Brentford FC Reserves And Academy
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Brentford F.C. Reserves was the
reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...
of
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
. The reserve team played at varying times from 1900 until 2011. During the 2012 off-season, the English reserve football pyramid and
youth system In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show en ...
was overhauled under the
Elite Player Performance Plan The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is a youth development scheme initiated by the Premier League. The intention of the EPPP is to improve the quality and quantity of home-grown players produced by top English clubs. Measures introduced by t ...
and replaced with a new
Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
system and development leagues. Brentford's reserve team was relaunched as the Brentford Development Squad in 2011 and in 2012 it began competing in
Professional Development League The Professional Development League is a system of Football in England, English youth association football, football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the Th ...
2 South. After closing the academy in May 2016, the club withdrew from the Elite Player Performance Plan and Professional Development League and launched a new Brentford B team. Following the first team's promotion to the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
in 2021, the club reopened its academy in time for the start of the 2022–23 season, under the Elite Player Performance Plan, while retaining the B team.


Reserve team


Background

Brentford Reserves was formed to give young players and first team players returning from injury game time in a competitive environment. The ever-changing structure of the game in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
reserve team included in leagues competing against the first teams of amateur clubs. On occasion, the reserve team would compete in two leagues simultaneously. Upon the Football League's acceptance of the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
's
Elite Player Performance Plan The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is a youth development scheme initiated by the Premier League. The intention of the EPPP is to improve the quality and quantity of home-grown players produced by top English clubs. Measures introduced by t ...
in 2011, which replaced reserve teams with U21 Development Squads, the reserve team was permanently disbanded. Winger Micky Ball made the most appearances for the reserve team, 159, without having ever made a first team appearance. Two other players made more than 150 reserve team appearances – Fred Ryecraft and Johnny Hales.


London League (1900–1914)

The reserve team entered the London League First Division in the 1900–01 season and finished 8th out of 11. Following a demotion, the reserves were London League Second Division champions in 1902–03 and earned promotion back to the First Division. They finished third in the First Division in the 1903–04 season and were promoted to the Premier Division for 1904–05, finishing in 8th place. Bottom and second-from-bottom finishes saw the team back in the First Division for the 1908–09 season, which saw the reserves promoted back to the Premier Division as champions. They achieved their highest Premier Division placing in 1909–10, finishing fifth. Mid-table finishes followed in the Premier Division until 1913–14 when, competing for the first time in an all-professional reserve league, Brentford Reserves finished bottom in their final season in the league before the outbreak of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.


Great Western Suburban League (1905–1911)

The reserve team entered the
Great Western Suburban League The Great Western Suburban League was a football league that was primarily held in the Home counties, founded in 1904. History The Great Western Suburban League was founded on the 18 May 1904, at a meeting called by Mr. W. G. Langdon of Staine ...
for the 1905–06 season and finished as champions in 1907–08, 1908–09 and 1910–11 and runners up in 1905–06, 1906–07 and 1909–10. Their main rivals during those years were Reading Reserves,
Hounslow Hounslow ( ) is a large suburban district of West London, England, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 14 metropolitan cen ...
and
Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a suburb of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, its ...
. The 1910–11 title win (in which the team failed to win only two of its games and was unbeaten during the season) forced the league's management to ban professional clubs from competing, which caused Brentford's departure from the league.


South Eastern League (1914–1915)

Brentford Reserves competed in the South Eastern League during the 1914–15 season, but due to falling attendances brought on by the First World War, the team was withdrawn from the league in January 1915 and its record was expunged.


Football Combination (1919–1967, 1998–1999, 2000–2004, 2009–2011)

The reserve team spent much of its existence competing in the
Football Combination The Football Combination was a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England, the Midlands and Wales; other clubs from the Midlands and those from the North playing in the Central League (it is ...
. Brentford Reserves were London Combination (as the Football Combination was known then) champions in 1931–32 and 1932–33. The title-clinching game on 6 May 1933, against Aldershot Reserves was watched by a crowd of over 9,000 at
Griffin Park Griffin Park was a association football, football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground was in a predominantly resi ...
, the club record for a reserve team fixture. A notable achievement was 43-game winning run at Griffin Park between November 1931 and November 1933. Much of the success in those two seasons was down to the prolific goalscoring of
Ralph Allen Ralph Allen ( – 29 June 1764) was a British postmaster, merchant and philanthropist best known for his reforms to General Post Office#Early postal services, Britain's postal system. Born in St Columb Major, Cornwall, he moved to Bath, Somers ...
. Overspending and the subsequent cutting of costs forced the club to disband the reserve team and quit the Football Combination in 1967. The reserves re-joined the Football Combination for the 1998–99 season, but withdrew at the end of the 1999–2000 season. The team rejoined for the 2000–01 season and a notable third-place finish was achieved in 2001–02. The reserve team was withdrawn from competition in 2004, but was revived and won election to the Football Combination Central Division in 2009. The team played for two seasons before being replaced by the Brentford Development Squad in 2011. During its final two seasons, the reserve team played its home games at Griffin Park.


