Could Brentford Be a Great Option for a New Football Documentary?
Most of Brentford’s long history has been spent outside of the top division of English football. Now, though, the Bees are a well-established Premier League side and have barely been threatened with relegation since their impressive exit from the Championship.
With football documentaries all the rage right now, it would make a lot of sense to make a series based on Brentford. Viewers love a great underdog story, and the Bees’ battle against the big boys with a much lower transfer budget is exactly that. Along with making great television, this would surely help Brentford attract more fans and generate additional revenue.
Brentford’s Story is Ideal for a Docuseries
There’s been a wide range of football documentaries in recent years, but the most successful ones have tapped into the classic underdog story. Sunderland ‘Til I Die and Welcome to Wrexham are both excellent examples of this. The two sides are not as well-known as the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool among international audiences, but they offer stories that viewers can get behind.
Welcome to Wrexham, in particular, has shown the power of great storytelling when combined with the sport. The Welsh side were playing in the fifth division of English football when Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac took over, and now they’re battling away in the Championship. The docuseries detailed this rise to the top and introduced thousands of new supporters to the club. This, in turn, helped generate more revenue that contributed to the team’s ascent up the football pyramid.
Brentford’s story doesn’t exactly mirror Wrexham’s, but it is a similar tale of a team that regularly punches above its weight. Brentford have used a statistical approach to signing players that has proved to be highly successful as well, and this would be interesting to explore further in a documentary series.
Club Should Tap into Entertainment to Reach More Supporters
A huge part of Brentford’s success in recent years has been in trying approaches that other clubs don’t normally go for. For instance, their activity in the transfer market has been less about traditional scouting methods and more focused on statistical models. The club’s board are no strangers to using modern technology to their advantage, and they should bear this in mind when thinking about new ways to maintain their sustainability.
Along with commissioning a documentary on a streaming platform like Netflix, Brentford should look into other brand partnerships to get in front of different audiences. For instance, the UK bingo market has various football games, such as Football Finals Xup and Football! Cash Collect. A branded football club game with the logo and players wouldn’t look out of place among these, but it’s an untapped market that no other teams have explored yet.
There could also be the option of jumping on virtual reality before other clubs explore this idea. The technology could be used to give people a matchday experience from their own homes, with ticket sales to fans in other countries who can’t make it to the Brentford Community Stadium.
There are a few clubs that would make for an excellent docuseries, but Brentford have one of the strongest cases. The club’s story in recent seasons has been incredible, and there are plenty of potential supporters out there who would be attracted to it.
