You told us what you think, 2250 times!
You love your Gtech days.
Eating and drinking thoughts provided a real mixture of views!
Brentford is the club you love but what a variety of comments you dished up!
And about Bees United, we got the message!
Gtech matchdays
HEADLINE: Almost 90% of you rated the matchday experience as very good or excellent value for money with only 1% rating it as poor.
More than 500 of you wrote comments on the home match atmosphere. There was a lot of positivity in general, around the singing and general noise especially from west stand.
There were mixed reviews on the pre match and half-time entertainment.
For some the videos and light shows before the game help create atmosphere and are enjoyed but quite a few of you wanted more pre-match build-up and commented on the lack of atmosphere and when the team go behind. A number of you feel volumes are too loud.
Gtech is seen as family friendly, a great matchday place to meet with friends and family and there were a few requests for more activity around the north stand because half time activity tends to be concentrated on the south stand.
Food and drinks at Gtech
HEADLINES: It’s the poisoned chalice or you love it. But! Beyond the ‘no chips’ comments Premium season ticket holders were the most positive possibly reflecting their lounge experiences.
The BeeOrder App gets praise. Standard ‘general admission’, STHs are the most critical. They write about food quality, variety [lack of] and high prices, these are the main friction points. West stand fans complain about queues. Quite a few don’t eat at Gtech citing cost and the wider choice of food in local and riverside pubs. We’d love to hear more from the east stand!
Your suggestions:
“Wider range of food at each part of the ground including fresh sandwiches and rolls etc.”
“Quicker service, like to see a wider choice”
“The samosas are good, would be nice to see more independent food trucks like that”
“Beer is ok but someone needs to train the bar staff. Help them out, it’s not a local pub!”
“Could be more healthy food”
“Organise ad hoc food trucks outside the stadium so that frying is an option.”
“The ordering system is ok. There could be more vegetarian options available and maybe slightly larger portions. It would also be nice if there were benches for the less mobile such as myself .”
Positives:
“Brilliant, great system of ordering and collecting beverages”
“Lovely food and queueing isn’t a problem, just part of the experience!”
“Queues vary a lot across the different bars. The pre order screens speed things up a lot.”
“We are impressed with the cask London Pride [Dugout],a big well done 👍 could do with a few more alcoholic drinks options, the lager isn’t great and the return of draught Guinness would be welcomed”
“Curries are good. Other options not so great.”
Negatives:
“Half time is impossible to get served unless you miss a chunk of the first half. Closing 10 minutes into the second half makes zero sense!”
“Quality ok, nothing special. The people serving, across the board not interested at all. We go into the Dugout for a drink after games to let the crowd die down: the staff need a kick up the backside.”
“The coffee is still poor, and honestly the hot choc lid drives me nuts. It leaks everywhere.”
“Average – just that – bang average. We’re an innovative club can’t we do better in these areas?”
“The food and drink prices are far too high”
Your Views On Our club:
HEADLINE: 383 very positive (66%), 88 Yes and no (15%) a fairly sizeable number had mixed feelings either because asked but not acted on (often unreasonably) or general uncertainty, 86 with negative views (15%), 27 Don’t Know (4%).
What a mixture:
“I think it is moving away from the needs of long standing fans and looking more through a Corporate lens to the detriment of traditional fans. Understand money is needed to keep the club where we are but it is a sad fact of life in the modern game.”
“The club asks for views, but there’s no playback and summary of the findings and an action plan that is clearly communicated. Running a “you said, we did” can help increase transparency.”
“It does ask for views, not entirely sure it acts.”
“Far better than average in terms of fan engagement. Not sure how much our comments actually drive change, though. But, then again, its extremely well run generally and rightly the envy of many other clubs and their supporters.”
“Box office team are superb.”
Positives:
“Yes. One of the main reasons why I love Brentford, is that the club truly care about its supporters and community.”
“The club listens which is the most important thing, they can’t make everything happen and they have to consider the implications. However I feel the club puts the fans first. That’s the most important aspect.”
“Via BIAS and Bees United, many voices are heard and listened too. Which, compared to other Premier League clubs, is rare and happy for this to continue.”
Negatives:
“No….and very disappointed on this, more connections needed…. Not really no.”
“We get satisfaction questionnaires after matches about individual games but really the main thing that determines how much I enjoyed a match, almost the only thing is the result!”
You views on Bees United:
HEADLINE: We need to share more about what we do for you and become more accessible.
Not happy, not sure – we should do more:
“No. You don’t hold the club accountable.”
“You are part of the propaganda machine the club uses to drag supporters along with its wider corporate and commercial agenda.”
“No idea as you rarely report on what you do.”
“I have been BU member for a while but I’m afraid I’m unaware of what you do. I have no sense that you represent my views.”
“We don’t know enough about you. The club needs to publicise you more.”
Positives:
“BU does a great job alongside BIAS in keeping the club scrutinised and well run.”
“I see BU as the sensible chap in the corner who doesn’t get too excited but is well respected and always worth listening to.”
“I like the idea that supporters have some say in what happens. However as things stand there is not much to moan about.”
“I think they do a good job in representing fans views. I am not sure how much you can do to change a club policy i.e. advising the club of an issue, and the club actually doing something about it.”
“I think they are brilliant (and have been over many years). Let’s face it, the Club may not have survived with out BU’s actions and involvement. I think the surveys BU undertake certainly do make sure our views are taken into account and presented to the Club. What would I like. Just keep on doing what you’ve done for years. Helping to keep this great club moving forward while not forgetting where we’ve come from (I started in season 67/68 and easily remember some of the dark days we’ve experienced).”
Thoughts, suggestions and your general comments:
“I would like BU to keep the growing number of international supporters in mind but not at the expense of the local supporters. I do believe that local and lifelong supporters should have a preferred voice.”
“I’m concerned the new investors and strategy with overseas revenues will dilute from our local, community focus. I’d like more comms on the investments – how this improves our financial sustainability.”
“Could BU share a view on the [club] Accounts?”
“It is important for the club management to make supporters feel wanted. Obviously, the PL income from other sources is massive compared to the attendance income, but live fans are what it is all about for atmosphere. So I feel that BU must always ensure that there is never a disconnect between fans and the club management.”
“One thing I am surprised at is to somehow to include more fans as BU members, particularly all season ticket holders – surely there must be a way to somehow include a BU membership within a season ticket renewal package, rather than it being a separate thing.”
“Lobby in partnership with other fan groups to protect the fan experience in the premier league, fast eroded by tv schedules and tourist fans.”
“I do believe that the Bees United Board hold the club accountable. I would like to learn more about how the board works and what it does on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.”
“You do a very important job but there is a big rivalry between Bees Utd and BIAS that I don’t wholly understand.”
“Broadly, yes. It would be good to have a BU (or shared with BIAS) “surgery” on a regular basis at home games where fans can drop in and voice concerns (and sign-up if not already members)”
Thank you
What are we are doing now
There is a lot of food for thought and we thank you.
We have plenty of things to think about on the BU BOARD but a huge amount to share with the club too. We will create a BU Board action plan based on your feedback especially around our communications about what we do behind the scenes and we will continue to ensure we represent you with Brentford FC.
We are part of the BFC Ticketing Working Group and in a recent meeting started to share many views expressed especially by [BFC] Members.
A new ‘Atmosphere’ group has been formed to meet soon and the largely positive views [but reflecting a mixture] will be shared there from June onwards.
We are on the Fan Advisory Board as Co-Chair and will summarise more generally to that group, initially when we meet in June.
We thank you all