Acceptable Behaviour Policy

We want to help ensure the safety and comfort of all visitors to both the Gtech Community Stadium and other places where Brentford teams play, and to improve the experience of everyone who comes to see Brentford play – at every level.

We love the fact our fans are passionate and loud. We think we have the best fans in the country, and the players, management, and everyone at the club are grateful to every one of you for your vocal and passionate support, both home and away. It makes a big difference.

We want Brentford Football Club to continue to develop its reputation as THE place to watch football, in an environment where we are also considerate of all supporters and respect our surroundings, whether at home or away. The values of the club are togetherness, respectful and progressive and these are underpinned by a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion and safeguarding. We want to create a safe and friendly place where everyone can enjoy the Brentford experience, and where people want to bring their youngsters to become the next generation of Brentford fans.

The Club’s primary legal responsibility though is to look after the safety of all our visitors and this is the utmost priority for the Club. We also treat seriously any behaviour (including in relation to away fixtures and online behaviour) which contravenes our Club’s values and may bring our Club’s reputation into disrepute or spoil the experience of fellow supporters. This means that sometimes an individual may be refused entry or ejected from the Gtech Community Stadium. On matchdays, the Club will take such decisions based on the evidence they have at the time, with safety concerns always being paramount.

Where a supporter is found to have breached Brentford’s Acceptable Behaviour Policy outlined here, further action in accordance with the guidance within this policy may be taken.

Brentford Football Club Acceptable Behaviour Policy

In this Policy:

“the Club” means Brentford Football Club
“the Policy” means this document, the Brentford FC Acceptable Behaviour Policy
“the Stadium” means the Gtech Community Stadium, and any other stadium where Brentford FC teams play
“Behaviour Policies” means all the relevant guidance and Club policies that relate to fan behaviour

Policy statement

The purpose of this Policy is to ensure the safety of all visitors to the Gtech Community Stadium, and any other venue where any of the Club’s teams play, at any level and regardless of the capacity they are attending in, and to ensure that we create a respectful environment for all Brentford FC fans whether in person or online. This Policy supersedes any previous policies relating to fan behaviour.

This Policy is compliant with the requirements and principles of the Equality Act 2010 and will be applied accordingly.

What constitutes acceptable behaviour?

Fans coming to games at the Stadium are required to meet standards of behaviour set out in the Premier League Ground Regulations, terms and conditions relating to the purchase and use of season tickets, memberships and match tickets, and other relevant Premier League and FA guidance as well as other relevant Club policies and any relevant laws.

Further information on the regulations relating to attendance at games can be found here and these documents together make up the Club’s Behaviour Policies.

Further information on the regulations relating to attendance at games:

The Club’s Membership Terms and Conditions. To buy a ticket for a match, you must be a member of the Club and follow its rules.
The Club’s Season Ticket Terms and Conditions and (as applicable) the Club’s Match Ticket Terms and Conditions which govern the terms on which the Club sells tickets (together, the “Ticket Terms”).
The Ground Regulations which are common to all Premier League and EFL clubs and govern entry to the Stadium to all visitors. These are also prominently posted around the Stadium.
Applicable rules which are set by football’s governing bodies, including those of FIFA, UEFA, The Football Association, and The Premier League.
The Premier League Commitment Regarding Discriminatory and Abusive Conduct
The Club’s various policies complement and explain the above conditions set out the Club’s values and provide further other examples of behaviour (both on and offline) which is not acceptable and also how to report such incidents to the correct authorities. These policies and various other Club Policies, are gathered here, and include the Prohibited Items Policy, and the Social Media Policy – Guidance for Fans, and the Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
The Law for England and Wales.

The Club considers these rules and policies so important that failure to comply with them may lead to interventions or sanctions ranging from a warning, refusal of entry to (or immediate ejection from) the Stadium, through to permanent exclusion and the reporting of suspected unlawful activity to the police. The Club will co-operate fully with any police investigation and will provide such evidence as it possesses in relation to any alleged offence to the police on request. Further information about sanctions is provided below.*

The Club will apply a reasonable approach to both the interpretation of the Behaviour Policies, and to the amount and severity of any intervention or sanction arising from a breach of them.

