germain Under-21s to Gtech Community Stadium for the fourth Robert Rowan Invitational.
This annual fixture commemorates the life of Brentford’s former technical director Robert Rowan, who sadly passed away in November 2018 at the age of 28 following a fatal cardiomyopathy episode.
The game provided Brentford’s young players with a valuable opportunity to perform in front of supporters at the Gtech and marked the first time the Bees had hosted international opposition for the Robert Rowan Invitational.
Iwan Morgan equalised for the young Bees after Ilyes Housni’s early opener for the visitors, before Rayan Abo El Nay scored a late brace to secure a 3-1 win for PSG.
Robert’s wife Suzanne was in attendance and took part in the trophy presentation.
“It’s a really special event to carry on the work that Robert was doing with the B team,” she said.
“Seeing how well Neil MacFarlane’s done, and now Sam Saunders, it really sticks with what Robert was doing at the time and what he wanted for the club.
“To be able to honour that every year and have his name out there, so people can understand who he is and he did, means the world to me.”
Suzanne added: “We talk about Brentford as a family club, a community club, and that’s exactly what it is.
“You can see that through the B team. They are giving a pathway to young players, and that’s what Robert was massively about. He was so passionate about the adventure he was on with the B team.
“To be sitting in a Premier League stadium, with the club competing really well, I just think Robert would be ecstatic. He really wanted this for everyone.
“I always remember somebody saying, ‘When somebody dies, they die twice: first when they die, and then when people stop speaking their name.’ That’s not going to happen, which is amazing.”
The Robert Rowan Invitational raises money and awareness for the Heart of West London initiative.
Heart of West London is made up of Brentford FC, Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), Resuscitation Council UK, London Ambulance Service, and A-K-A Day.
Our collective goal is to prevent sudden cardiac death by delivering potentially life-saving cardiac screenings in the community, increasing CPR awareness and education, and funding ground-breaking research, as well as supporting those affected by cardiac health issues.
“12 young people a week are dying from cardiac conditions and 80 per cent of those people don’t have any prior symptoms,” said Suzanne.
“We weren’t aware of CRY before Robert’s passing, and I’m just really keen to make sure as many people as possible know about CRY and the work they do, and that they can get themselves screened.
“The fact that we can host these screenings at the Community Stadium Hub is brilliant.
“It’s something that’s given me a lot of strength over these last few years. I’m really proud of the work we do with CRY. We’ve screened over 2,000 young people in Robert’s memory, and the Heart of West London initiative has helped put that on a wider stage.”