Over the past two weeks, the Brentford FC Academy has hosted a series of celebration evenings that marked a significant milestone for the club.

These evenings were dedicated to welcoming a new cohort of players aged nine to 16, this group representing the first intake since the reintroduction of the Academy and highlighting a new chapter in the club’s history.

Each evening involved the Academy staff, recognising the work, commitment and effort that the families and players have put in to be offered a place at Brentford.

Academy director Stephen Torpey opened all the celebration evenings, firstly congratulating the players and their families whilst providing information on the vision and purpose of the Academy.

It was was re-emphasised that he wants Brentford's Academy to be "admired as the most caring and progressive football academy in the world". Another key theme highlighted was "winning through development".

Each night saw a B-team player take part in a Q&A session where parents and players had the opportunity to hear what it was like to be in and around the first-team environment.

On the first night, which celebrated the U15s and U16s, Conor McManus shared his journey.

The second evening was for the U13s and U14s and that featured Ethan Brierley.

The third night saw two B-team players, Benjamin Fredrick and Benjamin Arthur, speak to the U11s and U12s, and the final night was the turn of Ollie Shield who spoke to the U9s and U10s.

To wrap up the evenings, Jamie Greenwood, Brentford Academy's head of football development, provided a detailed explanation of the games programme and essential information for parents and players.

Each night was special and was an opportunity to reflect on the hard work that all the Academy departments have displayed.

Reflecting on the success of the events, Stephen Torpey expressed his gratitude: “These evenings were truly special, and seeing the joy on the faces of all the families made it worthwhile.

"I want to thank every player and family member for their support and enthusiasm. A special thanks to all the staff who worked tirelessly to bring these nights to life - their dedication does not go unnoticed.”

Torpey continued: “It is important to remember that a couple of months ago, we were in a position where we had no players, but through dedicated recruitment efforts, we’ve brought in some truly exciting young talents.

“This has been a collaborative process, with multiple departments working seamlessly together to ensure we were fully prepared for this intake.

"I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and I can confidently say there are even more exciting things to come from the Academy.”