Letter from the Brentford FC boardroom, 21st January 2007
Dear Supporters,
Like most supporters I was very concerned to learn that two long-standing supporters were ejected from the ground.
I was pleased that an investigation was launched immediately and the preliminary results were published quickly with the two individuals being offered the opportunity of being guests of the Club at a future match of their choice.
There have previously been other incidents involving stewards and I am anxious that this investigation looks into not only the incident and the contribution of individuals to it but also the stewarding methods themselves. The Club must deal with the root cause of the problem and take positive action to remedy the situation. It is essential that the investigation is thorough and I now understand this may result in it taking a little longer than anticipated.
Tim Street has quoted me in this week’s Chronicle talking about this incident. I have a lot of time for Tim who is a good friend and supporter of the Club. The quotes he used were absolutely correct but some of the context was not and I would like to clarify my position particularly related to the quote:
“We have to back our stewards. There have been a few incidents in involving them. But the same happens at every football ground across the country. Football is a game which arouses passion and emotions."
In my conversation with Tim I believe I used the words “sensitive stewarding.” What I meant by this is that it is the nature of football to arouse passion and emotion. This sometimes results in incidents with supporters, not just at Brentford, but also at football grounds around the country. What we need is stewarding which is sensitive to this fact.
The stewards are of course there to enforce ground regulations (set by both the FA and Football League) which in turn are there to ensure that there is safe environment not only for supporters to watch football, but also for the players and officials to stage the game. Yes, we should back our stewards by providing them with the appropriate training not only to enforce regulations but also deal with emotions of supporters in a sympathetic way, so confrontation can be diffused rather than escalated. I acknowledge that there may sometimes be a need to eject or even arrest individuals but this should be an absolute last resort.
I would also like to say that I have observed some good stewarding practice at the Club at various times at Griffin Park. What the management team need to do is to ensure that the good practice is normal at the Club. You can help support this by giving the Club feedback not only about incidents that have been handled badly but those that have been handled well.
Let's work together!
Jon Gosling
Comments can either be sent to me on or directly via comments page.
22nd January 2007