Business of Football

Brentford are a club famed for their data driven recruitment & innovative strategy, but they’re still a smaller global brand compared with other Premier League giants. Brentford have been an ever present in the league since their promotion through the Play-offs in May 2021. Having had steady progression, this year could see them finish in their highest position since their promotion, potentially surpassing their 9th place finish in 22/23. Brentford currently sit 7th in the Premier League – 4 points behind both Liverpool & Chelsea currently occupying 5th and 6th.

The best & most famous clubs in the world aim to build from a position of strength – which is exactly what Brentford should aim to do, both on & off the pitch. The globalisation of football has transformed clubs into international entertainment brands. While many Premier League clubs already possess worldwide fanbases, smaller clubs have an opportunity to strategically expand their global presence through digital engagement, data-driven market targeting, and innovative partnerships.

This case study explores how Brentford FC could develop a strategic approach to increase its international reach while maintaining the club’s unique identity and sustainable growth model.

Brentford’s current position:

Brentford provides a fascinating example of a modern football club punching above it’s historic weight, built on innovation. Some of the clubs key characteristics include; data-driven recruitment model working within their lower comparative budget to the rest of the league, strong club culture & identity , and being located in a global football hub in London. Their analytical approach, heavily influenced by owner Matthew Benham, already differentiates them from many clubs. Benham recently did an interview with MIT/ Men in blazers, where he emphasised that Brentford cannot compete financially with bigger clubs, so their strategy is to be smarter rather than richer. While data and analytics are the core of Brentford’s identity, Benham emphasises that their success is not only data-driven. He highlighted the importance of collaborative leadership, collective decision-making & culture inside the organisation.    

Brentford still faces challenges in global brand recognition compared to their London neighbours like Arsenal, Chelsea & Tottenham Hotspur. This creates an opportunity to develop a focused international growth strategy.

Benham summarised their competitive strategy as “We couldn’t compete financially, so we tried to be smarter.” That idea is the foundation of Brentford’s entire business model.

Potential Target Markets:

Rather than targeting the entire world, Brentford should prioritize 3-4 high-opportunity markets. The U.S, Scandinavian markets & Southeast Asia are areas I believe the club could successfully increase their global fanbase.

United States:

The U.S represents one of the most attractive growth markets for club in the Premier League. The US fits Brentford for a number of reasons. Rapid football growth – football participation in the US is extremely high at youth level, participation grew ~19% from 2019-2024. Total participation increased by ~3.4 million players over the last decade. The upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup will surely only further accelerate this interest. The Premier League is the most watched football league in the US, and American fans increasingly follow clubs outside the traditional “big six”. Recently McGonagle’s pub in Boston hosted a watch party in collaboration with Boston Wrexham supporters group “Boston Reds” to show the recent FA Cup match between Wrexham and Chelsea – showing the appetite is there for traditionally smaller teams to see growth in the US market.

As previously mentioned, Benham built Brentford’s model around analytics & statistical decision making. This philosophy resonates strongly with American sports culture where data-driven approaches (Moneyball, NBA analytics) are widely understood and celebrated. The potential is there to position Brentford as the ‘Moneyball club of football’. This narrative could strongly appeal to US audiences who appreciate underdog and analytical-driven stories. They could aim for growth in the US market through content & storytelling, pre-season tours & establishing certified Brentford FC Fan Club’s in pockets of the country.

Content & Storytelling

Documentaries explaining Brentford’s recruitment model, tapping into its multi-club network with FC Midtjylland who have regularly competed in the UEFA Champions League.  We have seen midfielder Frank Onyeka make the jump from the Danish club to the Premier League. It could be interesting for a film crew to follow the day to day work of both club’s analytical and scouting teams to see how they un-earth these previously unknown gems. Giving a true sense for the amount of time and work goes into this side of the football industry.

Brentford currently only have 880k followers on Instagram, the lowest of any of the London Premier League clubs. What can they do to bridge the gap to Fulham’s 1.3m followers? Posting analytics-focused social media content could help the club grow its social media presence on the global stage, particularly the US.  For example, Baltimore Ravens (NFL) regularly share draft evaluation statistics and scouting metrics. NFL fans love prospect analytics breakdowns, which drives engagement during draft season. Brentford could replicate this by doing a deep dive with their analysts on how they knew signing Igor Thiago (currently 2nd in the race for the Premier League golden boot)  from Club Brugge would be a success.

To boost engagement, Brentford could post interactive fan analytics. They could collaborate with companies like DraftKings after the recent boom of sports gambling across the US. For example; they could post a poll “Which of these chances created the higher xG?”. Fans vote, then Brentford reveals the model’s prediction. This gamifies analytics. Most Premier League clubs focus social media on goals, highlights, celebrations etc. Brentford could dominate a unique niche – Analytics-driven football storytelling.

Pre-season Tours

Participating in the Premier League Summer Series or US pre-season could grow awareness, attract new fans and create sponsorship opportunities. Again, going back to Benham’s recent interview at MIT, Brentford “can’t compete financially, so we try to be smarter.” Typically Premier League clubs’ pre-season tours look relatively similar. Host open training sessions and play a match in a big NFL/MLB stadium. What can Brentford do to differentiate from this repetitive roll out?

