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Bias comments on Brentford FC’s announcement of the introduction of digital tickets

Brentford FC [announced on 18 March 2025 that it will be moving to digital tickets for the 2025-26 season instead of physical cards](https://www.brentfordfc.com/en/news/article/club-news-digital-ticketing-what-you-need-to-know-2025).

BIAS has been representing fans’ views to the club on this alongside its work on the process for renewing Season Tickets. In broad terms BIAS is supportive of the move because it will help to reduce touting of tickets and the ability of away fans to acquire tickets in home areas by identifying to the club the actual individuals attending matches.

Our approach has been to put the overall interests of Brentford fans first and to ensure that no fan is left behind in the design and implementation of digital ticketing. We have been working to make sure that the real life ways in which Brentford fans use their tickets are fully understood and incorporated by the club in the new systems and processes.

We are working to ensure that managing the change and testing the new systems and processes over the coming months is done well for all fans, whether Season Ticket holders, their friends and family who attend matches or Members.

However, we are concerned at the substantial technical and operational challenges which the club has given itself to implement digital ticketing fully a year before it is mandatory. In addition, given that the current usage level of the digital versions of Season Tickets which fans have had access to this season and last is only around 20%, we expect that there could be a high demand from the other 80% of Season Ticket holders for support with learning and understanding how digital ticketing will work for them.

Combined with the changes to the process for transferring Season Tickets match by match to friends and family, we believe that the club should not underestimate the level of work needed to put everything in place to operate smoothly for the benefit of all fans in good time for the start of next season.

Our aim is on fans’ behalf to help the club to ensure that the transition to digital ticketing is seamless and that your perspectives on the changes are properly taken into consideration to enable this. We have already urged the club to have a contingency plan in place in good time if it becomes apparent that its proposal cannot for whatever reason be suitably implemented ahead of next season. We will continue to monitor the situation during our regular dialogues with the club on the progress of the introduction of digital ticketing.

BIAS has through its representation on the relevant working groups with the club as well as the Fan Advisory Board fed back these concerns in detail and will continue to do so on the basis of any comments you as members of BIAS provide us. You can contact BIAS on [feedback@bias.org.uk](mailto:feedback@bias.org.uk).

Season Ticket holders over 75 will continue to be offered physical cards and there is also an exceptions process whereby the club will consider requests by fans for a physical card if they have good reasons why using a digital ticket would not be possible for them. BIAS would be happy to help you with any such requests if they are unreasonably refused by the club.

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