Brentford returned to Atlanta in February for another major youth tournament organised by the club’s strategic partner Swarm FC.
Thousands participated in a city-wide tournament attended by Brentford club ambassador Karleigh Osborne.
Since 2024, Brentford has been in partnership with Swarm FC in Atlanta, Georgia to establish a base in the US for the club’s player development and scouting strategy.
The aim is to build a multi-state youth football network, offering coaching education, international exchanges, and pathways for top talent to potentially join Brentford and compete in the Premier League.
For the second time since the launch of the partnership, a Brentford delegation visited Atlanta to watch Swarm FC boys’ and girls’ youth teams play.
The two-day tournament featured more than 300 teams in games played simultaneously across the city, with Swarm’s teams taking on other Georgia-based youth football programmes.
Brentford club ambassador Karleigh Osborne was in attendance to see how the Swarm partnership is progressing and share Brentford’s story with players, coaches and parents.
“The talent out there is very impressive,” said Osborne, who was invited to present two MVP awards, sponsored by Brentford, for the standout boys’ and girls’ tournament players of the weekend.
“The Swarm teams played at an exceptionally high standard. I’m filled with confidence that this partnership is going from strength to strength.
“From speaking to people out there, it’s clear that our values are aligned and there’s a lot of hard work going on. The team in Atlanta are doing a great job laying the foundations for Swarm’s players to one day make their mark in London.”
As well as watching the tournament, Osborne took charge of two training sessions working with Swarm’s girls’ teams.
The following day, Osborne led a mentality of coaching session for 30 Swarm coaches, where he presented his views on connecting with players and cultivating environments that breed good development.
Osborne said: “The engagement between coaches and players was very good at the training sessions. There is a real care and dedication to helping young players be the best versions of themselves on the pitch and off it.
“I have learned in my coaching career is that the most important thing you can be is an emotionally aware leader. These players look up to their coaches, but they each need different things to help them develop.
“Coaching isn’t always about the game; it’s about relationships, finding motivation and striving towards a common goal. Swarm’s coaches and senior leaders understood this completely and I can see that these core beliefs shine through when they worked with the players.”
Thank you to Swarm FC for hosting another successful visit. The partnership looks forward to further collaboration, including opportunities for player exchanges in London and in Atlanta.
