Brentford Welcomes New Investment From Gary Lubner & Sir Matthew Vaughn
Brentford Football Club has welcomed investment from This Day and MARV as businessman Gary Lubner and filmmaker Sir Matthew Vaughn become minority shareholders of the club.
The pair join through their investment in Best Intentions Analytics (BIA), the holding company for Brentford Football Club and Mérida AD.
Matthew Benham remains the club’s majority shareholder, having taken full control of Brentford FC in 2012.
South African-born Gary Lubner, the founder of This Day Foundation and former chief executive of Belron, brings more than 20 years of investment and philanthropy expertise to the club.
Sir Matthew Vaughn founded MARV and is one of Britain’s most successful independent filmmakers, whose films such as the Kingsman franchise, Kick-Ass and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels have brought him international acclaim.
The new investment reinforces Brentford’s ambitions for continued growth on and off the pitch. Equity and financing from the new shareholders will enable greater investment in the squad and also create enhanced commercial opportunities and help grow Brentford’s reach and impact locally and beyond.
Brentford will remain under the majority ownership of Matthew Benham and the day-to-day control of the club’s leadership team, including Chief Executive Jon Varney, Director of Football Phil Giles and Chair Cliff Crown.
Brentford Chief Executive Jon Varney, said: “This is an exciting time for Brentford. The club has enjoyed significant success in recent years, and this investment will build on that progress to help us continue to challenge in both on-pitch performance and off-pitch commercial growth.
“It is vital to us that any new investors understand and reflect the values of our club. Since we first met Gary and Matthew, we have been aligned on how they can make a positive impact. They bring different but complementary expertise, and I am excited to see what we can collectively achieve.
“Matthew Benham remains a committed majority shareholder who has brought the club an incredibly long way in a short space of time. Together with our new investors we have a shared ambition for continued growth and to thrive in the world’s most competitive football league.
“We thank our fans for their loyalty and support as we keep driving the club forward.”
Gary Lubner, said: “I am a strong believer in the power of sport to build and unite communities and I have been hugely impressed by the values on which this great club has been established and continues to thrive.
“Brentford stands for more than just football. Its commitment to community, integrity and social progress reflects the values I care deeply about.
“I’m proud to support a club where success on the pitch goes hand in hand with meaningful impact off it – especially through the incredible work of Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, which changes lives every day across west London.
“I look forward to helping grow and develop this work, and contributing to Brentford’s continued success, on and off the pitch.”
Sir Matthew Vaughn, added: “My journey with Brentford began 25 years ago when an actor suggested it would be a ‘great club to invest in’ and I’ve followed their progress ever since with well-earned respect.
“Some years later, an agent made the same suggestion and so I went to a game, and it was the most unique, intimate, and yet epic match I had ever been to.
“As he showed me around the stadium and introduced me to the brilliant owner and exceptional management team, all I could hear was the voice of the actor who first told me about the club echoing in my head, saying ‘You should have listened to me, it would have been much cheaper 25 years ago!’”.
In February this year, Matthew Benham transferred his shares in Brentford into a newly formed holding company called Best Intentions Analytics. This change in ownership structure has enabled the club to secure investment opportunities.
