Is it worth getting a Brentford Membership to attend matches? We’ll look at every aspect of being a Brentford Member in our detailed guide.
Our Guide to Brentford Membership
In this article we do a deep dive on every aspect of being a Brentford Member. It’s important to remember that simply buying a Brentford FC Membership isn’t enough to give you Brentford tickets. There’s a lot to get your head around, from Ticket Access Points (TAPS) to ballots to a choice of membership packages depending on your age and location. We’ll cover it all in our detailed guide to Brentford Membership.
Brentford FC Membership Packages
Brentford has a variety of membership packages, depending on the age of the member and whether they live in the UK or abroad.
Brentford My Bees Membership
Costing £45 for new members, and £40 for renewals, this is the main adult Brentford FC Membership, aimed at Brentford fans based in the UK. Unlike similar packages at other clubs, My Bees Membership tier doesn’t come with a welcome pack for adults.
- Access to home league tickets
- Access to away tickets
- Access to cup tickets
- £5 discount on the official Brentford kit
- Access to exclusive online content and live audio match commentary
- A range of in-stadium offers & discounts with club partners
- Entry to members-only competitions and events
- Access to the Brentford Ticket Exchange
Bees Overseas Membership
Priced at £30 a season, this Brentford Membership tier is tailored for Brentford fans who live in other countries but still want to be able to watch their favourite team when they come to London.
Something unique about Bees Overseas Membership is that it entitles holders to discounts on accommodation and attractions near Community Stadium, and also has a group discount with four Bees Overseas Memberships costing £100. Here’s a summary of what you get:
- Access to the Brentford Ticket Exchange
- Access to Category A and B matches via the Overseas Bees Ballot
- Access to the Brentford Ticket Exchange
- Access to exclusive online content and live audio match commentary
- Special retail offers at the official Brentford FC store
- A voucher for the official kit
- Pre-match events at local pubs
- Exclusive international content and a monthly newsletter
An important thing to remember is that this Brentford Membership tier has a little less access to tickets. You can only use the Bees Overseas Ballot (limited to 100 tickets), and the Brentford Ticket Exchange, while away tickets are not available.
Brentford Junior Memberships
The club has a number of age-specific memberships to help younger Bees fans show their support.
Brentford Swarm Membership
Costing £20, this Brentford Membership tier is aimed at fans aged 11-17. Kids’ memberships all come with welcome packs, which we’ll describe in more detail below.
- Access to home league games
- Access to away tickets
- Access to cup tickets
- Access to exclusive online content and live audio match commentary
- A range of in-stadium offers & discounts with club partners
- Entry to members-only competitions and events
- Access to the Brentford Ticket Exchange
- A sustainable welcome pack with a drinks bottle and wash bag
Brentford Bee Team Membership
Also at £20, Brentford Bee Team Membership is for little ones aged 3-10.
- Access to home league tickets
- Access to away tickets
- Access to cup tickets
- Access to exclusive online content and live audio match commentary
- A range of in-stadium offers & discounts with club partners
- Entry to members-only competitions and events
- Access to the Brentford Ticket Exchange
- A welcome pack with a drawstring bag, a mini-football and a 3D puzzle of the club crest
Brentford Babees
Finally, Brentford Babees is for kids aged 3 and under, and costs £10. Naturally, there’s a reduced lineup of benefits for this tier. These include:
- Access to home league games
- Access to away tickets
- Access to cup tickets
- Entry to Members-only competitions and events
- A Welcome Pack with a Brentford bee-themed rucksack and a soft football
Brentford Season Tickets
Until the 2020s a Brentford Season Ticket was easy to get hold of. Now, as we’ll show in our article about the Brentford Season Ticket waiting list, it’s much more difficult. And, although prices have risen in the last few years, the price is pretty affordable for a Premier League club.
For adults, General Admission Brentford Season Tickets cost from £460 in the North Stand’s family area to £815 in the Dugout in the South Stand. The latter are effectively premium season tickets, without hospitality and are more than £200 dearer than the next most expensive season ticket, (£605 on the halfway line in the North Stand). For more info on these locations, take a look at our guide to the Community Stadium seating plan.
In recent years Brentford FC has introduced an “every seat counts” policy. The purpose was to maintain a high attendance at the Community Stadium, and has helped raise seat occupancy from 89% to 93%.
What it means for Brentford FC Season Ticket holders is that they have to use their seat as often as possible, or re-list the seat on the Brentford Ticket Exchange. If not, they risk not being able to renew their Brentford Season Ticket at the end of the season.
As well as a seat for every home game, additional benefits of a Brentford Season Tickets include:
- Priority access for all pre-season and cup games
- Priority access for all away league fixtures
- Access to exclusive content and audio commentary
- Ability to list your ticket via the Brentford Ticket Exchange
- Ability to buy additional tickets on the Brentford Ticket Exchange
- Local offers and exclusive discounts
Find out more about how to qualify for a Brentford season ticket in our article about the Brentford Season Ticket waiting list.
