The following people have been nominated for the BIAS Executive Committee for 2022/23.
Angelo Basu
“I have been a Brentford fan since 1994 and have continued to follow the club even since moving up to Leeds 18 years ago. During that time I used to go mainly to away games but now travel the 400 mile round trip to home games as a season ticket holder, along with my 15 year old son who is a keen fan and has seen us in all four divisions and hopes to qualify for a season ticket one day.
My professional career is as a lawyer and I have experience also as a school governor, both of which I believe will be helpful in representing fellow fans, promoting our interests with the club and ensuring good governance. As a fan who travels regularly to away games and has to make long term travel plans also for home games I believe I have a good insight into the issues faced by fans in buying tickets and the organisation now needed for fans to be able to attend when in the past we were just able to decide at the last minute. I am also, as a father of a young fan, keen to ensure that we as a club keep the balance of ticketing and cost fair to prevent newer generations being effectively frozen out from becoming the regular fans of the future while also preserving the welcoming atmosphere for longer standing fans. “
Mark Chapman
I am delighted to stand again as a candidate for the BIAS committee. You may know me better as “Rebus” on the Griffin Park Grapevine. BIAS has developed into an effective fans trade union for Brentford supporters. I’m proud to have played my part over the past 12 months to ensure the club hears more fans voices.
We have scored some noticeable successes. Not least to get the club to back down on an inflation-busting junior matchday increase for this season.
I have supported the club since the 1980s and work for the NHS in Central London. I am committed to ensuring BIAS membership grows and I’d like your vote to continue help doing it. Let’s all help stop the club ratchet up season ticket and matchday admission prices during a cost-of-living crisis.
Taylor Dawson
Unlike most of you, I am a fairly ‘new’ Brentford supporter. I wasn’t born in the UK so when I was growing up, I was never really a football fan at all! I moved to England nearly a decade ago and I consider myself fortunate that the man I fell in love with (and necessitated my move halfway across the world) happened to be a Brentford supporter and was born to a man who was himself born in Brentford. My husband and my father-in-law are the ones who took me to my first football match in 2013 at Griffin Park. Some of you may have heard me say this before, but I absolutely fell in love with the club that day in no small part because of all of you. The first thing that struck me that day, and has stayed with me since, is how much every one of you loves Brentford Football Club. That connection between the club and the fans is so special and something we can all be proud of helping to create. The work of BIAS and others has been so important in strengthening that bond and I have the utmost respect for everyone over the years that has helped to make it possible. Thank you. The heady heights of the Premier League have created new challenges for our club and our fans, and the current cost-of-living crisis is certainly taking its toll. BIAS has always done right by our most loyal fans (rightfully so!) but as someone who isn’t local to Hounslow and is raising two young Bees, I want to help ensure that both long-time supporters and the next generation will be with Brentford long into the future
Peter Edward
I have been a Bees supporter since the early 70s, Braemar Road now North Stand. A season ticketholder until our boy was born in 2003, then again from when we returned to the Championship. I have recently retired after a long career in NHS management(finance and commissioning), and with my son now at university have some time on my hands to help. I attend only a handful of away matches a season and so have 3400 TAPs.
So what is my platform and how would I hope to help BIAS?: Have strong views on the need for the club to co-design and properly consult on fan related matters – such as the recent examples of ticket pricing and ceasing accepting cash for Programme sales. Would like to see the club ensure that Season Tickets are better utilised. Would like BIAS and BU to aspire to a single agenda to the extent that is not already in place. Believe it’s possible to increase BIAS membership from todays excellent 2,000 to something higher. So I would like to assist in some way with all these agendas, and also help to facilitate in whatever issues BIAS finds itself facing from time to time. My NHS past has given me a facility to negotiate consensually, find solutions and implement sound systems. And to challenge by asking difficult questions!
Adam Hobbs
I have been proudly serving as Chair of BIAS since 2015, and have been a member of the committee since 2012. I have been a Brentford fan since the mid nineties so have seen a lot of the bad times but out of that I have witnessed what fan power can achieve.
Fan representation is needed more than ever, be at it an individual supporter, club or national level. The football club has grown beyond anything most of us could have dreamed of, but it is important that as the club continues to grow BIAS needs to as well, we need to stay relevant and we need to keep the club on it’s toes.
I am determined to ensure that the club sticks to its tagline of “we put the fans first” and remind them of this during what it going to be a very difficult couple of years for many of our fans struggling with cost of living pressures.
Chris How
I became a Bees fan as a 10 year old when John O’Mara was scoring goals every week and we raced to promotion under Frank Blunstone. I could walk to GP from our house in South Ealing and would do so with school mates (some of whom I still see at games today !). I was hooked for life. Through my teens and twenties I would go to every home and most away games and made many lifelong friends as we shared adventures up and down the country following the Bees. As marriage and 3 kids arrived I continued to go to most home games and then spent 10 years living abroad, occasionally flying back for bigger games. When we returned to the UK (Cheshire) I became a STH at GP with my eldest daughter and I’ve had the delight of sharing the incredible ‘Benham years’ with her. We are now STH in the South Stand at BCS and daughter no.2 also joins us regularly and our son supports from afar in the USA.