The Brentford Analytics Combine

Borrowing inspiration from the NFL combine. NFL prospects go through testing including; 40-yard dash, vertical jump, agility drills. These metrics are hugely popular with American fans. Brentford could create their own version of this where fans participate in a range of tests and compare their results with a specific action from a Brentford premier league game from the previous season. Fans run a sprint and compare their speed with Kevin Scade’s top sprint speed or the Premier League average. “You ran 26 km/.h – Kevin’s top speed last season was 36 km/h.” Shot power challenge – fans shoot into a goal with radar technology. They then compare the fan shot speed vs Premier League Average.

The Pat McAfee show currently does something similar – they see if a standard fan can kick a 33 yard field goal on his college gameday show. Clips from this segment perform very well on social media platforms regularly exceeding millions of views. This could help Brentford in no longer being the least followed London Premier Club on Instagram.

“Beat the Model” – Brentford’s Recruitment Algorithm

Fans try to predict which players Brentford would sign – even using Player A vs Player B rather than using real life players. In this interactive game, fans could be shown data on several; players; xG, pressing stats, progressive passes etc. Fans choose who they think Brentford should recruit and then reveal what the Brentford model preference would be. This lets fans experience the clubs recruitment philosophy firsthand.

AI Matchup Simulator

Using AI visualisation technology, fans enter their sprint speed, shot power and reaction time. The system simulates how these metrics would perform against Brentford players. Some example outputs include – ‘You would lose a foot race to Kevin Schade by 3 metres’, ‘Your shot power equals 62% of Igor Thiago’s average strike etc. Fans then share these results on social media which would spell growth for the club.

The Brentford Data Room Experience

Create a pop-up ‘data war room’. With this fans could experience the club’s analytics process. Stations could include; Recruitment table where fans evaluate players using statistics. Tactics Board – fans design a set-piece strategy using expected goals models. Video Analysis – fans try to identify pressing triggers or build up systems/rotations. This would feel like entering Brentford’s analytics department, giving fans a unique perspective on football through the lens of some of the sport’s most sought after analysts.

These examples again lean on Brentford’s competitive advantage in innovation & analytics, veering away from the standard Premier League pre-season tour including training sessions, meet & greets and merchandise events. Instead of copying other clubs, they could create the Premier Leagues most interactive fan tour.

Rather than competing with larger Premier League clubs through traditional pre-season tours, Brentford could differentiate itself by transforming its US tour into an interactive analytics experience. By allowing fans to test their physical metrics against Premier League data and engage with the club’s recruitment models, Brentford could position itself as football’s equivalent of the “Moneyball franchise” and build a distinctive identity within the American sports market.

The Brentford Algorithm App

A Data-Driven Platform to Grow Brentford’s Global Fanbase

One of Brentford’s greatest competitive advantages is its reputation as football’s most analytically driven club. Rather than attempting to compete with larger clubs through traditional marketing, Brentford could leverage this identity by launching a digital platform called The Brentford Algorithm App.

The platform would allow fans to interact directly with the type of analytics and decision-making models that underpin the club’s success. Instead of simply consuming content, fans would participate in Brentford’s analytical approach to football, strengthening engagement and building a distinctive brand identity

Core Features of the App

“Build the Brentford XI”

Fans are given a transfer budget and statistical dataset. They must recruit players based on metrics like xG, progressive passes, pressing intensity, chance creation. The app then compares the fan’s squad with Brentford’s recruitment model. Example output: “Your squad expected goals: 58.3” , “Brentford model squad: 64.1” This gamifies Brentford’s analytics philosophy.

Predict the Model

Fans attempt to predict Brentford’s next signing using player data. The app presents several players with their metrics.Fans choose who they think Brentford would recruit. The algorithm then reveals “The Brentford model chooses Player B.” Leaderboards rank fans whose predictions most closely match the club’s model.

Match Analytics Hub

During matches, the app provides live data insights. Pressing intensity maps, expected goals probability after each shot, sprint speeds and distance covered. This mirrors the advanced statistical analysis commonly seen in American sports leagues such as the National Basketball Association and the National Football League.

 

 

“Could You Play in the Premier League?”

Fans input their own physical data: sprint speed, vertical jump, shot power. The app compares these metrics with Brentford players. Example results: “Your sprint speed equals 82% of Jordan Henderson’s top speed.”  “Your reaction time ranks at Championship level.”

This interactive element encourages social sharing and viral engagement.

Global Analytics Challenges

Fans worldwide compete in data-driven football challenges. Predict Brentford’s next goal scorer, estimate match expected goals, forecast transfer market values. Fans can then earn points and unlock: exclusive content, virtual match analysis sessions, fan leaderboards

This creates an international Brentford analytics community. Brentford’s rise to the Premier League has been built on intelligent decision-making, innovative thinking and a willingness to challenge traditional football models. Those same principles should guide the club’s approach to global expansion. Rather than attempting to compete financially with the Premier League’s biggest brands, Brentford has an opportunity to grow its international fanbase by leaning into what already makes the club unique: analytics, innovation and authenticity. By targeting high-opportunity markets such as the United States, creating interactive analytics-driven fan experiences through pre-season tours, and developing digital platforms such as the Brentford Algorithm App, the club could build a distinctive global identity as football’s “Moneyball club”. In an era where clubs are increasingly competing for global attention, Brentford’s smartest strategy may be the one that has already brought them success on the pitch – continuing to think differently.