Buying Brentford Tickets with a Membership
While a Brentford Membership improves your chances of buying Brentford tickets through the official box office, it doesn’t guarantee you BFC tickets to any game you want to see.
For some Brentford matches, it’s extremely difficult to get tickets through the box office, unless you meet certain criteria by gaining Ticket Access Points, which are earned by attending Brentford matches.
We’ll explain now:
BFC home matches are divided between Category A, for the most in-demand fixtures, and Category B, for every other game.
Brentford Category A Matches
- Against Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United
Tickets for these games are sold in two windows. The first window provides 50% of available tickets for Brentford FC Members with 750+ Ticket Access Points. Sometimes this drops to a threshold of 500+ points.
Then in the second window the tickets are sold to all members with more than 40 Ticket Access Points. This is all done to avoid fans of the big clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United buying a membership and attending a game among the home fans.
Going through the Brentford box office, adult tickets for Category A matches cost from £35 to £65.
Brentford Category B Matches
- AFC Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Everton, Ipswich Town, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Wolves
Tickets for these matches are much easier to obtain for new Brentford Members, and are not usually subject to Ticket Access Points. However, if the club decides that there’s a high risk of away fans sitting with the home crowd, it may apply a 40+ point threshold.
Using the box office, adult Brentford tickets for Category B matches are priced at £30 to £65.
Does Buying a Brentford Membership Guarantee Me Tickets?
No, as we’ve shown it gives you a better chance than waiting for tickets to go on general sale, which almost never happens. Still, there are no guarantees, and for the big games you’ll need to reach the 40+ Ticket Access Point threshold to qualify. So a Brentford Membership alone won’t be enough.
So What Are Brentford Ticket Access Points (TAPS)?
As we’ve mentioned, one of the biggest factors for snagging Brentford Tickets is how many Ticket Access Points you’ve accrued. You do this by attending matches and purchasing tickets via official channels. TAPS are also used to determine who qualifies for a Brentford Season Ticket, so they play a key role in the club’s ticketing.
Long-term Brentford Members and Brentford Season Ticket holders will always be first in line for Brentford Tickets, as they will naturally have built up more Brentford Ticket Access Points (TAPS) in their time supporting the club.
For home games you get:
- 15 Ticket Access Points for less glamorous opponents and Premier League strugglers
- 10 points for bigger sides like Manchester United and London derbies
For away games, geography plays the most important part in how many points awarded. So that means:
- 50 Brentford Ticket Access Points for a trip to Newcastle United
- 40 Points for Liverpool and other North West clubs
- 30 Points for Midlands teams like Aston Villa
- 20 Points for clubs in the South like Bournemouth
- 15 Points for matches in London
Something important to remember about Brentford TAPS is that they never expire, and have been rolling over since 2013-14. Naturally, when it comes to the most popular matches, this gives a massive advantage to long-term Bees fans over people who are just starting out.
What is the Brentford Ticket Exchange?
Brentford Season Ticket holders who can’t attend a match can re-list their seats on the Brentford Ticket Exchange. My Bees and Bees Overseas Members can purchase these tickets at face value, only if they haven’t already bought a ticket to the game.
For Category A matches there’s a threshold of 40+ Ticket Access Points, while no threshold applies to Category B matches.
If you’re buying Brentford FC tickets using this platform, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Brentford Ticket Exchange until the last minute. An estimated 35% of ticket sales via the Brentford Ticket Exchange place in the 24 hours before kick-off.
Brentford Season Ticket holders can also use the Ticket Exchange depending on the availability of tickets. Availability is announced game by game for Category A matches, while the Ticket Exchange is open to Brentford Season Ticket holders for Category B games between 48 and 72 hours before kick-off.
Buying Brentford Away Tickets with a Membership
The first thing to note about Brentford away tickets is that they’re extremely scarce. About 95% are snapped up by Brentford Season Ticket holders.
Ticket Access Points also apply to Brentford away tickets, and the same A and B categories are also used for these games. However, there is no set formula, and the TAPS threshold is decided on a game-to-game basis, always depending on the level of demand. Typically, the initial TAPS threshold will be in the thousands.
While it’s almost impossible for new Brentford Members to buy tickets for away matches, there is a ballot for every fixture. In the ballot 5% of the allocation (typically 150 seats) is made available to My Bees Members, although it’s a lottery draw so this is an unreliable, if fair, way to get tickets. For more context, take a look at our guide to Premier League away allocations.
Buying Brentford Cup Tickets with a Membership
Brentford cup tickets are sold according to the same rules as league games. The difference is that there may be more availability—cup games are not included in Brentford Season Tickets, but holders do have a priority purchase option.
As with league games, these matches are either Category A or Category B according to the opponent.
Do Brentford Memberships Sell Out?
No, Brentford Memberships do not sell out and are available until late in the season. However, they do go off sale from around mid-March, so you need to plan ahead if you want a membership to watch one of the later games.
