At an open meeting for Brentford supporters on Tuesday 17 June the Chairman of Bees United, Brian Burgess, called on all fans to keep up the good work that has achieved so much over the past two years.
The meeting, organised by BIAS (Brentford Independent Association of Supporters) was held in Stripes Bar at Griffin Park. Club Chairman Eddie Rogers; and representatives of the Club's Executive also attended, along with new Football Club director, Doug White, the driving force behind the proposed stadium development at Lionel Road.
Brian applauded the hard work and dedication of the fans who had enabled Bees United, the supporters' trust, to raise over £200,000, nominate three of its directors to the football club board, two of them as executive directors, and sign a two year option agreement to acquire the controlling majority shareholding in the club from Ron Noades' company Altonwood.
"That we will be able to celebrate our 100th year at Griffin Park next season is to a large extent due to the efforts of the supporters", said Burgess "We have earned a reprieve from the threat of administration for the time being, but the Club is still forecast to trade at a loss next season and interest payments on the bank overdraft mean that we face a tough road ahead to balance the books and put the Club into a viable position."
"By signing the new option agreement with Altonwood at the beginning of June we have given ourselves a window of opportunity to develop the new stadium project at Lionel Road and secure financial backing for our plans."
The plans for the new stadium itself including the use of space for education, health and community initiatives are meeting with an enthusiastic response from a wide range of organisations and local politicians. Hounslow Council and local MPs are giving the scheme strong backing. Discussions with the commercial developers who are in the process of buying the Lionel Road site from the Strategic Rail Authority, however, are frustratingly slow.
The Bees United Chairman warned that it would take a tremendous amount of hard work to turn the vision into a reality and to create a stable long-term future in the local community. He was optimistic and determined and he called on the fans to show understanding, patience and perseverance to help overcome the short term difficulties.