This Policy is made up of four parts:

Part 1: What behaviour is considered unacceptable?
Part 2: How fans and eyewitnesses can report an incident
Part 3: The Club’s fan behaviour investigation and appeals process
Part 4: Intervention and sanctions table

* In addition to the principles set out in this document, if you have been previously sanctioned for an offence, you may be prevented from entering, or be excluded from the Stadium:

If you are the subject of a current Banning Order under the Football Spectators Act 1989 (as amended)
If you have been convicted of ticket touting events under section 166 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (as amended)
If you are the subject of a current sanction under the Premier League Commitment Regarding Discriminatory and Abusive Conduct (as amended from time to time)
If you are subject to a court order or bail conditions that prevents attendance at the Stadium
If you are otherwise the subject of a period of suspension or ban whether imposed by the Club or otherwise

Part 2: How fans and eyewitnesses can report an incident

If you have been a victim of a crime or feel a crime has been committed through social media or otherwise, this must be reported directly to the police.

Metropolitan Police – 101 for non-emergencies, and 999 for emergency situations.

We encourage fans to report behaviour which is contrary to the values of the Club using the mechanisms set out in the Club’s various policies and summarised below:

You can easily report what you see or experience at the time:

By speaking to any of our matchday stewards or authorised Club officers
By messaging us on WhatsApp to notify our Operations team
By scanning the QR codes on the back of the Gtech Community Stadium seats to make a report
By reporting through the Brentford FC App

You can also email the club at [email protected] but we would encourage fans to report any incidents at the time wherever possible rather than after the game as this gives us the best opportunity to gather evidence and take action. Please provide as much relevant information as you can.

If anyone wishes to raise a concern or report an incident regarding a safeguarding issue, please email [email protected]. This complaint will be dealt with in line with the club’s safeguarding procedures. Please visit the safeguarding section of the club’s website for specific information in relation to safeguarding here.

An incident or concern would be classified as a safeguarding matter when it relates to either:

Poor practice in relation to children’s activities or relating to children (under 18s), such as bullying
Incidents relating to an adult at risk

With all reports, the Club will endeavour to protect the identity of the complainant and those accused of an incident, wherever possible. For example, stewards who are responding to reports during the game will be briefed to try to liaise with supporters in the surrounding area of the incident and avoiding singling out any specific fans who have made a report, albeit in some cases this won’t be possible, for example where an altercation between fans has taken place. Similarly, individuals who are accused of an incident, will not be identified unless this is unavoidable, for example, in the case of an incident requiring a stadium ejection.

We also encourage supporters to report any incidents witnessed or seen on social media platforms that contravene this Policy, or directly affects Brentford FC, staff, players or supporters via email to [email protected], sharing details of the incident and the web address and screenshots of any offensive social media posts where possible. The Club will acknowledge receipt of your complaint and confirm if it intends to investigate this further.

Once you have reported an incident, the Club will endeavour to investigate this matter promptly. It may not however be possible to provide full reports on the specific actions taken in relation to incidents.

In addition to reporting an incident to the Club, you may want to seek support from a third party organisation. The following organisations offer a range of support and advice and will treat your incident in strict confidence (unless safeguarding/protection issues relating to children or adults at risk are raised). Staff at these centres have been trained to deal with complaints and to provide the appropriate support:

For discrimination related matters, you can phone Kick It Out on 0800 169 9414, send an email to [email protected] or contact Kick It Out on Twitter @kickitout or here.
Stop Hate UK is a leading anti-hate and anti-discrimination organisation – you can receive support from them by telephone on 0800 138 1625 or via their website.

Part 3: The Club’s investigation and appeals process

The Club is committed to operating a fair investigation process for all fan behaviour issues as set out below.

The Club is committed to acting proportionately and reasonably. Allegations of inappropriate behaviour can be resolved in a number of different ways:

With no further action being taken due to the matter not breaching the relevant thresholds to take action (or when there is insufficient or contradictory evidence).

With an informal resolution - sometimes a quiet word from a club steward may resolve the situation and prevent further occurrences.

With a formal warning and/or an education programme.

With the initiation of a formal investigation process.

Part 4 – Interventions and sanctions table

Interventions and sanctions table

Where possible, the Club will deal with offences via a verbal intervention – some misdemeanours can and should be addressed with a quiet word from a steward for example. The Club will also consider whether an education programme should be offered in some cases. The following Interventions and Sanction table outlines how the Club will treat breaches of our Acceptable Behaviour Policy, which should be read in conjunction with the principles of acceptable behaviour set out previously in this document.

Offences will be reported to the police where appropriate. The Club will deal with each case on an individual basis and reserves the right to use its discretion within the recommended intervention ranges provided. In cases where proven offences involve either aggravating or mitigating factors, the Club reserves the right to apply a different intervention to that outlined in the Interventions and Sanctions Table. The Club will publicise, where required, details of any significant sanctions applied, working with other Clubs to enforce the sanctions across all Premier League stadiums.

