With prices frozen, direct debits introduced and a new ticketing platform in the pipeline, Brentford is also keen to tackle the issue of unused, empty seats at the Gtech Community Stadium and the challenge of away fans gaining access to home areas.
On average, there are more than 1,000 unused season ticket holder seats each match.
With that in mind, from the 2023/24 season we are introducing a new ‘every seat counts’ policy.
So how does it work? All your questions are answered below.
Season ticket and premium seat usage rules
What is the new policy?
A new policy is being introduced to significantly reduce the number of empty seats on matchdays
You need to ‘use’ your season ticket/premium seat for as many games as possible. If you miss a number of games, you risk losing the right to renew the following season
If you don’t use your ticket for a home league match, you will get what we are going to call a ‘yellow card’. If you get four yellow cards between the start of the 2023/24 season and the season ticket renewal date in March 2024, you will lose the right to renew for the 2024/25 season
You will be deemed to have ‘used’ your season ticket/premium seat for a game if one of the following actions takes place:
You attend the match and have your season ticket card scanned on entry to the stadium
You transfer your ticket to another Brentford supporter, and the recipient scans their ticket on entry to the stadium.
You list your ticket on the ticket exchange prior to 10am on the day of the match
You list your ticket on the ticket exchange after the 10am deadline and it sells before the kick-off – if it does not sell, however, you will get a yellow
When should I use the ticket exchange?
If you are either unable to attend the match or are unable transfer your season ticket to another Brentford supporter who will attend in your place, you should list your ticket on the ticket exchange
In order to have the best possible chance of selling your ticket on the ticket exchange, filling that seat and returning the pro-rata value of your season ticket back, you must list with enough time before the game to avoid getting a yellow card
The cut-off for listing tickets will be 10am on the morning of the game. If you list after this time, you run the risk of being marked down as not using your season ticket for the game and therefore, you get a yellow card
Keeping track of attendance during the season and the disputes process
How does the club keep track of how many games I attend?
When you enter the stadium, you must ensure that your season ticket card (or digital ticket) is scanned. This data is then stored by the club and kept on your record
If you do not attend a game (or list your season ticket on the ticket exchange in line with the guidelines detailed above), we will email you within three working days after the match to let you know that you have received a yellow card for that game
If you do not have an email address, the club will communicate either via text or letter to inform you that you have received a yellow card
We strongly recommend that you check that we have your most up-to-date contact details on your account
We will also provide guidance on listing season tickets on the ticket exchange for future games and provide information on how to respond if you did in fact attend the game in the email that is sent to you informing you of your yellow card
What happens if I pass/transfer my season ticket onto a friend or family member to use for a game? Does this count as me having ‘attended’ the match?
Yes, season ticket holders are allowed to pass on or transfer their season ticket to a family member or friend for a particular game provided that there is no exchange of money in excess of the face value and that person attends the game and has their ticket scanned upon entry to the stadium.
(Note: Season ticket holders must also ensure that they don’t pass their season ticket to an away supporter and should request that their guest reads the relevant ground regulations in place at the Gtech Community Stadium before attending the game as they will be held responsible for the behaviour of the person using their season ticket)
Will I be warned if I am in danger of falling short of the renewal threshold?
Yes. On top of the match-by-match yellow card/non-usage emails, you will receive notification if you are close to reaching the four yellow card threshold.
If you miss three home games, you will also receive a phone call from the box office/premium services team.
It is essential that your contact details are up to date so the club can get in touch with you throughout the season. It is your responsibility to ensure that your contact details are accurate and up to date.
Disputes process - what happens if the system says I missed a game, but I was actually there?
In the unlikely event that you receive a yellow card email, but you were actually at the game in person, you must reply to the email within 14 days detailing the following information in the disputes form which will be included in the email:
A photo of yourself to help with identification checks
An explanation of why you think your card was not scanned/did not register
Details of the seat that you sat in during the game
The club will then check the CCTV from the game and will adjust your yellow card records if we can see that you did indeed attend
What happens if my usage record drops off significantly after the season ticket renewal date?
If you fail to use your season ticket after the season ticket renewal date, you will receive reminder emails about the importance of using your ticket to ensure we maximise attendance levels. This will also be noted on your record and may be taken into account in future seasons.
Listing season tickets on the ticket exchange
If I list my season ticket on the ticket exchange, does it need to have been purchased for it to count towards your usage target?
No, as long as you have listed by 10am on the day of the game.
Season tickets listed after this time will only count as ‘used’ if they are sold ahead of kick-off.
The 10am deadline is important as we need to have the best chance to be able to resell the ticket and help ensure that the stadium has as few empty seats as possible.
