Barry Hearn is most famous for turning snooker, darts and boxing into television spectacles that attract millions of viewers. Even at the age of 78, the founder of Matchroom remains one of the most recognizable promoters in global sport. While his work in combat sports is widely celebrated, his forays into football are less well known but equally compelling.
In March 1995, Hearn stepped in to rescue Leyton Orient, a club he had first watched as an eleven‑year‑old, from the brink of insolvency. He purchased the team for a symbolic £2.43 and set about revitalising it.
By 2007, three sides of the club's home ground, Brisbane Road, had been rebuilt. By 2012, Hearn had eliminated the club's debt and poured roughly £8 million of his own money into the operation. The following season, Orient reached the League One play‑off final, coming within a single penalty shoot‑out away from promotion to the second tier, only to lose 4‑3 to Rotherham at Wembley. Within two months of that heart‑breaking defeat, Hearn sold the club to Italian entrepreneur Francesco Becchetti and stepped away from football for nine years, focusing on his other business interests.
In July 2023, the Matchroom brand resurfaced in the non‑league scene when it agreed to sponsor the home shirt of Brentwood Town, an Isthmian League North Division side located just three miles from Matchroom’s headquarters. The relationship deepened the next year when Hearn acquired a minority shareholding in the club, and earlier this summer a five‑year partnership and a "significant investment" were announced. "The reason Barry came over initially was we were doing something for Saint Francis Hospice, which he is a patron of, and he sat next to me for a game," recalls Brentwood chairman Jez Dickinson.
"It was an entertaining match and Barry joked afterwards, 'I'm never going to sit next to you again, Jez! Every time the ball went into the box, you were going up for a header and elbowing me in the side!' Barry is a passionate man who wears his heart on his sleeve – that’s probably where we clicked." Dickinson describes how, after a few lunches, Hearn asked what he wanted from the partnership. "I told him I wanted him involved because he wanted to be involved, not because I was asking," Dickinson says.
"He agreed on the spot." While Hearn’s name naturally draws attention, Dickinson has been the driving force at Brentford since taking over as chairman in May 2019. He observed that before his tenure the club lacked a clear pathway for youth players to reach the first team, the bar resembled a 1970s pub, and the ambition was merely to avoid relegation. Under his stewardship the club installed a new 3G pitch in the summer of 2024, clinched the Isthmian North Division title in the 2024/25 season and, although they fell short in the play‑off final that would have secured promotion to the National League South, they have built a solid foundation.
A key part of that foundation is the newly created Centre of Excellence, which now accommodates 250 boys and girls aged six to twelve. "If you don’t have a solid youth structure, the club is hollow," Dickinson explains.
Over the past seven years he has laid the groundwork, and Hearn’s involvement now offers the opportunity to elevate Brentwood to a higher level. When asked how the partnership functions, Dickinson says he speaks with Hearn roughly once a week, sometimes twice, depending on current matters.
"He’s as hands‑on as his schedule allows. Every few months we sit down, review the accounts and discuss progress – he loves his numbers.
Even though he is a minority shareholder, he doesn’t want to run day‑to‑day operations. He tells me, ‘I see you, Jez, you’re already stressed enough; I don’t want to add to that.’" Dickinson believes Hearn’s presence raises the club’s aspirations subconsciously.
"When we meet at Matchroom, it’s inspiring – you walk away thinking, ‘let’s go for it.’ That motivational boost is probably ten times more valuable than the financial input, although the money is crucial too." Hearn also serves as a powerful ambassador. Dickinson recounts a recent conversation with a prospective sponsor who said they were more inclined to partner with Brentwood because Hearn had committed to a five‑year deal and “doesn’t do things by halves.” That confidence, Dickinson argues, helps attract further investment.
Currently Brentwood sit 18th in the Isthmian Premier Division after eight games, drawing just under 700 fans per match. The club aims to push that figure to 1,000 this season and has plans for a 1,000‑seat stand, contingent on completing the purchase of the Brentwood Centre Arena. Looking ahead, Dickinson envisions the partnership propelling Brentwood up the football pyramid. "Barry signed a five‑year agreement to take the club as high as possible.
Ideally, after five years we’ll be playing National League football – that would be a huge success. If the partnership works, we’ll look at another five‑year stretch. It shows the faith Matchroom has in us; now it’s up to us to deliver." The story of Barry Hearn’s involvement with Brentwood Town illustrates how a high‑profile promoter can blend financial muscle, strategic guidance and genuine passion to uplift a grassroots club, offering a template for how larger sporting enterprises might support the lower tiers of English football.