Barry Hearn is best known for transforming snooker, darts and boxing into major television sports. Even at 78, the Matchroom founder remains one of the world's most recognisable sporting promoters. His involvement in football is perhaps lesser known - but every bit as intriguing.
In March 1995, Hearn saved Leyton Orient - who he first watched at the age of 11 - from bankruptcy by buying the club for just £2.43. By 2007, three sides of Brisbane Road had been rebuilt. By 2012, he had wiped out any debt and reportedly invested around £8m.
In 2013/14, Orient reached the League One play-off final and had a rare chance to reach the second tier - but they lost 4-3 on penalties to Rotherham at Wembley. Within two months he had sold the club to Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti. For nine years, Hearn was away from football.
There was no shortage of work for him to be getting on with elsewhere. Then, in July 2023, Matchroom sponsored the home shirt of Brentwood Town, the Isthmian League North Division side based three miles up the road from their headquarters. The following year, Hearn took a minority stake in the club - and earlier this summer, a five-year partnership and "a significant investment" was announced.
"The reason Barry came over initially was we were doing something for Saint Francis Hospice, which he is a patron of, and he sat next to me for a game," says chairman Jez Dickinson. "It was an entertaining game and Barry said afterwards, 'I'm never going to sit next to you again, Jez! Every time the ball went into the box, you were going up for a header and elbowing me in the side!' Barry is very much about passion and wearing his heart on his sleeve, so that's probably where we connected.
"We had some lunches and, after about the third one, he asked me what I wanted. I said obviously I wanted him to get involved, but I wanted him to get involved because he wanted to get involved, not because I was asking him - and he said he'd do it." Hearn's name is, naturally, the one that catches the eye, but Dickinson has been the driving force since taking over as chairman in May 2019. Before his appointment, he says there was "no pathway for the youth into the first team", "the bar was like a 1970s pub", and "the ambition was just to stay in the league".
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