When I list my season ticket on the ticket exchange, how much money do I receive if it is re-sold?
If your season ticket is re-sold on the ticket exchange for an individual match, you will receive 1/19th of the amount you paid for your season ticket, payable to the card that you used to purchase your season ticket.
For those paying by direct debit, credit will be added to your account.
Please note that refunds will be paid periodically throughout the season – they will not be made automatically at the point of re-sale.
Is there any help available if I’m not sure how to use the ticket exchange?
We will provide clear guidelines and how to guides on how to list your season ticket on the ticket exchange if you can’t attend a game ahead of the season.
If you are still unclear or don’t have access online to your ticketing account for any reason, you can call the box office/premium services team and they will assist you with listing your season ticket.
If I list my season ticket, do I retain my TAPs?
Season ticket holders will only gain TAPs if they physically attend the game.
If a fan purchases a ticket on the ticket exchange or receives a transferred ticket they will receive the allocated number of TAPs for attending that match, assuming they go to the game and scan their ticket on entry into the stadium.
If my ticket is listed but not sold, do I retain my TAPs?
No, you will not get your TAPs unless you attend the match.
When purchasing for others in your friends and family group, how does it work with ticket exchange credit?
If you are purchasing a Season ticket for someone in your friends and family group, please note that any ticket exchange credit will go to the person who purchased the season ticket. If you don’t want this to be the case, please pay for your season tickets separately.
If you booked your 2022/23 season ticket in a group, the lead booker will have received the ticket exchange credit for everyone in that group.
It is the lead booker’s responsibility to liaise with the group to make sure they are not using ticket credit from other season ticket holders in the group before renewing.
To allocate the credit to other fans in the group, the lead booker must contact the box office to get the credit manually transferred to each season ticket holder who has sold their season ticket on the ticket exchange throughout the season.
I have used the ticket exchange to sell my seat during the 2022/23 season but I have no credit in my account. Why is this?
If you booked your 2022/23 season ticket in a group, credit from the ticket exchange automatically goes to the lead booker. Please contact the box office to transfer credit to your account.
I have someone in my friends and family group but I am unable to renew their season ticket. Why is this?
This is either because the person has already renewed their season ticket, or because the permissions are not set up for you to purchase products for them. You will need to re-add them to your friends and family group in your ticketing account to be able to renew their season ticket.
How the policy will be applied for different groups
As a general rule, the new season ticket policy will apply to all season ticket holders aged 18 and above. The sections below provide more detail on how the policy will be applied for those supporters attending with a personal assistant/carer and for family groups.
How does it work for season ticket holders who attend games with a personal assistant or carer?
Fans who attend matches with a carer are exempt from this policy, as is their personal assistant/carer’s season ticket.
How does it work for those under 18?
First of all, if a family group cannot attend a match, we strongly encourage that all tickets are listed on the ticket exchange.
However, we appreciate that young fans are reliant on adults bringing them to the game and managing their ticketing account.
If an adult within a family group meets the renewal criteria (three yellow cards or less) but the under 18s do not, then the under 18s will be protected. The qualifying adult of the group will effectively ‘save’ the under 18s and they will be invited to renew together.
If a young person who is old enough to attend the game on their own (14+) meets the renewal criteria but an adult in the group does not, then the adult will not be invited to renew. The young person (14+) will be invited to renew in this situation.
Adult season ticket holders must be responsible for using their own ticket. The young person cannot therefore ‘save’ an accompanying adult who has not met the minimum usage criteria.
If an adult who has children under the age of 14 in their group does not meet the usage criteria, the children will not be invited to renew their season ticket unless there is another adult season ticket holder within their group who meets the criteria and has permission from the child’s parent or guardian to supervise them at matches.
In these circumstances, we will need to make any necessary seat moves to ensure that the children can be supervised in line with ground regulations.
How does it work for premium seat holders?
The same principles will apply for premium seat holders.
Those who have longer-term licence agreements will be offered partial refunds if they do not want to comply with the new policy. They will have until 7 March to decide if they would like a partial refund.
Premium seat holders will be contacted directly with information on how the ticket exchange process will work for them when we transfer over to Ticketmaster in the summer.
Exemptions from the policy
Will the club accept any excuses if I don’t use my season ticket for a game?
With an improved ticket exchange, we don’t believe there should be any reason for fans not using their season ticket at every game. However, we do understand that last-minute eventualities can happen that might prevent you from transferring or listing your season ticket. If this happens, a yellow card will be issued but you will be allowed to get up to three yellow cards during the season before the season ticket renewal date in March 2024.
If you miss four games though, and therefore get four yellow cards, you will lose your automatic right to renew your season ticket.
