Brentwood Town punching above their weight thanks to Matchroom partnership

Two goals to the good after just 11 minutes, Brentwood Town were dreaming of the first-round proper of the FA Cup having romped into the lead against Eastleigh.

Unfortunately for them, the National League side would ultimately show their class – the excellent Aaron Blair amongst the goalscorers in a 3-2 comeback victory, but there were plenty of positives for the Essex side to take nonetheless.

With a handful of wins on the board since in the Isthmian Premier League, Brentwood appears to be a club on the up – aided, no doubt, by the lucrative sponsorship deal signed with Matchroom Sport entrepreneur Barry Hearn in the summer.

Boxing clever

Matchroom’s immediate focus is on their day job: boxing.

Their stable of fighters have some big fights coming up, with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury finally agreeing to their all-British clash on December 11 – AJ, backed by the Hearns, is the underdog in the latest Fury vs Joshua online boxing betting odds at 7/5.

And the very next day, Matchroom’s outstanding undisputed light heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol defends his gold against British favourite Callum Smith.

But Hearn has always been keen to spread his wings beyond the sweet science, with investments in professional darts, pool and now – having sold his stake in Leyton Orient a decade ago – Brentwood Town.

🚨 OFFICIAL | MATCHROOM COMMITS TO BRENTWOOD TOWN FC @matchroomsport has extended its commitment as Principal Partner of Brentwood Town FC with a landmark five-year partnership. A defining moment for our football club. Read more 👇 https://t.co/UwOrybc49c #UpTheWood 🩵🪵 https://t.co/ncok1si3Z9

— Brentwood Town F.C. (@BrentwoodTownFC) July 20, 2026

The details aren’t known publicly, but Hearn – never shy of talking about money – has confirmed that Matchroom will pump ‘hundreds of thousands’ into the seventh-tier club.

“I’d like to think within five years of this deal that we’re in the Football League,” the 78-year-old remarked with characteristic ambition.

Punching up

Of course, Brentwood have somewhat regressed this term.

After suffering that agonising defeat in last season’s Isthmian Premier play-off final, the Blues are now just a place or two above the relegation zone at the time of writing.

But that FA Cup run has been something of a distraction from league matters, while there was also the fallout from the appointment of Brett Munyard as head coach – which made national news – to deal with.

Brentwood faced Aveley in the FA Cup second qualification round… just 48 hours after agreeing terms with Munyard, the former Aveley boss, to join the club as manager.

That added plenty of spice to a contest which the Essex outfit would ultimately win 3-2.

With all of the press now having died down a little, as well as that brilliant FA Cup run coming to an end, Munyard and his players can now focus on improving that league position.

LISTEN⚽️ @BrentwoodTownFC striker Freddie Sears on the FA Cup and life at his new club. 🔊https://t.co/FbX6tWTfrQ https://t.co/AcRwPQqePM

— BBC Sport Essex (@BBCEssexSport) October 16, 2026

They have games in hand on many of the sides around them in the table, while Munyard’s methods have started to be transmitted successfully to his new charges – in their last three league games in October, the Blues blasted eight goals… with former West Ham protégé Freddie Sears amongst the scorers.

Brentwood evidently have scope to improve their fortunes, with Matchroom’s investment likely to become an important factor as new players are brought in to add extra quality.

But will that be enough for them to secure that long-awaited promotion come May 2027?