London Midweek League (1938–1939, 1974–1985)

A Brentford reserve team was entered into the London Midweek League for the 1938–39 season. The entry into the league was "to give promising young professionals, amateurs and any “finds” a test and to build up the playing strength". After the Brentford Reserve team was revived in 1974, the team re-entered the London Midweek League. The team's best finish was as runners-up in 1982–83.


Capital League (1984–1998)

A reserve team was entered into the Capital League as founding members in 1984. Throughout its time in the league, the reserve team was competitive and won the title in 1987–88 and 1995–96. The team won the Capital League Cup in 1987–88, 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1994–95.


Development squad


Background

The Brentford Development Squad was launched in May 2011. The Development Squad played its home matches at the club's
training ground A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important ...
at Jersey Road,
Osterley Osterley ( ) is an affluent district of Isleworth in west London, England, from Charing Cross in the London Borough of Hounslow. Most of its land use is mixed agricultural and aesthetic parkland at Osterley House (National Trust), charity-r ...
and a limited number of fixtures were played at Griffin Park. The team was made up of U21 players and was allowed to field three overage outfield players and one overage goalkeeper, which enabled first team fringe players to get game time. Scholars were also eligible to play for the Development Squad. After impressing during the 2011–12
pre-season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...
,
Jake Reeves Jake Kenny Reeves (born 30 May 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club AFC Wimbledon. Reeves began his career in the youth system at Tottenham Hotspur, before beginning his senior career with Brentford in ...
became the first Development Squad player to be promoted into the first team squad. Charlie Adams, Josh Clarke and Mark Smith also graduated from the team. Josh Clarke made the most competitive appearances for the team during its existence (64) and Jan Holldack,
Luke Norris Luke Norris may refer to: * Luke Norris (footballer) Luke Michael Norris (born 3 June 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Tranmere Rovers. Having played in the youth academies at Luton Town, Hitchin ...
and Jermaine Udumaga tied as top scorers with 14 goals each. The Development Squad model was abandoned in May 2016. Speaking about the shortcomings of
Professional Development League The Professional Development League is a system of Football in England, English youth association football, football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the Th ...
football, then-academy conditioning coach James Purdue stated in October 2020 that "one of the big things for us was that, physically, the players weren’t challenged enough to put them in a place where they were ready to step into first team football. We looked a lot at data from U23 games and it wasn’t comparable to first team football".


History (2011–2016)

The Development Squad played
friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
es during the 2011–12 season. It won its first silverware in August 2011, with a 3–2 victory over Bedfont Sports claiming the Hounslow Borough Cup. The team entered the Professional Development League 2 South for the
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season and finished fourth, two places away from qualifying for the knockout stage. The 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons yielded poor finishes near the bottom of the table. The team entered the U21 Premier League Cup for only time in the 2015–16 season and reached the quarter-finals.


Brentford B


Original incarnation (1890s)

The original Brentford B team was active during the 1890s and functioned as the third XI, below the first team and reserve team. From the beginning of the 1899–1900 season, the B team was renamed Brentford Thursday.


Relaunch (2016–present)


