Our January 2025 membership survey results

25/03/2025 05:55

We received 250 responses to our survey. Thank you to everyone who completed it. We gave a brief summary of the outcomes in our last newsletter. This is a more detailed summary of the comments we received.

How are we doing?

Overall, it seems you are satisfied with how BIAS is representing its members.

What matters to our members?

We attend regular working group meetings with the club providing a platform to raise issues that matter most to our members and the wider Brentford FC fan base.

Of the issues we asked about, affordable ticket prices, atmosphere, and every seat counts were the most important to our survey respondents

Ticketing

The comments we received about ticketing included the following:

• Persistent problems with away fans accessing home tickets and stewards not taking action.
• Concerns about ticket allocation for away matches, high TAP (Ticket Access Points) thresholds, and fairness in ticket distribution.
• Suggestions for improving access for families, members, and long-standing supporters, including a “plus one” option for children or members.
• Frustration with cup game pricing for south stand season ticket holders.
• Calls for better access for remote or international supporters and fairer pricing for those on Universal Credit.

Match day experience and atmosphere

With regards to matchday experience and atmosphere we received comments about the following issues:

• Some members feel BIAS could be more proactive in addressing issues like away fan treatment, stadium Wi-Fi, and transport logistics.
• Issues with food and drink options, including high beer prices and limited vegan choices.
• Suggestions for improving match day experiences, such as better toilet facilities, heating in bars, and more seating in lounges.

What are we doing?

• The issue of away fans in home areas was recently on the agenda at a fan advisory board meeting. We will keep pushing the club to find solutions to this issue and to better publicise what it has done and continues to do to combat this problem.
• Our aim is always to keep ticket prices affordable for all Brentford fans and we continue to engage with the club on this at our regular ticketing working group meetings.
• We have an active food and drink group that meets regularly with the food and drink providers in the stadium. We are pushing the club to better promote 'BEE ORDER' which provides greater choice, and to extend the 'early bird' discounts. Many of you volunteered to help out with this group and should have been contacted and asked to provide us with regular feedback of your experiences

How do we do in keeping you updated?

How do you normally see updates from BIAS?

Most respondents said they were updated by email.

How do you rate the frequency of our communications?

Most respondents felt the frequency of our communications were about right

• Comments received suggest that you are happy with our regular updates, clear communication, and active presence on social media.
• Suggestions to improve communication include more frequent updates on our achievements, better use of platforms like Bluesky, and clearer differentiation between official BIAS posts and personal opinions.
• In relation to the comments above any official posts on our website, or using the BIAS account on The Griffin Park Grapevine, on Facebook or our other social media channels (X/Twitter and Bluesky) are never personal opinions. Committee members can post their own personal opinions under their own name on GPG or social media.
• We have provided links to all of our channels used at the bottom of this update.

What are we doing?

• Some of you have volunteered to help with our communications and we will be looking to invite you to a meeting of our communications group soon to see how you can help us.

Fan representation

• BIAS is widely seen as effective in representing fans, particularly in lobbying the club on issues like ticket prices and season ticket payment plans.
• There were some concerns about BIAS becoming too close to the club, potentially compromising its independence.
• Some responses called for more transparency about BIAS’s activities and achievements to engage newer fans.

Other

• BIAS is commended for its historical role in saving the club and its ongoing efforts to represent fans.
• Suggestions for improvement include more fan surveys, better engagement with international fans, and a stronger presence on match days.

Summary of comments

• BIAS is generally viewed positively, with fans appreciating its efforts to represent their interests and maintain a strong connection with the club.
• There is a desire for BIAS to continue evolving, addressing persistent issues, and ensuring it remains an independent and effective voice for all Brentford supporters.

Next steps

• We will share this report from our survey with the club and pursue the issues that are important to our members
• We would like to explore some of the most important issues that you have raised in this survey a little further so we will be looking to issue further surveys on particular topics such as ticketing and fan experience.

Thank you again for providing this invaluable feedback to us.