8 interesting takeaways as Brentford has first Fan Advisory Board meeting - tickets, spending and stewards

Last week Brentford FC held its first Fan Advisory Board (FAB) meeting as part of the Premier League's fan engagement requirements.

The meetings look to increase communication and collaboration between clubs and their supporters. At each meeting, fans and representatives from the club discuss the most important matters affecting Brentford FC.

Details of what was discussed were published by the club and eight key points from the meeting are summarised here on LondonWorld.

1 - Who is on the Fan Advisory Board?

Eight Brentford supporters represented the fanbase at the first Fan Advisory Board meeting. These included co-Chairs Stuart Hatcher of Bees United and Adam Hobbs of the Brentford Independent Association of Supporters. The rest of the board was filled by members of those two supporter groups.

2 - Who represented Brentford Football Club at the meeting?

Chief Executive Jon Varney was in attendance alongside Fan & Community Relations Director Sally Stephens and four other club representatives.

3 - Fan Advisory Board membership

The group discussed whether additional members were required on the FAB in order to fully represent the diversity of the Brentford FC fanbase - and whether they should be added permanently or invited depending on the agenda.

It was agreed that the FAB would remain as is until further established but that representatives from key working groups could be invited to meetings in the meantime.

4 - Pressure on club revenue

Finance Director David Joyes explained the 'squad cost ratio' to the FAB. This regulation means that by the 2025/26 season clubs will have to limit spending on wages, transfers and agents' fees to 70% of their revenue. Mr Joyes added that therefore an emphasis on increasing club revenue would be vital to keep the side competitive.

5 - Season ticket prices

The FAB thanked the football club for freezing season ticket prices for the upcoming Premier League season. Brentford FC confirmed that affordability would remain a priority for the club.

6 - Sustainability Manager role

Part of the meeting was dedicated to sustainability and how the club is being run. Corporate Affairs Director Greg Mailer provided an update on some of the club's recent sustainability work and outlined the recruitment drive for a specific Sustainability Manager.

7 - Final day stewarding

Stewarding at the Gtech Community Stadium was discussed with a special focus on the final day of the season when Manchester City visit Brentford. The FAB raised concern that should the title be decided on this day, extra stewarding may be needed in regard to celebrations and the club confirmed that extra measures were being discussed.

8 - Red and white centenary

The conclusion of the 2024/25 football season will mark 100 years of Brentford playing in red and white and Mr Varney confirmed discussions with commercial partners were underway for a commemorative event. The FAB stressed the importance of supporter inclusion in making these plans.