MCC walk-up members...where were you?

[iDon]

I reckon the solution to this would be to keep about 300 seats unavailable to Restricted members. Full Members who want to rock up at 2:30 would still be able to get in. The MCC should know that they won't double the number of walk-ups who have entered before 10:30. Or 9:00 for that matter.

So 300 restricted members are guarenteed a seat each and every grand final? can you imagine the shit storm if it was a massive grandfinal like week 1 this year? melbourne vs essendon? and the MCC give those paying less the chance to go. Like I said, its a privilage that you must wait for.

Oh just think of the 300 restricted members and the lines for those 300 seats? and then the other 1000 hanging around out the front annoyed because they couldn't get in and complaining that there should be more seats for them. no thanks.

 

[Stamos]

So 300 restricted members are guarenteed a seat each and every grand final? can you imagine the shit storm if it was a massive grandfinal like week 1 this year? melbourne vs essendon? and the MCC give those paying less the chance to go. Like I said, its a privilage that you must wait for.

Oh just think of the 300 restricted members and the lines for those 300 seats? and then the other 1000 hanging around out the front annoyed because they couldn't get in and complaining that there should be more seats for them. no thanks.

No, re-read my post. I mean when they make the call at 10:30 that there is no way that it is going to get filled by full Members.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

No, re-read my post. I mean when they make the call at 10:30 that there is no way that it is going to get filled by full Members.

The 10:30 cut-off is arbitrary anyway. The MCC could easily make a decision and announcement at 11:30, or 12:30, or even 1:30 if they wanted to....

 

[Stamos]

No they don't. Members pay to be able attend all (most) sporting event at the MCG as well as the increased probability of attending the Grand Final, there is no guarantee of gaining entrance let alone a good seat. Are you a Member?
You are absolutely guaranteed a good seat if you get up early enough. From 2005-2009 I had a great seat at every Grand Final. Last week, I couldn't be bothered getting up early, arrived at 7:30ish and got an average seat. This week I was lucky enough to get a good reserved seat.
When it comes down to it, for every MCC member that would cease to be a member because of a change to the Grand Final ticketing arrangement there would be at least a dozen people on the waiting list ready to take their place. This is absolute rubbish.

The current system is stupidly inefficient and changes need to be made to ensure that the capacity is utilised to its fullest extent. The mistake was in not properly estimating the crowd at 10:30. Nothing wrong with the system.

Are you a member?

 

[scarecrow2k1]

You're NOT an MCC member! You're a restricted member.. Think of it this way- the MCC could either give you nothing for three years until you get your full MCC membership, OR they could offer you a restricted one, one where you pay much less, and don't have the right to attend the grand final. Don't like them rules? Then there approx 100,000 people who will happily take your place in the que.. People who pay the full membership fee- people who are paying for the southern stand upgrade (next time you sit in mcc stand, look across the ground)- that is FULL members who pay yearly for the right to walk up the grand final at any stage, have paid for that right.

If people have such a problem with the empty seats, then perhaps they should buy a premium club membership every year, and guarantee yourself a seat to the big game.. Surely you have no problems with that?

Wow- a Melbourne supporting full member bleating about his rights- what a rarirty

To be honest I have no idea what your problem is- the MCC even admitted they buggered it up, so why do you still think they are right? If you don't want to go to the game, move over so other levels of Members can- besides, letting in restricted members would not have been to the detriment of full members at all, as there was plenty of spare seats, and given the club a bit of coin- so really everyone would win except for righteous pricks such as yourself

 

[Stamos]

The 10:30 cut-off is arbitrary anyway. The MCC could easily make a decision and announcement at 11:30, or 12:30, or even 1:30 if they wanted to....

Yes, they could.

 

[TigerTime88]

I am a full MCC member. Will public Collingwood supporters stop bitching about this...your filth will never set foot in the MCC as it is only for those of a higher social status than what you can imagine. I would prefer my seat to be left empty than let a pleb into a sacred part of Melbourne.

