The top team behind Brentford FC’s recent footballing success shared the highs and lows of life in the Premier League with an exclusive audience at the University of West London in Ealing.   

At a packed-out event at the Ealing site, Brentford CEO Jon Varney, Head Coach Thomas Frank and Director of Football Phil Giles shared the challenges of taking a club into the top flight. 

The audience of local entrepreneurs, students and lucky competition winners, heard first-hand that it’s the Club’s fans that have sustained both players and management throughout their epic journey – a journey which, according to Frank, is far from over. 

Frank also had much to say about recent signing Christian Eriksen, who joined Brentford in January, describing him as:

confident but humble, the perfect match for our culture”.

It also carried with it an additional emotional weight, as it marked Eriksen’s return to professional football less than a year after collapsing on the pitch, while representing Denmark at Euro 2020. The announcement was perfectly timed to cause maximum impact in the sports press, with it being scheduled for 8am on transfer deadline day.

Professor Anthony Woodman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at UWL, who compered the evening said

Brentford, at its heart, is a community club that genuinely values and appreciates its fans. Like the University of West London, it places itself firmly at the heart of the community. It was fascinating to hear how grit, determination and extraordinary talent have propelled The Bees to the top, and I wish them all the very best of luck for next season.” 

Watch the whole panel discussion live via the UWL YouTube channel.