Background

After the Brentford Academy was closed at the end of the 2015–16 season, the Development Squad was renamed Brentford B. The team plays friendly matches against senior, U23, U21 and academy teams, with a squad of players aged from 17 to 21. In addition, the team plays in friendly cup competitions and entered competitive cups for the first time during the 2018–19 season. The players and staff are part of an ongoing exchange of information with Brentford's partner club
FC Midtjylland Football Club Midtjylland (, "Central Jutland") is a Danish professional football club based in Herning and Ikast. The club is the result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad. Midtjylland competes in the Danish Superliga, which they ...
. Owner
Matthew Benham Matthew Alexander Benham (born May 1968) is a British businessman who is the owner of English Premier League club Brentford. He is also the founder and owner of Smartodds, a statistical research company for professional gamblers, and owner of M ...
revealed in July 2016 that, with the club needing to focus on the first team and its new stadium, "the B team seemed like a simpler and more attractive option". Then-Head of Football Operations Robert Rowan stated that the team's initial objective was to promote at least one player into the first team squad by the end of the 2016–17 season, which was achieved when
left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
Tom Field Thomas Geoffrey Field (born 14 March 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a left back for Canadian Premier League club Cavalry FC. A product of the Brentford Academy, Field graduated into the senior team in 2016. A fringe player, he ...
was promoted in December 2016. By September 2023, 28 B team contracted and
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
players had made a first team appearance. As of , right back David Titov has made the most B team appearances, with 103. In January 2019, Icelandic winger
Kolbeinn Finnsson Kolbeinn Birgir Finnsson (born 25 August 1999) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays for club Utrecht and the Iceland national team as a defender or midfielder. He has played domestic football in Iceland, the Netherlands, England ...
become the first B team player to win a full international cap while contracted to the team. In December 2023, right back Mads Roerslev became the first B team graduate to make 100 first team appearances. In December 2024, the number of first team appearances made by B team graduates passed 500. Robert Rowan described the recruitment process as being to identify "different leagues where the physical qualities are often overlooked in favour of the tactical qualities, whereas in England if you are physical you have a good chance of being a good player. The tactical side of things can be taught" and that "there isn’t much point in us going to
scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...
young talent in lower league clubs as every Premier League club can out-spend and out-resource us". A 2022 article in ''
The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports journalism department of ''The New York Times''. It provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories ...
'' stated that "Brentford often sign players for their B team who have fallen out of favour or been released from Premier League academies.
Non-League Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
sides have proven to be a fertile hunting ground too". Following the reopening of the Brentford academy in July 2022, the club's new U18 team fed into the B team. Speaking about the benefits of the B team for the players, strength and conditioning coach James Purdue stated in October 2020 that "the games programme tests them more physically and better prepares them for first team football. It’s also treated a lot more like a first team so the environment that they’re used to is not dissimilar when they step up, as we’ve seen with our players over the course of the last four years, the transition becomes easier. It doesn’t mean they’re ready to slot straight in all the time, but it means that they understand the requirements".


Home stadiums

In October 2023, Brentford took over the use of the vacant
Wheatsheaf Park Wheatsheaf Park is a football stadium in Staines-upon-Thames, England. It was the home ground of Staines Town between its opening in 1951 and the club's disbandment in 2022. The stadium was renovated in March 2000, with Staines Town moving back ...
for B team home fixtures. Prior to that, the B team played the majority of its home matches at the club's Jersey Road training ground. Prior to the club moving out of Griffin Park in 2020, the B team played occasional home matches at the ground. The team's first fixture at the Brentford Community Stadium was the
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
Premier League Cup Final, which was won 2–1 over
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. The grounds of
AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...
, Hanwell Town, Metropolitan Police, Bedfont Sports,
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...
,
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...
and
Sutton United Sutton United Football Club is a professional association football club from Sutton, South London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Sutton started out playing in junior, ...
have also been utilised for home fixtures.


Matches, leagues, cup competitions and tours

Between 2016 and 2024, Brentford B did not play in a league and its fixtures were arranged independently. The team's first fixture took place on 9 July 2016, against
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of California, Santa Barbara. Referred to in athletic competition as ''UC Santa Barbara'' or ''UCSB'', the Gauchos participate in 19 NCAA Division I i ...
at Jersey Road, which resulted in a 4–1 victory to the Bees. The team's debut season featured victories over U23 teams from
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
,
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
(on penalties),
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
,
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
, Reading and
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
. On 27 August 2020, the team played the final match at Griffin Park, a 6–3
London Senior Cup The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of ...
semi-final win over Erith Town. On 23 March 2023, the team played against a senior international XI for the first time and lost 2–0 to
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
at
Plough Lane Plough Lane, currently known as the Cherry Red Records Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose football stadium in Wimbledon, south-west London, which has been the home of AFC Wimbledon since 3 November 2020. A groundshare with rug ...
. For the 2024–25 season, the team was entered into the Professional Development League and won the competition at its first attempt. Since its maiden cup appearance at the Kai Thor Cup in 2017, the team has entered a number of friendly and competitive cup competitions, including the
Middlesex Senior Cup The Middlesex Senior Cup is the most prestigious football cup competition in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Middlesex, England. The competition is run mainly for non-League clubs in the region, although league clubs have ...
, the London Senior Cup, the Korantina Homes Cup, the Atlantic Cup, the Premier League Cup and one-off cup competitions. The team's cup wins include the 2017 Kai Thor Cup, the 2018–19 Middlesex Senior Cup, the 2021–22 London Senior Cup and the 2022–23 Premier League Cup. Aside from overseas
training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...
s, the team has toured
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
,
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
.