Lol just kidding. But in all seriousness the MCC stuffed up and it will never open up to public, but will go to the restricted members first.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

I was at the game. This is an issue with how the MCC organised the entry, it's not the members' fault.

It should have been obvious to the MCC staff when the gates opened that the members was unlikely to be completely filled. I only got there at about 4:30 and strolled into a seat which would basically be my pick if I looked at the setup of the seating and had a choice (N47, row H). When I was parking my car to head to the queue, I was just hoping I'd be an outside chance for a seat on Level 2/3, considering the time I got there.

 

[poulsman]

I was at the game. This is an issue with how the MCC organised the entry, it's not the members' fault.

It should have been obvious to the MCC staff when the gates opened that the members was unlikely to be completely filled. I only got there at about 4:30 and strolled into a seat which would basically be my pick if I looked at the setup of the seating and had a choice (N47, row H). When I was parking my car to head to the queue, I was just hoping I'd be an outside chance for a seat on Level 2/3, considering the time I got there.

Good post.
The problem certainly lies with the system, I didn't really mean to have a go at members who simply chose not to go (even though my opening post would seem that way. I guess I should have added more than just ''????????''. Not so eloquent.) I've always had an issue with the walk-up system, and not the members themselves. Although there are quite a few ungrateful, spoilt types who completely get under my skin.

 

[A Living God]

When it comes down to it, for every MCC member that would cease to be a member because of a change to the Grand Final ticketing arrangement there would be at least a dozen people on the waiting list ready to take their place. This is absolute rubbish.

No its not.
There are;
60,000 Full members
40,000 Restricted members
190,000 on the waiting list
If 10% of full members gave up their membership you could easily find 70, 80 or even 100,000 people to replace them but no where near 10% of members would quit because even with the change MCC membership would still be very good value.

 

[Stamos]

No its not.
There are;
60,000 Full members
40,000 Restricted members
190,000 on the waiting list
If 10% of full members gave up their membership you could easily find 70, 80 or even 100,000 people to replace them but no where near 10% of members would quit because even with the change MCC membership would still be very good value.

If you weren't guaranteed a Grand Final ticket, why would you bother. You'd be better off just getting a top level club membership.

 

[scroda]

There were 6000ish empty seats at the GF.

There were 3,500 empty MCC seats - http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/03/3028151.htm

So there were also 2,500 other seats free.

Why only bag MCC members?

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story

 

[AG]

I'd say it's because the MCC stand outs more because all the empty seets are bunched together up the top. The empty seats in the SS would have been scattered all over the place.

 

[A Living God]

If you weren't guaranteed a Grand Final ticket, why would you bother. You'd be better off just getting a top level club membership.

The exact same number of tickets would be distributed between the exact same numbers of members. You're chance of a grand final ticket doesn't not change.
What would change is
a) Your ability to get a better seat by turning up early.
b) Having to decide if your going to attend at least two day in advance rather than on the day.
Both very minor changes.

 

[Stamos]

How many members go in the ballot?

 

[Dogs Rule]

I pay $500 a year for the right to go, or not to go. That is my right. Get back in your box Brumby.

 

[Ekunga]

If the option of full allocation was to happen, How many AFL / Team members would like to go into a big pool of all supporters from all teams to see who gets to go to the Grand Final every year? What would you do if you were a supporter of a competing team and someone who just wants to go to the game got a seat in front of you, how would you feel then?

This is the way the ballot works, every person no matter who you barrack for has the same chance of obtaining a seat (Maybe this should change; I have suggested so in multiple surveys). The walk up enables people who are passionate and miss out on a balloted seat a chance to attend the game by lining up or even people who want to get a front row seat the chance to get one. If you as an AFL / Team member could line up to get a front row seat would you?

