The Bright Click Team Up With Brentford Penguins FC

I’ve been a Brentford FC supporter for my entire life, as has my brother Dan, my Dad, as was my Grandad and Great-Grandad – it’s something that’s in our blood as a family and always will be (just ask my boys who didn’t get much of a choice in the matter, but who aren’t complaining now that we’re in the Premier League!)

For the 1987/88 season, Brentford knocked down their famous Brook Road stand and replaced it with ‘The Family Stand’ – and our folks purchased season tickets in the front row of the upper tier – it offered us a fantastic view of the pitch and in particular of the goal that Brentford would typically shoot towards in the second half.

As a ten-year old, I of course had a favourite player and his name was Allan Cockram. Allan had previously played for Spurs and was what the kids these days would describe as a ‘baller’ – his long, flowing hair complementing his silky skills in the middle of the park, he also had the ability to score spectacular goals which he’d celebrate with the ‘Cockram Shuffle’ which Dan and I would try for hours to copy whenever we scored a goal in the back garden.

Before each match, the players would head out to warm up, and being front row of the upper tier, I got into the habit of calling out ‘ALLAN!’ as they entered the pitch, at which point Mr Cockram would always, without fail, oblige me with a smile and a wave, which used to make my day, whatever the score.

So – fast-forward to 2017 and Allan, along with his now-wife Vickie founded an amazing non-profit initiative in Brentford Penguins Football Club, in partnership with Down’s Syndrome charity DS Active and the Brentford Community Sports Trust.

They had found that even though many community football clubs offer pan-disability training sessions, children with DS weren’t always given the attention they needed. So on this basis, they decided to start up a very specific and unique football club for any child aged 8+ who has DS, giving participants an opportunity to socialise, make friends and have a fulfilling social life whilst creating a sense of belonging alongside their peers.

I’d been following the Penguins progress across their social channels for a few years, when back in June of this year they tweeted that they were looking for a volunteer to help them with their social media content as they continued to grow and sought to achieve charitable status.

I saw the tweet at around 11pm, and by 11am the next morning, to my absolute joy, Allan remembered ten-year-old me and a partnership had been born!

We’re absolutely thrilled to be supporting Brentford Penguins with their social media content and digital marketing strategy as they continue to expand and are set to become an official charity before the end of the year.

Our experienced Senior Account Manager Tara has been looking after the account and as a West-London resident, is excited to be involved, saying “I really enjoy working with Allan, Vickie and Brentford Penguins FC. The work they do is absolutely amazing and it’s great to see how involved they are with supporting the kids. I love seeing what they’ve been up to and it always looks like they have so much fun.”

Speaking in September 2022, Allan said: “This is a heart-warming recollection and I absolutely remember Matt as a little lad shouting out to me from the stands. Fast forward 30 years and who would believe that little boy and an ex-Brentford player would join together to help the Brentford Penguins grow as a club through social media. Victoria and I would like to thank Matt, Tara and the gang for their on-going support and understanding. This is only the start of a wonderful relationship and without the support of Matt and Tara, the Penguins would not be able to achieve their true potential. Massive love and thanks to The Bright Click and here’s to always being involved with something bigger than yourself.”

You can find out more about Brentford Penguins FC here: https://www.brentfordpenguinsfc.com/