In my worklife, I’ve been fortunate to have had a quite successful career in business and ended up as CEO of a listed plc with over 600 employees. Hopefully my experience in building effective relationships across a wide spectrum of people can be helpful to BIAS, as well as some understanding of how a commercial organisation like BFC works.
I am now semi-retired and so have some time and energy to give and therefore would like to support BIAS and help fellow Bees to enjoy supporting our great club.
Richard Kirchner
Although I was born barely a mile from Griffin Park it took many decades living elsewhere before finally returning to my roots and becoming a Bee. I have been a Bees supporter since the 2012-13 Season when we played in League One, with Greg Dyke as our Chairman and Uwe Rosler as the Manager.
In the years that followed I regularly took my place in the Ealing Road stand at Griffin Park
for Saturday afternoon and Weekday floodlit games too. Nothing will ever erase the fantastic memories of the electric atmosphere cheering and supporting great Bees performances at our beloved old ground as we progressed to the Championship. I have served on the Executive Committee of BIAS for the past three seasons and also held a Season ticket throughout this exciting period of transition to our new Stadium and the Premier League.
At all times during my service as a Committee member I have looked to work with fellow committee members to represent fans’interests and concerns to the club and to improve the match-day experience of our fans.
I believe that BIAS also has an important role to play as the guardian of the club’s heritage and its survival during the difficult years when its’ very existence was threatened.
My interest in Football has also extended to playing in the amateur game as a schoolboy and adult as well as being a qualified referee, and latterly as a coach in the Surrey Youth League.
Ronald Mansveld
I am excited to stand for re-election for the Executive Committee of BIAS after my first year. Over the past years we have shown the importance of a strong and independent BIAS to represent all Brentford fans in our dealings with the club, for instance in our fight against ticket price increases.
As over the past year, I want to continue my work with the club around dealing with EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion), as well as ongoing matters such as ticket pricing, season ticket renewals and sales process for (away) tickets.
Phil Marchant
Known in BFC social circles as ‘Supes’. Bees supporter since 1984 and BIAS Committee member since 2001. Stood as an ABeeC candidate in the 2002 local elections, and am proud of my 219 votes! I’m happy to continue my contribution towards the Committee’s work on behalf of our members and the wider fanbase.
David Minckley
I am David Minckley age 68 and now retired after 45 years in the Banking Industry. I have been an avid Brentford supporter since the mid –sixties and have been the BIAS Finance Membership Officer since 2018. I am a season ticket holder in the West Stand and rarely miss an away game. During my time on the BIAS committee I have built good relationships at all levels within the Club and been able to raise issues that have been brought to the attention of BIAS on behalf of members.
I am also a regular attendee at various Football Supporter Association (FSA) meetings, and
understand the issues that matter most to supporters up and down the country and remain
committed to improving the match day experience for all Brentford fans.
Richard Nabarro
Born in Hammersmith in 1957 (so should have supported either of the unmentionables!), I have followed the Bees since 1970 and have been a season ticket holder since the 1990s. I moved to New Zealand with my Kiwi wife earlier this year in July to take up permanent residency there, although I plan to return to London each year to see around a dozen Bees games towards the end of each season.
I joined the BIAS Committee in November 2018, primarily to help support the input to the various Focus Groups set up by the Club to help with the move from Griffin Park to Lionel Road.
As a (retired) internal auditor (with risk management and corporate governance thrown in), I have an eye for detail, but can look at the bigger picture too. I have played a substantial part in helping review the Club’s Customer Charter and am currently involved in the emerging discussions with other parties around establishing a Fan Advisory Board for the Club, a major recommendation of the fan-led Crouch Review into English football.
Getting the Fan Advisory Board makeup right is a high priority going forward and I am happy to continue as a member of the BIAS Committee to help with this process. Getting up at 6.30am for meetings will not be a problem as I am practised already in setting the alarm for 2.30am to catch every Bees match on Sky down here!
Paul Stedman
I have been a Brentford supporter for more than 55 years and a BIAS member for more than 20 years. I am an ex Chair of BIAS and Bees United Board member. I re-joined the BIAS Committee last year. I have always taken an active role in supporter issues: I took lead role in the campaigns when the Club’s very existence was threatened. I also organised the local election campaign which saw a Brentford supporter elected to the local council and helped break the log-jam between the local planning authority and the football club which ultimately led to our new stadium. Times have changed and there can be no doubt that Brentford are enjoying something of a golden age, but whatever the changes may be the one constant has always been the active role that supporters play in the life of this Football Club. Brentford needs a strong BIAS to be a voice for all Brentford supporters.
Sarah Todd
I am Sarah Todd. I have been a Brentford fan for over 40 years and currently have a season ticket for the West Stand. Before that I was a season ticket holder on Ealing Road at Griffin Park.
I have been on the BIAS committee for the past year and am part of the sub-group for the Fans Advisory Board which is working with Bees United and Brentford FC to set up a Fan Advisory Board for Brentford FC.
I am passionate about promoting fair ticket prices especially for fans on low incomes and inclusion and diversity amongst the fan base.
AGM 2022 pack and Candidate Statements available – Brentford Independent Association of Supporters
[…] Individual Candidate statements can be downloaded here or read here […]