Youth team

A Brentford youth team won the West Middlesex Junior Cup in 1893–94. A new youth team, named Brentford Town Juniors, was launched in 1948 and won the Hounslow Minor Shield in its inaugural season. Products of the team included
Alan Bassham Alan John Bassham (3 October 1933 – 1982) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford as a right back. Club career Bassham began his career in the youth team at Second Division club Brentford as a ...
, George Bristow,
Roy Hart Roy Hart (born Rubin Hartstein; 30 October 1926 – 18 May 1975) was a South African actor and vocalist noted for his highly flexible voice and extensive vocal range that resulted from training in the extended vocal technique developed and taug ...
and George Lowden. The youth team reached the semi-finals of the
FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
in 1952–53, succumbing 8–1 on aggregate to the eventual winners
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
. Under the stewardship of Alf Bew and because of the financial constraints imposed on the first team, the youth team of the early 1950s was particularly productive, yielding Vernon Avis,
Johnny Pearson John Valmore Pearson (18 June 1925 – 20 March 2011) was a British composer, orchestra leader and pianist. He led the ''Top of the Pops'' orchestra for sixteen years, wrote a catalogue of library music, and had many of his pieces used as the ...
,
Gerry Cakebread Gerald Cakebread OBE (1 April 1936 – 16 September 2009) was an English footballer who made over 340 appearances in the Football League for Brentford as a goalkeeper. He remained a part-time player throughout his professional career. Cakebread ...
,
Dennis Heath Dennis John Heath (28 September 1934 – 28 September 2006) was an English professional footballer and manager who made over 120 appearances as an outside right in The Football League for Brentford. Playing career Brentford An outside rig ...
,
Jim Towers Edwin James Towers (15 April 1933 – 16 September 2010) was an English professional footballer, best remembered for his time as a centre forward in the Football League with Brentford. He is the club's all-time leading goalscorer and in 2013 wa ...
and George Francis. Following financial problems in 1967, the youth team was disbanded, but was revived again in 1972 with money raised by supporters. The youth team won a youth tournament in
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
the following year, beating Frem in the final, with Richard Poole top-scoring. Along with Poole,
Kevin Harding Kevin Harding (born 19 March 1957) is an English retired footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford as a defender. Playing career Brentford Harding was one of the first players recruited when the Brentford youth team was ...
and Roy Cotton progressed to play league football with the first team, while Gary Huxley won
England Youth England national under-18 football team, also known as England under-18s or England U18(s), represents England in association football at under-18 age level and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England ...
international honours. The youth team ceased playing competitive fixtures at the end of the 1973–74 season. The youth team was revived for the 1980–81 season. A team containing a young
Keith Millen Keith Derek Millen (born 26 September 1966) is an English football manager and former player who played as a centre back. He was most recently manager of club AFC Croydon Athletic. Millen was appointed as Steve Coppell's successor, after Coppe ...
was crowned champions of the South East Counties League in 1983–84. A second FA Youth Cup semi-final was reached in 1988–89, in which Brentford were beaten by
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
. After the dissolution of the South East Counties League, the youths later competed in the
Football League Youth Alliance The Football League Youth Alliance is a youth football competition in England, consisting of four regional divisions. It acts as League 2 of the U18 Professional Development League system. Current structure North West Conference * Accrington ...
and, competing as an U19 team, they were Merit Division One South champions in 2001–02 and 2002–03. The youths had a memorable run in the FA Youth Cup during the 2005–06 season, beating
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the third round on penalties
after extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a Tie (draw), tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is ...
and finally succumbing 2–1 to
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
in the fifth round. The team enjoyed another run in the 2011–12 FA Youth Cup, beating
Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...
,
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...
and
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...
before being knocked out in the fourth round by
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
.


Other teams


A Team (1920s–1930s, 1940s, 1959–1961)

A third Brentford team, known as Brentford A, was active in the late 1920s and early 1930s and then again from 1948. The team later competed in the Seanglian League in 1959–60 and finished in mid-table. The As fared worse the following season, finishing second from bottom and was disbanded. The team was managed by former first team
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
Ted Gaskell, with
Eddie Lyons Eddie Lyons (November 25, 1886 – August 30, 1926) was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer of the silent era. He appeared in 388, directed 153, wrote for 93, and produced 40 films between 1911 and 1926. He was born in B ...
as his assistant. Future key players John Docherty, Tommy Higginson and Peter Gelson began their Brentford careers in the team.


C Team (1890s)

Brentford C functioned as a fourth XI and was active during the 1890s. It later became known as Brentford Old Boys.


