Women at Brentford: Shinead Davis, head of premium services | OneFootball

Brentford’s head of premium services Shinead Davis first started off her career working in travel.

She worked for Thomas Cook on the weekends after completing work experience there whilst at school. Tasked with filling up brochures, managing queues and supporting staff, she quickly progressed to sales consultant, assistant manager and then branch manager.

Shinead says: “At the time, I was 20 and became the youngest-ever branch manager for Thomas Cook. That may well have changed now, but that was a big achievement at the time.”

After Shinead went on to work for an independent travel agency as a Regional Manager, she decided to start a family and leave the industry.

She explains: “I knew I wasn't going to go back to that job because I would need to travel, which was fine when I had no dependents. After having children, I took some time off.”

Following her career break, Shinead began looking for employment again. She was sent the job role of sales representative at Brentford, when the club was in League One, as a joke by her husband, a Brentford fan. Shinead thought the role could be an exciting opportunity.

She smiles: “My husband asked me, ‘You want to work at a football club?!', and I said, ‘Yes!'. The role involved meeting people and was similar to what I’d done in the travel industry.

"So, after I got the job, I started selling programme adverts, board adverts and hospitality by knocking on people’s doors and companies.”

When Shinead joined Brentford in 2012, the entire off-field team consisted of just 11 people, a much smaller team than the organisation today. Shinead was also looking for people interested in buying Griffin Park’s 60 hospitality spaces.

As well as working in hospitality, Shinead’s role would evolve as she’d start organising large-scale events, such as the club’s end-of-season event and sporting dinners.

As Brentford made its way to the 17,250 seat Gtech Community Stadium in 2020, Shinead’s role would further expand. After the pandemic, when spectators could attend the stadium to watch the Bees play, she played an instrumental role in the fan premium experience.

Shinead says: “When we moved to the new stadium, it was a passion of mine to build hospitality. We had lounges, the boardroom and The Dugout. I wanted to be part of that and build a team.”

Delivering exceptional service for premium seat holders

Today, Brentford has four hospitality lounges, where around 1,400 premium seat holders visit the Gtech to watch the Bees play.

As head of premium services, Shinead leads a team of five individuals who ensure that our premium seat holders receive an exceptional service across the club’s lounges.

What’s kept Shinead passionate about her role, is the interaction she has with people on a daily basis: “From the leisure industry, I've was used to meeting people when I was door knocking and phoning people up. By working at Griffin Park, I've got to know a lot of the fans who now attend the Gtech. It feels like a family.”

Having a personable approach is something that Shinead encourages amongst her team as well: “I’m more of a face-to-face person. If fans are having challenges, I’d rather go and speak to them in a lounge. On a matchday, we can go round and interact with people.

“As a team, we look after all of our premium seat holders and that means we build a relationship with them all. For example, if our team member Annie picks up the phone, the fan will know who Annie is. Our premiums seat holders pay a lot of money, so it’s important to know people by name and face and offer them a more personal service .”

Feeling supported

Looking back on her career, Shinead explains that despite having two children, she was "never going to be a stay-at-home mum".

She adds: “I love having my kids and having a family, but I’m very career driven.”

Providing a flexible work environment has been key to supporting Shinead: “Brentford has always been flexible which I cant thank them enough for. For example, when the kids start school, I’ve been able to change my hours around. I’ve never felt like having a family has been a challenge to overcome.”

Throughout her time with Brentford, Shinead has seen the amount of women working in football and engaging in the sport positively increase: “We have to be as loud as possible to show how many women there are in football. We have women in the lounges, but it’s still a minority. I love seeing groups of women enjoying themselves in hospitality.”

Shinead feels she can also be an example to her own sons who are huge Brentford fans.

Her role at the club normalises women working in football: “My boys have grown up with me working at Brentford. I'd be dropping off football shirts at the training ground when we were in the Championship and they'd be in the back of the car. But I always remind them how lucky they were!

“Ultimately, it’s important for them as the next generation to see women in this sport.”