Brentford Football Club has signed a new agreement with Advanced Ticketing and TeamCard to install an electronic ticketing and access control system at Griffin Park.
As part of the new agreement match day operations at Griffin Park are to change substantially ahead of the 2014/15 Sky Bet Championship season.
The Club’s elevation to the second tier of English football has necessitated expenditure in new infrastructure to ensure better customer service, and ensure safety for spectators is a priority.
Attendances at Griffin Park are set to rise substantially; with the Club expecting around 75 per cent of all home league matches to be designated All Ticket.
Brentford has joined forces with TeamCard and invested in new entry hardware and software so all tickets will be read electronically on all entry gates.
There will no longer be the option to pay on the turnstiles for any match at Griffin Park.
Mark Devlin, Brentford FC Chief Executive, said: “This year we have seen a record number of supporters buy Season Tickets and we are set to welcome many of English football’s finest names to Griffin Park.
“The Club has been making investments in all areas, not just on the field – building a team for The Championship – but off the field as well.
“Part of this investment is a new state-of-the-art ticketing and stadium control system.
“Those who have bought Season Tickets will get Season Cards sent to them later this month and Club Members will get cards that allow them to buy tickets online, add them to their cards and enter the ground on a match day.
“We will be introducing a system of print at home tickets so all supporters can gain access without needing to call or visit the Ticket Office or wait for tickets to be delivered.
“These systems will be in place for the start of the season and we expect to trial them with smaller attendances at our home pre-season friendlies.”
Randal McLister, Managing Director, Scotcomms Technology Group - the driving force behind TeamCard, said: “We’d like to congratulate Brentford FC on their promotion to the Sky Bet Championship and their strategic decision to improve the match day experience for all fans with the deployment of TeamCard.
“This opens up a raft of convenience features whilst acknowledging and rewarding the fans support.
“This investment sets the scene for the planned move to the new stadium at Lionel Road South and in technology terms, puts Brentford alongside the biggest and the best in the land.”
TeamCard is designed to help the Club engage with supporters on every level, to improve and enhance the overall fan experience.
Season Ticket Holders, who have been previously been issued a paper booklet containing numbered vouchers, will now receive a card instead.
All cards will have an identifying barcode which will be read by new electronic readers on entry to the stadium.
Members will receive a membership card with a barcode as well.
Members can buy tickets for individual matches on the Brentford FC ticketing website, add them to their cards and use the card at the turnstiles.
Club Members and Season Card Holders will also be able to collect loyalty points on their cards by buying tickets, food and drink and merchandise as they did in 2013/14.
For cup matches, Season Card holders and Club Members can buy their tickets online, add them to their card and enter the stadium via the turnstiles as per league games.
The new system will also enable supporters to purchase online and print their tickets from home.
Telephone bookings will now to incur a £2.50 transaction charge and £1 postage charge - not per ticket - but online orders are exempt from all credit card and/or transaction charges.
Match day purchases – for games that are not designated All Ticket – can be made from the Ticket Office, located in Braemar Road, before entry into the stadium but no tickets will be available on the turnstiles.
The new system will be fully operational shortly and the Club will make a further announcement as to when supporters can start buying tickets for upcoming matches.