Elite Development Education Football Programme (2014–present)

The Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, in partnership with
West Thames College West Thames College is a medium-sized college of further education, further and higher education in West London, England. It was formed in 1976, originally named Hounslow Borough College, having gained its current name in 1993. The college has tw ...
, runs an Elite Development Education Programme, which sees boys between the ages of 16–18 train with the club three times a week, while also studying for BTEC courses at the college. The course also provides the opportunity for the players to gain FA coaching qualifications. Between 2014 and 2018, two U19 teams, Brentford Griffins and Brentford Bees, participated in the Football Conference Youth Alliance and the
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
U19 Alliance and played their home matches at King's House Sports Ground. The teams played their inaugural seasons in 2014–15 and Brentford Griffins won the Football Conference Youth Alliance London & South East division title. Despite the title win, coach Dan Wright revealed that the teams had fallen short of providing new scholars for the academy. Brentford Griffins again finished champions in the 2015–16 season, winning Division F' and advancing to the playoff semi-finals. From the beginning of the 2016–17 season, the Griffins and Bees became the de facto replacement for the Youth Team, offering a pathway to the B team for local teenage players of the required standard. In 2016,
Ellery Balcombe Ellery Ronald Balcombe (born 15 October 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Brentford. Balcombe is a product of the Brentford academy and B team. He turned professional in 2016 and was promoted into ...
became the first player to graduate from the programme and sign a professional B team contract. He was promoted into the first team squad in 2018 and made his first team debut in 2023. In 2018, Brentford Griffins and Bees were merged to form a single team, Brentford CST Bees, which entered the National League U19 Alliance and finished fourth in Division C. An additional CST team entered the Community & Education Football Alliance (CEFA) for the 2018–19 season and reached the final of the CEFA Regional Cup. Jason Evans, a player for Brentford CST Bees and the club's CEFA team, was nominated for the CEFA Player of the Year award at the 2019
EFL Awards The EFL Awards is an annual awards ceremony commemorating association football players, clubs and associated individuals involved in the three divisions of the English Football League (EFL). The event was established in 2006 and is usually hel ...
. The number of CEFA teams was increased to three for the 2019–20 season, under the names Bees, Griffins and Reds. Also in the 2019–20 season, an U19 team was entered into the South Premier Division of the National Youth Football League and the team transferred to the National League U19 Alliance for 2022–23. As of October 2020, former Brentford youth graduate Ryan Peters was running the programme. Following the reopening of the Brentford academy during the 2022 off-season, the U18 academy team fielded the Community Sports Trust's players during the 2022–23 season.


Centre of Excellence

The Brentford Centre of Excellence was formed to nurture youth talent and was headed by
Barry Quin Barry Quin (born 1949) credited also as Barry Quinn, is a British-Australian actor and briefly producer who has appeared on stage and television and film, on the small screen he has featured in numerous TV series and mini-series, but he is bes ...
, Director Of Youth Football at the club for 20 years. Quin was succeeded in the role by Ose Aibangee in January 2010 and officially left the club in July 2010. During the interim period before academy status was awarded in July 2013, Brentford operated a four-tier youth system – Development Squad (ages 18–21), U18 (ages 16–18), Junior Centre of Excellence (ages 9–15) and Pre-Academy (age 9 and under). The Centre of Excellence ceased to exist in 2013.


Academy


Beginnings, planning and function (2010–2016)

Plans to upgrade the Centre Of Excellence to an academy began in 2010 after the takeover of the club by Matthew Benham. In December 2012, permission was granted by Hillingdon Council's South and Central Planning Committee for Brentford to build a Category Two Academy on the grounds of Uxbridge High School. The academy facility was paid for by the club, with a contribution from the school. In July 2013, the academy was awarded Category Two status for the next three years. Brentford was the only
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
club to make the advance from a Centre Of Excellence to a Category Two Academy. At the official opening of the academy in January 2014, Ose Aibangee predicted that by 2019, a Brentford academy graduate would be selected for the
England national team Team England usually refers to the name under which athletes representing Commonwealth Games England compete. England team or Team England may refer to: *Commonwealth Games England *England national football team *England cricket team *England nat ...
. In April 2014, after the first team's promotion to the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
for the 2014–15 season, then-U18 defender
Richard Bryan Richard Hudson Bryan (born July 16, 1937) is an American retired politician and attorney who served as the 25th Governor of Nevada from 1983 to 1989 and as a United States Senator representing Nevada from 1989 until 2001. A Democrat, Bryan pr ...
said he believed that the academy could step up to produce players to play at Championship level, saying "for all the players here that want to get into the first team, it is definitely another step up and a harder challenge, but they have got to step up to the plate and be ready for it. There is a hunger in the team and in the coaches". An indicator of the academy beginning to bear fruit was evidenced by the call ups of Joshua Bohui, Harry Francis and Ross McMahon to England and
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
youth-level training camps respectively during the 2014–15 season. Julius Fenn-Evans won Wales U16 caps in April 2015,
Ian Poveda Ian Carlo Poveda-Ocampo (born 9 February 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for club Sunderland. Born in England, he plays for the Colombia national team. He is a product of the Manchester Cit ...
represented England at U16 level in August 2015 and Joshua Bohui made his England
U17 U17 or U-17 may refer to: Naval vessels * * , various vessels * , a submarine of the Austro-Hungarian Navy Other uses * Cessna U-17 Skywagon, an American utility aircraft * Nonconvex great rhombicuboctahedron In geometry, the nonconvex g ...
debut in February 2016. In March 2018,
central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
Chris Mepham Christopher James Mepham ( ; born 5 November 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre back for club AFC Bournemouth, and the Wales national team. Club career Early years A centre back and occasional right back, Mepham began hi ...
became the first former academy player to be capped at full international level (by
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
) and in January 2019 he transferred away from the club for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £12 million. In March 2022,
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
left back Tyrick Mitchell became the first former Brentford academy player to be capped by England at full international level.


