Launched in 2012, the Football Business Awards celebrate the very best in football business and attract 500 attendees to the ceremony each year.

The judging panel is made up of chief executives of football clubs, professional football associations and grassroots football organisations – all individuals whose knowledge, expertise and experience gives them special insight into the challenges and demands of football business success.

Competing with the likes of Aston Villa, Chelsea and Everton, we are on the shortlist for Best Club Marketing Initiative for our 2020/21 Third Kit Launch.

Having moved to a new stadium a stone’s throw away from the site of our formation at Kew Bridge, the Club took inspiration from its past with a claret, salmon and blue third strip - the same colours as the Brentford Rowing Club. The Bees marked the start of a new era with a nod to how it all began.

Launched on 26 October 2020, the New Beginnings campaign focused heavily on the Club’s origins by the River Thames; members of the Club’s First Team, B Team and Women’s squads were photographed modelling the new shirt at Putney Town Rowing Club.

One of the earliest accounts of Brentford playing in its original colours came in a poem published in the County of Middlesex Independent on 31 March 1894. Written by a supporter, Brentford are said to have ‘fought right well amidst the fray, for Claret and the Blue.’ The voice over included in the New Beginnings launch video was inspired by this original source material. The video racked up 100,000 views across the Club’s social media platforms.

We have also been nominated for Best COVID-19 Community Response (Non-Premier League).

The 2019/20 season was set up to be an historic one as we bid farewell to our beloved Griffin Park and looked ahead to life at Brentford Community Stadium. The pandemic put the Club’s celebration plans on hold though and instead we focused our off-field efforts on supporting fans and the local community during unprecedented circumstances. Together with Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, the Club reached out with the #BeeAtHome and #BeeWell campaigns to encourage children and adults to stay active at home and look after their mental wellbeing and delivered pizzas to local families in need of a Christmas treat.

The Club also supported the NHS and South Western Railway with their campaigns on how to stay safe and worked with directors, players, staff and fans to raise money and increase donations for Hounslow Community FoodBox.

We supported our fans by calling to check in on them and found innovative ways to allow supporters to say their goodbyes to Griffin Park and be there for those special last moments even when games were behind closed doors. At our new stadium, new fan engagement ideas continue with Virtual Mascots, Buzz at Your Door and more.

Click here to find out more about this year’s Football Business Awards, including all the full shortlist for both categories.