Brentford Owner Acquires Lower League Spanish Club
Merida bought by Best Intentions Analytics
A handshake on the pitch at Estadio Romano. Picture: Brentford FC
April 17, 2025
The company which owns Brentford FC has acquired a third-tier Spanish football club.
Best Intentions Analytics (BIA) is acquiring 100 per cent of the shares of Asociación Deportiva Mérida, the majority of which are currently owned by American business man and football coach Mark Heffernan.
Mérida is based in the autonomous region of Extremadura and currently plays in the Primera División RFEF – Group 1, the third tier of Spanish football. Its home games take place at the 14,600-capacity Estadio Romano. The town’s club did spend two seasons in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football, in the mid-nineties but went into severe decline after that and was restructured in 2013. It is currently in a play off position for promotion into the second tier.
Cliff Crown, Nity Raj and Phil Whall take roles as directors on the board of Mérida, with Crown becoming club president. Current members of Mérida’s board will step down.
Crown, Raj and Whall maintain their positions at Brentford FC, as chair, director and general counsel, and associate director, respectively.
The move is a continuation of BIA’s multi-club ownership approach previously employed through owning a stake in Denmark's FC Midtjylland.
The association between the two clubs should give better access to developing Spanish players and increase BIA’s ability to implement its data-driven methodologies for player recruitment.
Brentford has had a number of Spanish players in the past, most notably David Raya and Serji Canos.
Cliff Crown said, “It is a great honour to be part of Mérida, a historic team not only in the region, but also in Spanish football.
“We are extremely happy and excited to become part of the Roman family. We are aware of the club’s history and identity, and respecting that is something very important to us.
“The project at Mérida will continue on the same basis as it is currently, maintaining the foundations of the great work that has been carried out so far. This was another key factor in our decision to commit to this club, along with the fact that it has been run on a sound financial footing.”
Alejandro Pérez Robles, director general of Mérida, added, “We believe that this agreement represents a significant step forward both for Asociación Deportiva Mérida and for the city, and we are fully convinced that BIA’s incorporation into the project will contribute substantially to its growth, professionalisation, and long-term stability.
“Being integrated into a well-established and internationally respected methodological structure in the world of football is a source of pride, and it reaffirms the work carried out by the club over the past four years, during which solid foundations have been laid for its future development.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all parties involved for the rigour, transparency, and professionalism demonstrated throughout this process.
"This is an operation that has been carefully evaluated and will allow the club to maintain a consistent line of management, focused on institutional strengthening through hard work, humility, and respect for our identity.”
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