Facility

The Brentford Academy was based in an indoor facility on the grounds of Uxbridge High School and became fully operational in November 2013. The academy building contained a 60m x 50m third-generation
AstroTurf AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for pitch (sports field), playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a pile (textile), short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Si ...
pitch, learning zones, changing rooms, a gym and a physiotherapy room. The academy was officially opened on 16 January 2014, by FA
chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
and former Brentford chairman
Greg Dyke Gregory Dyke (born 20 May 1947) is a British media executive, football administrator, journalist and broadcaster. Since the 1960s, Dyke has had a long career in the UK in print and then broadcast journalism. He is credited with introducing " t ...
.


Closure (2016)

On 11 May 2016, a statement from co- directors of football Phil Giles and
Rasmus Ankersen Rasmus Ankersen (born 22 September 1983) is an author, public speaker, and president of Göztepe. He is the co-founder and CEO of Sport Republic, the major shareholder of Premier League club Southampton and club Göztepe. Ankersen was Directo ...
revealed that prior the beginning of the 2016–17 season, Brentford would withdraw from the Elite Player Performance Plan, the Professional Development League and would no longer run a full academy system between U8 and U21 level. Owner Matthew Benham later revealed the reasons for the closure in an
open letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...
, saying "it is a competitive area, there are lots of academies in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The risk is you have a great player, but he defects at the age of 16 and you get peanuts in return. In theory the player builds up loyalty to the club, but in practice there are other factors and the parents have an influence. EPPP made it difficult to run an academy, but also there is only so much the club can focus on. Overall, it seems to be difficult for smaller academies to keep hold of players". A 2017 article in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' stated that "at a cost of around £2m a year, Brentford decided it was simply too much of a risk that their academy – with so much competition on its doorstep in London – would produce enough first team players to make that investment worthwhile". Co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen stated in 2020 that "for every player produced who is good enough for the first team, there are seven or eight who don’t make it. You can accept that if, when that one player comes through in whom you have invested so much, is salecan effectively pay for the rest. But when those talents did come through, their scholarships ended at 17, they became free agents and went off and joined Manchester United and
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
. We ended up getting something ridiculous, like £30,000, because that’s what they judge their training to have been worth. It’s like having a winning lottery ticket and then someone comes along and steals it".


Reopening (2022–present)

In December 2021, a public consultation began regarding a new planning application for improved facilities at Brentford's Jersey Road training ground. With the Brentford's promotion to the Premier League in 2021, the club stated that new facilities could be utilised for a "football academy in line with
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
requirements". With aspirations of the first team playing in European competitions, "UEFA rules stipulate that clubs who wish to take part in its competitions have to operate an academy, otherwise they will be refused entry". Following the preservation of Brentford's Premier League status at the end of the 2021–22 season, it was reported that talks were underway to reopen the academy. On 15 July 2022, Brentford announced that it had been "granted a licence to open and operate an Academy under the Elite Player Performance Plan" and would "initially open a Category Four Academy for the start of the 2022–23 season". In March 2023, Brentford opened a Development Centre for players between the ages of 9 and 16 and in May 2024, construction began on new academy facilities at the club's Jersey Road training ground. In June 2024, the academy was awarded Category Two status and introduced groups from U9 to U16 level.


Teams


U18

Under the Elite Player Performance Plan, the Brentford Youth Team was officially renamed as the Brentford U18 team in 2012 (though it continued to be colloquially known as the "youth team") and fielded scholars, U16s and U15s. During its initial four-season existence, the team played in the U18 Professional Development League 2 South. It saw little success, bar the 2014–15 season, in which it qualified for the Professional U18 Development League 2 South
knockout stage A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
for the only time. The team progressed to the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
of the knockout stage and were defeated 1–0 by
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...
. 10 second-year scholars graduated from the U18 team to sign professional contracts in April 2015, the generation which had previously won the Junior category at the
2012 Milk Cup The 2012 Northern Ireland Milk Cup is the 30th edition of the international football tournament which takes place annually in the north coast of Northern Ireland, and attracts competitors from across the globe. There are three sections to the tourn ...
while U15s. In cup competitions, the U18s reached the 2013 Middlesex Senior Youth Cup Final, but were defeated 6–1 by
Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow, London, Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont, Harrow, Belmont and Kenton, London, Kenton, ...
. In December 2014, the team was invited to take part in the prestigious IMG Cup: Boys Invitational at the
IMG Academy IMG Academy is a University-preparatory school, preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. The organization is set across over 600 acres (243 ha) and features programs consisting of sport ca ...
in
Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...
and finished the tournament tied in fifth position with United States U17. The academy was closed at the end of the 2015–16 season and the team ceased to exist, with the majority of the scholars being released or sold. During the team's initial four-year history, the highest appearance-maker was
Zain Westbrooke Zain Sam Westbrooke (born 28 October 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Doncaster Rovers. Westbrooke is a graduate of the Brentford academy and made his professional breakthrough with Coventry ...
(55) and Bradley Clayton top-scored (20). In July 2022, the reopening of the Brentford academy saw the creation of a new U18 team and it took part in the EFL Youth Alliance South East Conference, the EFL Youth Alliance Cup and the FA Youth Cup during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons. The team was run in conjunction with the club's Community Sports Trust and fielded its players. From the beginning of the 2023–24 season, the team fielded a new intake of academy scholars and finished the campaign as champions of the EFL Youth Alliance Merit League 2. After the club acquired use of the vacant Wheatsheaf Park in October 2023, the team began playing home matches there. The team re-entered the U18 Professional Development League and cup for the 2024–25 season and was allocated to the South division.


U17

The U17 team played outside the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
for the first time when they journeyed to the Netherlands for a friendly match against
AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known internationally as AZ Alkmaar, or simply and most commonly as AZ () in the Netherlands, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan#The Zaan district, Zaan district. ...
's Academy on 29 October 2013, with Brentford running out 4–1 winners. The U17s entered the
Milk Cup SuperCupNI, formerly called the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament and the Dale Farm Milk Cup, is an international youth football tournament held annually in Northern Ireland. The cup matches are mainly played in the North Coast area of ...
for the first time in 2014 and exited the tournament on penalties to
Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
in the Premier Section Globe semi-final. An U17 team, composed of first-year scholars and U16 players, was fielded in the U17 Professional Development League Cup during the 2024–25 season and reached the round-of-16.


U16

On 29 October 2014, the U16s took on a
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
youth team in a prestigious friendly at
La Masia La Masia de Can Planes, usually shortened to La Masia (; ), is FC Barcelona's youth academy. It includes more than 300 young players and has been an instrumental factor in Barcelona's European success, producing several world class players and ...
. Brentford took the lead through Danny Parish, but lost 2–1. 12 members of the 2014–15 team signed scholarship deals in April 2015, with Parish being the only member of the group progressing to sign a professional contract at Griffin Park.


U15

Brentford made its Milk Cup debut in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
and finished 23rd out of 24 entries. The team had some joy in the competition's Dunluce Trophy, finishing as runners-up to County Down. The U15 team were winners of the Junior category at the 2012 Milk Cup, seeing off
CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...
and
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
along the way and beating Everton in the final. The U15s again competed in the Junior category in 2013 Milk Cup and lost 3–2 to a Japan FA team in the Junior Vase final. The team were 2–1 victors over Inter Milan U15 in a friendly played at the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
club's academy on 17 April 2014. At the 2014 Milk Cup, the U15s won the Junior Globe. The U15s were victorious at the 2015 Sportfan Football Festival in
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
, beating
Skonto FC Skonto FC was a Latvian professional Association football, football club, active from 1991 until 2016. The club played at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's resumption (15 in total), and o ...
in the semi-finals and FM Vilnius in the final.


U14

At the time of the resumption of the Brentford youth system in 1970, an U14 team was created and coached by former player
Ken Horne Kenneth William Horne (25 June 1926 – 3 September 2015) was an English professional footballer and coach, best remembered for his 11 years in the Football League with Brentford, for whom he made over 220 appearances. He was inducted into the c ...
.


U13

In May 2016, the U13 team won the Elite Neon Cup in
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, beating
AEK Athens A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...
in the final.


U12

In December 2024, the U12 team competed at the Truce Tournament in
Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...
,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and finished fourth.


