Representatives from Brentford FC, Bees United and BIAS met on Tuesday 12 July to discuss ticket pricing and policies relating to the sale of tickets to our away matches.
Ticket pricing models across the Premier League was presented to the group. Based on the information published to date by other clubs, Brentford’s pricing for individual match tickets remains amongst the lowest in the league.
Nevertheless, the strong concerns raised by BIAS against the recent £5 price increase across different categories were acknowledged. Their recent statement, stating their opposition to any matchday price increases, was reiterated and noted. Bees United understood there were rising costs across the Club and wider economy but felt that family groups could have been protected against rising ticket prices.
In light of the discussions at the meeting, the Club has taken another look at the proposed pricing structure for next season, particularly for families coming to games. As a result, the Club has decided not to increase the Match Ticket price for Junior tickets (0-17 years) for the 2022/23 season. The pricing structure for other age categories remains unchanged. £5 credits will be made in the coming days in relation to any Junior tickets already purchased for the Manchester United match next month.
Data in relation to ticket sales for Category B away matches last season was also presented at the meeting. The benefits of a more streamlined system were explained by the Club. Reassurances were also provided that the decisions have been based on the actual demand and sales for tickets to the respective games last season. The Club stated that they have confidence that the changes will not prevent Season Ticket Holders from gaining access to Category B away Match Tickets.
Bees United said that they understood the rationale behind the changes but wanted a firm commitment to an immediate review of how the system worked for the first game in which it will be applied – the Leicester City match. BIAS outlined that their main concern is in relation to the perceived loss felt by those Season Ticket Holders within the highest TAP bracket who feel that they should continue to be first in line for Category B away matches.
Since the meeting, the first sales window for tickets for the Leicester City away match has taken place. An allocation of around 3,100 tickets was made available to all Season Ticket Holders on Friday at 2pm. By 5pm on Friday, 1,900 tickets had been sold; by 8.30pm on Friday, 1,997 tickets had been sold and by 9am on Tuesday, 2,207 tickets had been sold. This means that we have 29 per cent of the available allocation left which will now go to Members in the second sales window for this match, opening at 2pm today.
Once the sales for the Leicester City match are complete, we will conduct a review with BIAS and Bees United to consider whether any changes to the Category B ticketing policy are required. Regardless of the outcome of those discussions, the Club will continue to review the sales process on an ongoing basis through the season.