Successful streaming event held on Saturday

Brentford FC held a successful event for around 200 supporters inside our new home on Saturday. More than 1,000 fans registered for an opportunity to watch Brentford’s game away to Stoke City in socially distanced conditions inside the stadium on Saturday afternoon. Groups of fans from the same household enjoyed food and drink while watching Brentford’s game at Stoke, beamed back live, in one of the lounges at our new stadium.

The event was open to our Premium Seat Members and to supporters who froze their 2020/21 Season Tickets until next year. It was heavily oversubscribed and further events will be held in line with Government guidance at upcoming matches. The next of these will be this coming Saturday when The Bees travel to Luton Town. The Club is also working with local and national authorities to get fans in to our home matches to watch The Bees live.

Jon Varney, Brentford FC Chief Executive, said: “Our fans can’t wait to take their first steps inside our new stadium and get back to watching matches in person. It’s incredibly disappointing that they weren’t there for our last ever game at Griffin Park last season and playing the first games at our new stadium behind closed doors has been hard for all of us. But for our fans, who helped keep the Club afloat in recent memory and played their part to help us achieve this dream of a new stadium, to be sitting at home while we play is devastating.

“It was great that we were able to get some of our supporters inside our new home on Saturday. We know it is not the same, but I am sure it was special for them to see some of the outstanding facilities we have to offer and to be able to watch a game with fellow fans. I know they enjoyed the day, the feedback has been excellent.

“The safety of our fans and staff is paramount of course but the current rules seem to make no sense. We were able to welcome in 200 fans to watch an away match on TVs in one of our lounges, but we can’t let our fans, who are desperate to see our new stadium, outside to have a quick glance at the pitch and see where they will be seated in the future. And they can’t sit outside in the fresh air to watch the game on one of our giant screens. Even more crazy is the fact that we could have fans in the lounges to watch upcoming home games, but only with the blinds down.

“This is about so much more than just a game of football. It’s about connections, communities and traditions, feeling the buzz and togetherness of the crowd and starting to believe that life will eventually return to normal one day. The players, coaches and staff have been thinking of our fans a great deal over the past six months. We know how important the companionship they get from supporting Brentford is and it is important to everyone involved at the Club too. We have been in contact with many fans and the support they have shown us whilst we’ve been behind closed doors has been greatly appreciated. We will do everything in our power to get them into our new home to cheer on their team again.

“We’ve been working closely with our Safety Advisory Group during behind closed doors games and events like our screening on Saturday will demonstrate that we’re ready to manage events with reduced numbers safely. National organisations elsewhere in Europe, clubs lower down the pyramid and other venues indoors and out have all shown what can be achieved and I hope we can allow at least some of our fans in to cheer on The Bees live very soon.”

Season Ticket and Premium Seat Holders will be emailed this week and those who have already registered their interest will be prioritised (subject to availability). Season Ticket Holders who don’t receive emails about the events should email [email protected] to let us know. Should ticket for these events become available to non-Season Ticket Holders, we advise supporters to register their interest online today.