In today’s football industry, “Sold Out” is no longer the final goal. It is actually the beginning of a complex social and logistical challenge. The real test for modern stadium managers is ensuring every sold ticket translates into a person in the stands, whilst transitioning to a 100% digital model in venues built on decades of tradition.
At a recent WFS Madrid panel moderated by Chris Gratton, Managing Director at Ticketmaster Sport; Arsenal’s Venue Director, Tom McCann, and Steve Watts, Marketing Director for Brentford FC, discussed how they are co-developing the next generation of ticketing solutions. Their approach proves that success requires a combination of operational discipline and an almost artisanal focus on community listening.
The Affordability Challenge
For Brentford, the move to digital was driven by a core club pillar: affordable football. Steve Watts is clear on the club’s philosophy: “We don’t believe fans should be treated like consumers; being a fan is a journey.” However, keeping tickets accessible creates a specific business risk.
“One of our core pillars is to offer affordable football. What that means is the tickets don’t cost that much and therefore, when we’re playing Liverpool, Manchester United, or Chelsea, a lot of them find their way onto the black market,” says Watts.
To combat this, Brentford worked with Ticketmaster to implement SafeTix. The revolving barcode technology has been a game-changer:
“It has helped us make significant strides to stop away fans from being in home areas, which disrupts the atmosphere.”
The End of Anonymity
The transition from Griffin Park to the Gtech Community Stadium forced Brentford to prioritise knowing exactly who was in the building. By leveraging Ticketmaster’s digital ecosystem, the club has identified 6,000 more supporters than they knew at the start of the season. As Watts puts it:
“When people just had physical cards before, we didn’t really know who was in every seat. Now we can offer them a better experience… and we can talk to them one-on-one.”
Arsenal has seen similar gains by opening up APIs through Ticketmaster to build their own bespoke Ticketing Hub. Tom McCann pointed out that the club previously had vulnerabilities with physical distribution.
“We identified that we were under attack from bots and from touts… we knew that we had a vulnerability in our system and that we were still issuing PDFs or hard copy tickets. Introducing the ticketing hub meant that we had control over that.”
“Use it or Lose it”: The Empty Seat Policy
One of the most provocative points of the debate was how to handle hyper-demand. At Arsenal, the solution involves a mix of transparency and strict discipline regarding utilisation.
McCann is uncompromising on this front:
“If a season ticket holder doesn’t utilise their ticket for enough games (currently three), then we will take that season ticket back. Similarly, if a member is successful in the ballot and doesn’t turn up more than twice, we’ll ban them from future ballots. We want the stadium to be a fortress, and that means full seats.”
This strategy is supported by a seamless Ticket Exchange system that makes it easy for fans to pass on their seat when they cannot attend.
The Craft of Change
Both executives agree that technology cannot be imposed by decree; it must be co-developed with the fan. Brentford spoke individually with every season ticket holder during their stadium move to understand their specific expectations.
Similarly, both clubs organised in-person digital clinics where veteran fans could learn to use their phones as tickets. McCann noted that even the older demographic was among the most front-footed:
“They came to these clinics we ran and said ‘No, I want to understand, I want to use my phone, I just don’t know how.’ We showed them a dummy turnstile so they could see what it would be like on a matchday. They got it.”
This hands-on approach, supported by the technical expertise of the Ticketmaster team, ensured a smooth transition for all age groups.
Lessons for the Industry
The success of these models lies in the fact that technology is perceived as a tool for fairness. By removing the “9:00 am rush” through sophisticated balloting systems, McCann argues they have created a more democratic process:
“Selling tickets at 9:00 a.m. discriminated against people that couldn’t be online then—teachers, hospital workers, bus drivers. By moving to a ballot, supporters have a 72-hour window.”
The takeaway for stadium managers is clear. Digitalisation, developed alongside strategic partners like Ticketmaster, is the only way to scale the business and protect the matchday atmosphere. However, it only works if it is built on an honest consultation process. As McCann summarises:
“Tech has to be additive. You can’t just deliver a tech platform for a problem that doesn’t exist.”
