Brentford FC Mourns the Passing of Chris Ramsey
Academy goalkeeping head died at 39 from bowel cancer
Chris Ramsey . Picture: Brentford FC
October 4, 2025
Brentford Football Club has announced the death of Christopher Ramsey, who passed away on Wednesday 1 October following a battle with bowel cancer. Ramsey, aged 39, was a key figure in the club’s Academy setup and widely respected across the footballing community for his dedication, warmth, and technical expertise.
Chris joined Brentford in June 2023 as the Academy’s professional development phase (PDP) goalkeeping coach and was promoted to head of academy goalkeeping in July 2024. His arrival coincided with the club’s efforts to relaunch its Academy programme, and he played a pivotal role in shaping its culture and standards.
Originally from Western Australia, Ramsey moved to the UK in 2009 to pursue his dream of working in English football. His coaching journey included roles at Chelsea Foundation and Fulham before he arrived at Brentford, where he quickly became known not just for his skill but for his generosity and ability to build meaningful relationships with players and staff.
“Chris was a great man, leaving a lasting impression on everyone he came into contact with,” said interim academy director Jamie Greenwood. “His character and work will live on through our young goalkeepers and coaches.”
Director of football Phil Giles added, “Not only was Chris an important addition to our Academy at a time when we were building towards Category 2 status, he was a great support for Manu [Sotelo] in the first team. Our fans may not realise the work he did here, helping Mark Flekken, Hákon Valdimarsson and our other goalkeepers in the last couple of seasons.”
His coaching philosophy centred on trust, partnership, and respect. He worked across all levels of the club, ensuring that the development of young goalkeepers mirrored the standards of Premier League preparation. His influence extended beyond the training pitch, leaving a legacy of kindness, humour, and unwavering support.
Brentford will honour Chris’s memory at their Premier League fixture against Manchester City on Sunday, with a pre-match commemoration and players wearing black armbands. Floral tributes and a moment of silence will also be held at Academy games this weekend.
The club has extended its condolences to Chris’s family, friends, and colleagues, stating, “He will be remembered as a coach who gave everything to his players, as a colleague who made people feel valued, and as a man whose warmth and kindness shone through in everything he did.”
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |