Brentford FC owner Matthew Benham is a gambling expert who built his fortune off the back of a successful career in London’s financial sector.
A lifelong Brentford supporter, he’s since purchased the club he loves and taken them to new heights. But while many Bees fans will know his name, fewer will know his story.
Who Is Matthew Benham?
Born in May 1968, Matthew Alexander Benham is a British businessman. Benham was raised in Eton in a family of cricket lovers but grew up as a fan of Brentford FC.
In 1979, he attended his first match at the age of 11. As a student of Slough Grammar school, he excelled in mathematics, but once skipped school aged 14 to watch Brentford play Nottingham Forest.
Benham graduated from Oxford University with a degree in physics in 1989. He then began working in finance in the City of London, before making his millions transitioning into the gambling industry.
His data-driven approach to decision-making in football has gained global attention, as his leadership has guided Brentford to the Premier League.
Matthew Benham net worth
Benham spent 12 years in London’s financial sector, working as a hedge fund manager, derivatives trader and even as vice president at the Bank of America.
He first entered the gambling market in 2001 when current Brighton owner Tony Bloom hired him at Premier Bet. Benham then earned a large amount of money in the Asian betting market.
He used a statistical model first developed at Lancaster University by Stuart Coles and Mark Dixon, which predicted football score probabilities more accurately than the bookies.
Following a fallout with Bloom, Benham founded Smartodds in 2004, and hired Stuart Coles. Smartodds focussed on statistical research and sports modelling, selling it to professional gamblers.
And in 2011, he was part of Triplebet Limited, a group of investors who purchased sports betting exchange Matchbook.
As of 2023, Mathew Benham’s net worth is believed to be around £220 million.
Matthew Benham Brentford Owner
Benham first approached Brentford in 2005 after reading an article in The Independent. It said that supporters’ trust Bees United were “desperately seeking a few wealthy supporters to invest” in order to buy out previous owner Ron Noades.
While he initially participated as an anonymous “mystery investor”, Benham’s involvement continued to grow. In 2007, he paid out £3 million to take over the club’s loans and held them interest-free for five years.
And in 2009, he agreed to an additional investment of £1 million a year for five years. He did this in return for preference shares in the club, with Bees United given the option to repay the loans and buyback Benham’s shares.
Benham meanwhile held the option to take over majority ownership of the club. This happened in 2012 following a vote from Bees United to transfer full control to Benham.
At the time, the club was in League One, the English third tier. Just ten days after buying the club, Benham purchased land near Kew Bridge railway stadium, with the purpose of building a new stadium, replacing the old Griffin Park ground.
In 2013, Benham chose Mark Warburton, another former city trader, as manager. By the 2014/14 season, Brentford had been promoted to the EFL Championship for the first time in 21 years.
They then gained promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2021. Their improvements have steadily continued, with them finishing ninth in the top flight last season.
Also the owner of Danish side FC Midtjylland, Benham is a hero among supporters. Praised for his statistical analysis, he has helped Brentford become one of the best-run football clubs in Europe.
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