The demand for season tickets within our stadium far outweighs supply, therefore it is only fair, if tickets are not being used, that the club is able to sell that season ticket in future years to fans who will attend more regularly.
I live a long distance away from Brentford, do I get any additional grace for non-usage, for example for midweek evening games?
No. Fans who live further away will not be given preferential terms as the distance to travel does not prevent fans from listing their season ticket on the ticket exchange.
When does the ticket exchange open ahead of each match?
The ticket exchange will be open from the start of the season for season ticket holders to list at any time. However, we would recommend that supporters wait until the TV fixtures are announced for particular games before listing and the date of the fixture is confirmed.
The ticket exchange will open for members to purchase tickets for each match as we approach sell-out.
Is it possible for me to ask for a short-term ‘sabbatical’ from my season ticket due to work, overseas travel or illness?
Yes, this can be requested by notifying the box office in writing (via email or by post). Requests by phone will not be accepted.
If a sabbatical is granted, your season ticket will be listed on the ticket exchange by the box office team for all matches during the period granted. Or, you can simply list your season ticket on the ticket exchange yourself for those games that you will miss.
For the avoidance of doubt, your season ticket will not be valid for use during this time.
What happens if I am ill on the day of the game or if I have a last-minute change of plans which prevents me from attending a match on the day?
You should always try to list your season ticket on the ticket exchange prior to the 10am deadline in advance of the game.
If you miss the deadline, it is still worth listing your season ticket on the ticket exchange as you will still be counted as having ‘used’ your season ticket, and will avoid a yellow card, if your ticket is sold before the kick-off. If your Season ticket is not listed before the deadline, or is listed after the deadline and not sold, then you will receive a yellow card.
Season ticket renewals process for the 2024/25 season
What will happen when it comes to the time to renew your season ticket for the 2024/25 season?
At that point, we will contact fans who have reached the required attendance/usage thresholds and invite them to renew their season ticket.
Any season ticket holder not qualifying will receive an email to let them know they have not reached the required usage threshold and therefore they will not be able to renew their season ticket.
Appeals process – is there a way to appeal a decision not to allow me to renew my Season ticket for the 2024/25 season?
Fans who wish to appeal this decision will have 14 days to challenge the decision and provide any further information for consideration.
The club will then review this information and confirm the outcome of this review, indicating whether there is any change to the decision not to allow the season ticket to be renewed.
Any fans who would still like to appeal this decision can then respond to the email (within 14 days) to request that this decision is reviewed by the season ticket renewal appeals panel.
The season ticket renewal appeals panel will consist of senior cub staff. Fan advisory board members will also attend season ticket renewal appeals panel meetings to represent the views of fans.
The season ticket review appeals panel will consider any explanatory information provided alongside any representations from fan advisory board members and make a final decision on whether the renewal will be allowed.
During the challenge/appeals process, season tickets will be ‘held’ and will not be available for other supporters to buy.
Please note that the appeals process is separate to the disputes process - see above.
Any disputes around whether you attended a particular game during the season have to be logged within 14 days of the match taking place via the attendance disputes form sent by the club to all fans who haven’t used their season ticket.
How will the appeals process work for fans who are not able to email their details?
We would encourage all fans that are able to, to respond via email to challenge decisions and request an appeal as this is the most efficient way to keep track of the process.
For those fans who don’t use email, it will be possible to speak to a member of the box office team who can support them to complete the relevant documents or request paper copies to be completed and sent by post to the club.
If I don’t meet the usage criteria, will I be allowed another chance to buy a season ticket in future seasons?
You may have the chance to buy a season ticket in future seasons (following one season ‘out’) if you meet the minimum TAPs and attendance criteria that may be applied from time to time for any available season tickets in line with all other members. This is not guaranteed though.
Other
What happens if a match is abandoned or postponed?
If a match is abandoned or postponed, the attendance records for the game are null and void so you will need to use your ticket for the rearranged fixture.
If a significant number of matches have been postponed which were due to be played before the season ticket renewal date in March 2024, the club will reduce the number of games on a proportional basis for which a season ticket must be used.
If I list my season ticket for a match which is then rescheduled, does the ticket return to me?
If you list your season ticket on the ticket exchange for a fixture and it is sold, it isn’t possible for you to get your season ticket back for that fixture – even if the game is rescheduled and you can make the revised date.
At the club’s discretion, priority may be given to those fans affected to have priority access to any available tickets for that fixture. Please note that any such available tickets will be sold at the standard match ticket price.
What happens if there are enforced capacity restrictions, for example due to a future Covid-19 outbreak?
If something like this happens, there will be a full review of all related terms and conditions.