U11

In June 2014, an U11 team entered the 28-team Holstein Cup (held in Bad Oldesloe, Germany) and finished third in the tournament, behind
Hertha 03 Zehlendorf The Hertha Zehlendorf is a German football club from the suburb of Zehlendorf in Berlin, currently playing in Regionalliga Nordost, the fourth tier of German football. The club is one of the largest football clubs in the country and has a st ...
and
Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...
. In late February 2015, Brentford hosted a prestigious England vs Germany U11 tournament, featuring teams from the academies of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United,
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
,
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...
,
Hertha Berlin Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football, following relegation from t ...
,
Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years between 19 ...
and
Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as Schalke 04 (), and abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional sports club from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its football team, w ...
. Brentford won the Silver Group to finish runners-up in the tournament, behind Manchester United. The U11s took part in the Mediterranean International Cup in April 2015, going out to
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
in the last 16.


Partnerships

*
Langley Academy The Langley Academy is an academy in Langley, east of Slough in Berkshire, south east England. It opened in September 2008, replacing the former Langleywood Secondary School. The building was designed by Foster and Partners, led by the archite ...
* Southern Soccer Academy Swarm FC *
West Thames College West Thames College is a medium-sized college of further education, further and higher education in West London, England. It was formed in 1976, originally named Hounslow Borough College, having gained its current name in 1993. The college has tw ...


Squad list


Brentford B


U18


Staff


Current staff


Reserve team/Development Squad/B team manager history


Youth team/U18 manager history


Awards


B/U21 Team


Mary Halder Award


Other Player of the Year awards


Youth Team/U18 Player of the Year


Honours


Reserve Team/Development Squad/B/U21 Honours


Leagues

Capital League *Winners (2): 1987–88, 1994–95 Great Western Suburban League *Winners (3): 1907–08, 1908–09, 1910–11
London Combination The Football Combination was a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England, the Midlands and Wales; other clubs from the Midlands and those from the North playing in the Central League (it is ...
*Winners (2): 1931–32, 1932–33 London League First Division *Winners (1): 1908–09 London League Second Division *Winners (1): 1902–03 Professional Development League * Winners (1): 2024–25


Cups

Capital League Cup *Winners (4): 1987–88, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95 Hounslow Borough Cup *Winners (1): 2011 Kai Thor Cup *Winners (1): 2017
Middlesex Senior Cup The Middlesex Senior Cup is the most prestigious football cup competition in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Middlesex, England. The competition is run mainly for non-League clubs in the region, although league clubs have ...
*Winners (1): 2018–19
London Senior Cup The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of ...
* Winners (1): 2021–22 Premier League Cup * Winners (1):
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...


Youth Team/U18 Honours


Leagues

English Football League Youth Alliance *First Division South (2): 2001–02, 2002–03 *Merit League 2 (1): 2023–24 South East Counties League * Winners (1): 1983–84


Cups

Hounslow Minor Shield * Winners (1): 1948–49 Chertsey Minor Cup * Winners (1): 1949–50 Frankfurt International Youth Tournament *Winners (1): 1973 West Middlesex Junior Cup: 1 *Winners (1): 1893–94 Royal Mail Cup * Winners (2): 1996, 1998


Academy Team Honours


U15

Milk Cup SuperCupNI, formerly called the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament and the Dale Farm Milk Cup, is an international youth football tournament held annually in Northern Ireland. The cup matches are mainly played in the North Coast area of ...
: 2 *Winners (1): 2012 (Junior) *Winners (1): 2014 (Junior Globe) Sportfan Football Festival * Winners (1): 2015


U13

Elite Neon Cup * Winners (1): 2015


U11

England v Germany Tournament * Winners (1): 2015 (silver phase)


Other Honours


Brentford Griffins

Football Conference Youth Alliance / National League U19 Alliance *Winners (1): 2014–15 (London & South East Division) *Winners (1): 2015–16 (Division F)


Noted graduates

Brentford's youth, reserve, Development Squad and B teams produced many players who made 25 or more appearances for the first team. Players marked * won a full international cap while with Brentford or later in their career. Players are listed according to the decade of their senior debut for the club.


And those who made it elsewhere

Many former Brentford schoolboy, youth, reserve, Development Squad, B team and Community Sports Trust players found success with other clubs. Those marked † did not make a senior appearance for Brentford, but made a first team appearance for another club in a fully professional league or cup fixture. Players marked * won an international cap, at any level, while with Brentford or later in their career. Players are listed according to the decade of their senior debut or, if they did not make a senior appearance, the decade of their departure from the club.


International players

Brentford's youth, reserve, Development Squad, B and Community Sports Trust teams have produced many players who were capped at full and youth international level during their career with the club.


Notes


References


External links


Brentford FC Official WebsiteBrentford B Player ProfilesBrentford B Fixtures & Results
{{Football in London Reserves Brentford, London Football academies in England Association football clubs established in 1889 Football clubs in London Southern Football League clubs 1889 establishments in England Sport in the London Borough of Hounslow London League (football) Great Western Suburban League