There are only two tiers of membership in the MCC full or restricted everyone who is a full member is equal. To introduce tiered pricing would open up a can of worms; the MCC would need to look at how many games each team plays per year then tailor pricing to each team. What do you do for people who only attend the cricket? It is better for the MCC to charge a single price and people either pay it or don’t.

Should a full ballot be run for all grand finals? What happens if two interstate teams are competing and you don’t get enough people in the ballot? It has been tradition for walk up to all games, to change this for one game would require a change for all high drawing games then you start to penalise supporters of one or two teams and therefore they end up paying more for their membership. The MCC is a single price and should always be that way if I wanted to pay a varying price I could become an AFL or Team member but I don’t I am an MCC member.

 

[ptrg]

whoa whoa whoaaa...
I think a few people are getting their wires crossed here..

There's two arguments taking place:

1) MCC screwed up by not letting RESTRICTED members in after the majority of full MCC members were there.. GOOD CALL - They even admitted this and I don't think I can find more than one person of this thread disputing this..

2) The MCC should let in the GENERAL PUBLIC- BAD CALL, TERRIBLE CALL.. Any non paying person hoping for access to the MCC is plain delusional.


No doubt they screwed up over the restriced members, but not letting in non paying members was spot on the money.

 

[Harvey Leadpipe]

I'd say it's because the MCC stand outs more because all the empty seets are bunched together up the top. The empty seats in the SS would have been scattered all over the place.

Probably a good call too. Those seats at the top are rubbish. I couldn't care one bit what it looked like from the other side of the ground. If I jagged a seat at the top, but there were plenty of other seats available on the good levels, just so it "looked" more full, I'd be pissed.

 

[chrisjie]

Restricted members - Yes.
General public - Hell no.

I'm 20 years off a membership, but the thing I find funny is how some MCC members have to line up at 2-3am to get in to the Grand Final. Surely there must be a better way of doing this?

 

[hamG]

2,500 empty seats in the public section of the G? Where were you club members? I would have thought all the supporters would fill the non MCC section of the ground? Why should the MCC open its doors to the general public when there was thousands of empty seats in the rest of the ground?

 

[Bomberman86]

You're NOT an MCC member! You're a restricted member.. Think of it this way- the MCC could either give you nothing for three years until you get your full MCC membership, OR they could offer you a restricted one, one where you pay much less, and don't have the right to attend the grand final. Don't like them rules? Then there approx 100,000 people who will happily take your place in the que.. People who pay the full membership fee- people who are paying for the southern stand upgrade (next time you sit in mcc stand, look across the ground)- that is FULL members who pay yearly for the right to walk up the grand final at any stage, have paid for that right.

If people have such a problem with the empty seats, then perhaps they should buy a premium club membership every year, and guarantee yourself a seat to the big game.. Surely you have no problems with that?

Agree and Disagree.

Im a full member and my younger cousin is a restricted member, has been for about 5 years now. I was disgusted that MCC Full members were allowed to have X amount of visitors to the game, but Restricted members were given basically no rights.

I agree that the logical progression is that Full Members get full entitlements, and restricted members can have the remains (as, its all the natural order and eventually restricted members will become full members), but for the MCC to put Visitors above Restricted members is an absolute disgrace.

 

[SJ]

Agree and Disagree.

Im a full member and my younger cousin is a restricted member, has been for about 5 years now. I was disgusted that MCC Full members were allowed to have X amount of visitors to the game, but Restricted members were given basically no rights.

I agree that the logical progression is that Full Members get full entitlements, and restricted members can have the remains (as, its all the natural order and eventually restricted members will become full members), but for the MCC to put Visitors above Restricted members is an absolute disgrace.

When exactly did this happen?

 

[Stamos]

There are no visitor tickets for Grand Finals.

 

[Invigoration]

There are no visitor tickets for Grand Finals.

I know you couldn't actually buy visitors passes per se, but I was wondering on the day how so many kids got in there?

They obviously aren't full members so how do they manage to get admission? (purely out of curiosity)