If you’re renewing your Brentford FC Membership you can get a small discount if you renew before the end of September.
Is There a Waiting List to Become a Brentford Member?
No, you can become a Brentford Member at any point in the year, apart from during the period between March and July when they are unavailable.
Can I Stagger the Cost of my Brentford Membership throughout the Year?
No, Brentford Memberships are only available with a one-off payment.
Can the Price of a Brentford Membership Go Up?
Yes, the price of Brentford FC Memberships is reviewed at the end of each season. However, as we mentioned above there is a special renewal discount, which should offset any price rise.
Brentford Seasonal Premium Tickets
Moving to the Brentford Community Stadium from Griffin Park in 2020 has lifted the club’s hospitality options into the 21st century.
Now, despite a capacity of just 17,250 at the Community Stadium, the club has premium lounges and experiences to match some of the bigger clubs in the league. All premium packages include a preseason friendly and the first three cup games of the season.
To buy a Brentford Premium Season Ticket you need something called a Premium Licence. Costing £2,700, they are valid for a lifetime (up to 2071) and can easily be transferred to friends or family at any time.
At The Legends, The Railway and The Orchard you can upgrade to the TW8 Restaurant for £99 per match if you want to add fine dining to your premium hospitality experience.
The Legends
At £1,485 a season, these seats are in the South Stand, where all of the Community Stadium’s hospitality areas are situated.
- Access to lounge pre- and post-match
- Complimentary matchday programme
- Drink at half-time
- Food and drink available for purchase
The Railway
This package costs £2,250 a season, and has a contemporary lounge with a mix of casual seating and upscale dining. These seats are located just west of the halfway line, high in the South Stand.
- Access to lounge pre- and post-match
- Complimentary matchday programme
- Drink and pie at half-time
- Food and drink available for purchase
The Orchard
Also costing £2,250 a season, The Orchard is equivalent to The Railway, but set on the east side of the halfway line in the South Stand.
- Access to lounge pre- and post-match
- Complimentary matchday programme
- Drink and pie at half-time
- Food and drink available for purchase
The Oxford & Cambridge
The highest tier of luxury at the Community Stadium, The Oxford & Cambridge comes in at £7,110 a season and features a wealth of upscale benefits.
- Welcome drinks and canapes on arrival
- All-inclusive drinks
- All-inclusive four-course meal
- Drink and pie at half-time
- Post-match cheeseboard
- Luxury padded seat on halfway line
- Matchday car park space for every two tickets
- Table service
- Access to lounge pre- and post-match
- Complimentary matchday programme
Famous Former Players in Brentford’s Premium Areas
A contingent of Bees greats show up at the Community Stadium’s lounges on matchdays. As hosts, they will be on hand to share anecdotes, sign autographs and pose for photos.
Now, considering Brentford have spent most of their history in the third tier or below, these men are not always household names, but all are etched into the history of this proud club.
The lineup changes from week to week, but here are three Bees legends who have been regulars in recent times:
- Brian Statham, the right-back who made more than 200 appearances for Brentford between 1992 and 1997. He started 58 of the 59 league and cup games that the team played during their long-awaited return to the second tier in the 1992-93 season.
- Sam Wood, supporters’ player of the year in 2009. A winger, Wood was vital to the promotion-winning Bees team in 2008-09, lifting the club out of the fourth tier, at the dawn of their incredible modern era.
- Dean Holdsworth, one of the best outfield players to play for Brentford until the current era. In a three-year spell, Holdsworth scored 53 goals in 110 league games for the Bees, helping them win promotion from the third tier in 1991-92 before moving on to a successful top-flight career.
What is the Dress Code in Brentford’s Premium Lounges?
Smart casual, and denim is permitted. Home shirts are allowed in all of the lounges except for The Oxford & Cambridge.
Buying Brentford Tickets Without a Membership
Don’t expect any Brentford matches to go on General Sale. In a stadium that holds 17,250, the club has close to 11,500 Season Ticket holders, and a lot of loyal members who have been building up their Brentford FC Ticket Access Points for years. All Brentford league games sell out, but fixtures against local London clubs and the Premier League’s giants will be oversubscribed by a huge margin. Find out more about how to buy Premier League Tickets without a membership.
Buying Brentford Tickets on the Secondary Market
If you’re travelling from abroad to watch a game, a Brentford FC Membership may not make a lot of sense. Especially because the Overseas Bees Membership has limited ticketing options, beyond a ballot, and all bets are off in that scenario.
If you need guaranteed Brentford tickets for in-demand matches, the secondary market is the best option. There’s always a lot of availability on Ticket Compare, from resale tickets to premium hospitality via official club partners.
The great thing about Ticket Compare is we have a selection of trusted, independently vetted ticket resale websites on our platform, listing 100% authentic tickets. All you have to do is click through to find the seat you want at the price you want to pay.
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Header image: Gareth Williams, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons