Brentford FC Coach Dies Aged Twenty Eight

Tributes pour in for Robert Rowan the club's technical director

Robert Rowan

Brentford FC’s Head of Football Operations, Robert Rowan has died this week at the age of 28. He passed on Monday, 12 November.

The Scottish born coach had been the Club’s Technical Director since the start of February, after joining Brentford four years ago having previously worked as a scout for Celtic.

As well as managing the day to day football operations at Brentford’s Jersey Road Training Ground, Robert oversaw the strategic direction of Brentford B – the Club’s elite squad of players aged 17 to 21, before taking on the role of Technical Director.

In a statement Brenford FC said, “All at the Club have been left devastated by the news. All our thoughts are with Robert’s wife, his family and all his friends – many of whom work at Brentford FC.”

Club owner Matthew Benham said, “ I am truly devastated, particularly for his wife and family. I knew Rob as a warm, intelligent, funny and witty man. He was great company and he loved his family a great deal. He will be missed by all at the Club and also by his friends and family.

“Not only was Rob warm and funny, he was fantastic at his job. He came to us four years ago and has done a variety of jobs but has mostly concentrated on the scouting of players. He understood the needs of the Club and his judgement was trusted by those he worked with.”

He added, “Most of all, Rob was my friend. We would talk regularly and go for dinner and I would watch matches with him. I enjoyed being around him and I will miss him.”

Club chairman Cliff Crown said, “I have known Rob for a little under four years but in that time he made a great impression on me. He represented everything we want to be at Brentford. A combination of huge commitment to his job, an instinctive knowledge of what makes a difference in football, and the ability to bring those attributes together in a way that put people at ease. We aim to be humble and he embodied humility effortlessly.”

November 15, 2018