Issued on behalf of Best Intentions Analytics  

Best Intentions Analytics (BIA), the holding company of Brentford FC, is pleased to announce that it has acquired Spanish football club Asociación Deportiva Mérida.  

BIA is acquiring 100 per cent of the shares of Mérida, the majority of which are currently owned by Mark Heffernan.

Heffernan is selling his shares in the club for personal reasons but will remain a consultant to Mérida for the next 12 months as the club transitions to new ownership.  

Asociación Deportiva Mérida is a Spanish team based in the autonomous region of Extremadura. The team currently play in the Primera División RFEF – Group 1, the third tier of Spanish football. The club was founded in 2013 and play their home games at the 14,600-capacity Estadio Romano in Mérida.  

Cliff Crown, Nity Raj and Phil Whall take roles as directors on the board of Mérida, with Crown becoming club president. Current members of Mérida’s board will step down.

Crown, Raj and Whall maintain their positions at Brentford FC, as chair, director and general counsel, and associate director, respectively.   

Cliff Crown, new president of Mérida, said: “It is a great honour to be part of Mérida, a historic team not only in the region, but also in Spanish football.  

“We are extremely happy and excited to become part of the Roman family. We are aware of the club’s history and identity, and respecting that is something very important to us.  

“The project at Mérida will continue on the same basis as it is currently, maintaining the foundations of the great work that has been carried out so far. This was another key factor in our decision to commit to this club, along with the fact that it has been run on a sound financial footing.” 

Alejandro Pérez Robles, director general of Mérida, added: “We believe that this agreement represents a significant step forward both for Asociación Deportiva Mérida and for the city, and we are fully convinced that BIA’s incorporation into the project will contribute substantially to its growth, professionalisation, and long-term stability.

“Being integrated into a well-established and internationally respected methodological structure in the world of football is a source of pride, and it reaffirms the work carried out by the club over the past four years, during which solid foundations have been laid for its future development. 

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all parties involved for the rigour, transparency, and professionalism demonstrated throughout this process.

"This is an operation that has been carefully evaluated and will allow the club to maintain a consistent line of management, focused on institutional strengthening through hard work, humility, and respect for our identity.”