Clearance Given for Games at Brentford's New Stadium

Safety certificate granted to play matches without a crowd

Brentford's new stadium is now ready to host games

Brentford FC have been granted a safety certificate for their new home to host games behind closed doors. The stadium was completed earlier this month and the first competitive match to be played on the pitch will be against Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup this Sunday, 6 September. This match will be played under the same protocols that existed for games at the end of the 2019/20 season.

The club played a friendly fixture against Oxford United at 3.00pm on Tuesday 1 September.

The Club will need to secure an updated safety certificate in order for supporters to be allowed inside and meet social distancing protocols. The club says it is working hard to put plans in place for matches in front of fans based on the initial guidance that has been released with updates on progress to be released when available.

Work on the 17,250-seat stadium began in early 2018 and was almost complete at the start of this year when restrictions on movement were put in place due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Cliff Crown, Brentford FC Chairman, said, “This is a momentous announcement and a great day for everyone involved with the Club. This is a project that was first conceived nearly two decades ago and that the Club has been actively pursuing for the last 15 years. It is the culmination of a lot of hard work.

“I would like to congratulate Conor Hayes, Chairman of Lionel Road Developments, who has worked tirelessly for the last five years. He had a great team working with him including our Operations Director Alan Walsh, Will Whitby, Barry Winterton, Richard Arnold and Adam Marks. We have relied on our advisors to help us achieve the completion of the stadium and I also want to thank EcoWorld and Buckingham, plus those working with them, for delivering the stadium.

“This has not been an easy project, given the tight space to build in, and the recent Covid-19 outbreak was an extra challenge to overcome. To get the stadium completed in those circumstances is a great achievement. And we should also praise the Club’s operations, safety and security staff – Dave Gregg and Barney McGhee, alongside Alan – for securing a safety certificate with that backdrop.

He added that it was a ‘real shame’ that the fans cannot get inside yet but said that day is coming soon, and he is looking forward to it.

The stadium will also be home to London Irish RFC, who have a licence to play at the venue.

September 1, 2020