Level	Examples of Prohibited Activities*	Recommended Interventions**	Review
1	Smoking (including e-cigarettes) Persistent standing in seated areas or gangways Refusal to follow Club staff’s reasonable instructions Misuse of tickets (e.g. wrong area, invalid concession, away fans) Drinking alcohol in view of the pitch Damage to Club property Drunkenness in/around the stadium Selling Match Tickets for equal or less than face value (except as allowed in the Terms and Conditions)	Matchday intervention or a written warning (extended to a 1-6 match ban*** in the most serious cases) and/or a signed Acceptable Behaviour Agreement	N/A
2	Multiple/repeated Level 1 offences Possession/use of prohibited items Persistent foul and/or abusive language (including the threat of violence) Possession of illegal drugs General disorderly behaviour (including fighting) Resale of Match Tickets above face value, unauthorised transfer or attempting to gain access without a valid Match Ticket	Discretionary match ban up to 2 years	1 year
3	Multiple/repeated Level 1-2 offences Serious damage to property or facilities Pitch encroachment Use of pyrotechnics/fireworks Throwing missiles	Match ban ranging from 2 years up to an indefinite suspension	2 years
4	Multiple/repeated Level 1-3 offences Violent behaviour towards supporters, staff or police (including assault) Use of illegal drugs Racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language/behaviour (increased to 5 years if 2nd offence). Tragedy or hate chanting Breach of current Club ban Any other serious illegal/criminal activity	Match ban ranging from 3 years up to an official lifetime ban	3 years

This list is not exhaustive. The Club reserves the right to make appropriate amendments to sanctions issued to supporters dependent on individual case circumstances, sanctions history and any aggravating or mitigating factors.

The Club will use the contact details have provided to the Club. It is the supporter’s responsibility to ensure that such details are kept up to date, and the Club will not be held responsible if incorrect contact details are provided.

*Prohibited activity will be assessed with reference to the relevant Behaviour Policies. Prohibited Activity at away grounds will be treated as if having taken place at the Stadium.

**Aggravating factors. A more significant sanction may be imposed where the following aggravating factors in the non-exhaustive list below are established:

The Prohibited Activity was sustained (as opposed to a single act)
The Prohibited Activity was of a public nature (e.g. the Prohibited Activity was broadcast and/or distributed by broadcast media or social media platforms)
The Prohibited Activity by the Respondent encouraged and/or incited others to engage in or support the Prohibited Activity
The Prohibited Activity required intervention by Club personnel or other matchday officials.
The Prohibited Activity resulted in a delay and/or suspension and/or abandonment of the League Match
The Respondent attempted to conceal or concealed the Prohibited Activity and/or failed to cooperate with the investigation by the Club
The Prohibited Activity affects the operations of Club personnel involved in safety related operations

***Sanction conditions: Any period of suspension or ban will apply to all Club matches and premises as well as participation in any competitions or events it organises or is involved in. Such sanctions may involve the restriction of the right to access or purchase tickets, membership or take part in other events. Any period of suspension or ban may carry over from one season to the next.

Sanctions apply to home matches, but restrictions will remain in place preventing the purchase of away match tickets.

There will be no refund of any monies paid for periods of ejection, suspension or ban unless overturned on appeal (or at the absolute discretion of the Club).

The Club may consider the introduction of education measures (to be applied at the same time as sanctions or to mitigate imposed sanctions) in some cases. This may be in conjunction with the police or with Kick it Out or other appropriate organisations.

Away games: Any incident that occurs at an away fixture, including but not limited to any behaviour that brings the Club into disrepute (e.g. where a supporter is arrested or ejected or there is evidence to suggest an offence has been committed) will be reviewed on an case-by-case basis and the Club’s Sanction Panel may issue sanctions using their discretion based on the evidence available and severity of the incident.

Social media: Offences can be committed via social media, online communication, telephone or email. In such cases the offence will be treated in the same manner as an offence committed in person.

Live criminal investigations: Individuals arrested at any home or away match may be prevented from attending future matches or have access to any Club premises until the outcome of the police investigation is known; this includes any pending court appearances and the outcome of any related criminal and/or civil proceedings. In such situations supporters may not attend fixtures nor transfer their tickets to any third party (and no refund will be applicable).

Sale/transfer of Tickets: Supporters are reminded that home Match Tickets must not be sold via third parties but may be passed on in certain circumstances set out under Principle 6 in this Policy. Match Tickets for away matches cannot be resold or transferred under any circumstances. Season Tickets can be transferred to a guest for an individual match providing that no payment over the face value of the ticket is received. The original ticket holder remains responsible for the behaviour of the individual using their ticket. Season Tickets can also be sold officially via the Club’s Ticket Exchange.