How Barry Hearn is helping shape the future of his local non-league club — SkimNews
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- Matchroom signed a five-year partnership with seventh-tier Brentwood Town in summer 2026, with Hearn taking a minority stake after first sponsoring the club's shirt in July 2023
- Barry Hearn previously owned Leyton Orient from 1995 to 2014, buying them for £2.43 to save them from bankruptcy and reportedly investing around £8m before selling to Francesco Becchetti
- Chairman Jez Dickinson has driven Brentwood since May 2019, installing a 3G pitch in 2024, winning the Isthmian North Division in 2024/25, and building a Centre of Excellence with 250 youth players aged 6–12
- Hearn reviews financials with Dickinson every couple of months and speaks weekly, but explicitly told him "I don't want to run it" — his role is ambassador and what Dickinson calls "raising the bar"
- Brentwood Town currently average just under 700 supporters per match with a 1,000 target, and are pursuing a 1,000-seater stand contingent on completing the purchase of the Brentwood Centre Arena
- The partnership's stated ambition is to climb as high up the pyramid as possible — Hearn's own benchmark is National League football within five years
Why it matters: For Brentwood Town — a seventh-tier club averaging under 700 fans with no major ground expansion yet — the deal delivers both credibility and capital to chase National League football inside five years. Dickinson now has a fixed runway with a globally recognized backer, but must close the Brentwood Centre Arena purchase to fund the planned 1,000-seater stand.
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