An interesting official announcement from Brentford.
Especially with ticket prices such a hot topic at the moment.
As almost all Premier League clubs have been putting ticket prices up…
…Brentford have announced that they are cutting prices, for some fans anyway.
In their statement (see below), Brentford have announced that they are committing to none of their young fans (Under 18s) paying more than £10 when they go to a Premier League away match.
They have also extended this to Under 18 away fans who go to watch their team away at Brentford.
I wonder whether Newcastle United and other Premier League clubs will follow this positive initiative with similar commitments on ticket prices for young fans?
Brentford official statement – 3 December 2024:
Brentford is proud to announce Gen10, a new initiative to keep football affordable for the next generation of fans.
For the rest of this season, travelling junior fans* will pay no more than £10 to watch Brentford in the Premier League – whether that is youngsters supporting the Bees on the road, or under-18 away fans travelling to watch their team face Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium.
Football is for everyone, and Gen10 is our commitment to ensuring the next generation grows up in love with the game, not priced out of it.
Under the Gen10 initiative, Brentford will subsidise the cost of junior away tickets at Premier League matches where the host club charges more than £10, to help reduce the overall cost of supporting the Bees on the road.
The club will also reduce league ticket prices at Gtech Community Stadium to £10 for all visiting under 18s. Currently tickets can cost as much as £25 at away matches in the Premier League for under 18s.
The Gen10 initiative builds on the Premier League’s £30 price cap for adult away tickets. We want to go a step further and that’s why we are extending this principle to young supporters, demonstrating that more can be done to ensure football is accessible for families and young people.
Jon Varney, Brentford chief executive, said: “Gen10 is a statement of intent. We’re putting young fans first to ensure they can watch their team on the road by keeping football affordable and accessible. Clubs have the power to make the game more affordable for everyone and to challenge rising costs for supporters and we want to play our part. We hope other clubs follow this initiative.”
Thomas Frank, Brentford head coach, added: “Incredible away support makes a massive difference to us. The energy and noise from our travelling fans inspires the players and creates an atmosphere that has helped us get some top, top results over the last few years. “This is a great initiative that is about the future of football. We’re making it easier for young fans to be part of those special moments and be on the journey with us. We know that seeing us win a long way from home gives memories that last forever.
“Togetherness with our fans, both home and away, is crucial to what we’re building here and I hope this will help us see full away ends at our matches for the rest of the season.”
Varney continued: “Gen10 is part of Brentford’s long-term vision and is just one way we are supporting our fans away from home. We have subsidised travel for certain fixtures and are the first club in the country to introduce a 20 per cent discount for fans travelling to away matches via Trainline’s I Came By Train scheme.
“We also remain one of the most affordable places for our home fans to enjoy Premier League football with season ticket prices frozen for the 2025/26 season.”
*The junior tariff for away matches is set by the host team so the age group eligible for £10 tickets may vary from under 17 to under 21. The junior price tariff for visiting supporters to Gtech Community Stadium is under 18.
The price of junior home tickets at Gtech Community Stadium will remain at £10 for Category B games and £15 for Category A games (for seats in band B areas).
For away matches, this policy will be in effect for the Southampton v Brentford game on 4 January and for home matches from the Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur game on 1 February.’