Brentford provides bystander training for fans to support women’s safety | OneFootball

As part of Brentford's commitment to women and girls’ safety, the club held its first-ever active bystander training session for fans this week.

The session, which is the first in a series, gave supporters the chance to learn how they can safely intervene in incidents of harassment and abuse.

The training session is part of the club’s wide-ranging work, which aims to ensure women and girls feel safe in both Gtech Community Stadium and our community every day. Brentford is seeking to drive awareness, educate fans and take action to tackle this important issue.  

Led by Steps Drama, the bystander intervention training was delivered through scenarios played by trained actors. Fans were able to reflect and learn techniques about how they might respond if they were to witness incidents, not only as a fan, but in the wider community, such as on public transport. 

The training was funded by official club partner DeterTech, a company committed to supporting Brentford in making our communities safer. 

As well as supporters, the event was also attended by the Mayor of the London Borough of Hounslow, Councillor Amy Croft and representatives from British Transport Police and Metropolitan Police.  

Protecting women and girls 

On Thursday, the club announced that the Gtech is now accredited as a Safe Haven. The club’s west stand security hub, located on Lionel Road South outside the stadium, now provides support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to any member of the public who feels vulnerable or needs help. 

To mark White Ribbon Day, the annual awareness day of the prevention of gender-based violence, the club released a short video in collaboration with the British Transport Police. The video shares steps on how we can intervene in incidents of harassment that may occur on the rail network. 

Brentford’s Premier League fixture against Burnley is dedicated to the White Ribbon Day campaign.

The club will hold a ‘walk and talk’ session with fans in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police. Officers will escort fans home and discuss any concerns about safety in the local area.