Reduce the size of the MCC reserve

[The_Wookie]

Official attendance for last years prelim was I think 53800 so not sure where they got 53500 from. Who cares if its only 61000, have you been to a packed Adelaide Oval when the crowd is on their feet? One time the siren was almost inaudible. The only conflicting interest is the AFL's bank balance which is only == 15k less than the MCG capacity minus the 23k MCC who dont pay admission.....

Its in the area of 250 per person who enters the MCC reserve. If the reserve has at least 22,000 people in it - the AFL makes 6 million off MCC members alone that it couldnt make at another stadium. Let alone its AFL members. I wonder how the MCGs corporate box seat numbers measure up to other stadiums.

The 2010 replay generated a $16.2 million profit for the AFL.

 

[MarkT2]

If all the money went to clubs and there were no MCC or AFL reserve the game would still be played out of suburban stadiums. If you want to take that position that's fine, but less fans will get to see their team in the grand final when all you've got is suburban grounds.

The MCG pre dated all of that and the AFL reserve doesn't fund the MCG it adds to AFL coffers which doesn't build stands at the G. Suburban grounds are gone as a direct result of the Aylett era ground rationalisation policy and drive to push crowds to Waverley because the AFL owned it and wanted barganing power with the MCC. It was used to push South Melbourne out and to Sydney and make Fitzroy nomadic and ultimately kill them off. Nothing to do with the AFL reserve or the size of the MCC reserve. As it is it probably went a step to far and we are 1 good smaller ground short (good not Carlton's mill stone rat hole).

AFL memberships are direct competion to clubs. It doesn't add revenue it diverts it. The revenue in the hands of the clubs reduces their reliance on redistribution. It isn't about building venues at all it is about power balance. Meanwhile it takes a hell of a lot of seats off the table come finals time.

 

[Starburns_]

AFL memberships are direct competion to clubs. It doesn't add revenue it diverts it. The revenue in the hands of the clubs reduces their reliance on redistribution. It isn't about building venues at all it is about power balance. Meanwhile it takes a hell of a lot of seats off the table come finals time.

Pretty certain the AFL membership still redistributes the worth of an 11 game membership to the supported club. So not sure how they're competing aside from reserved seat revenue.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

Pretty certain the AFL membership still redistributes the worth of an 11 game membership to the supported club. So not sure how they're competing aside from reserved seat revenue.

It was $131 in 2010.

 

[The Final Word]

Allegation on the 3AW Rumour File today that MCC members get their reserved seats prior to the game but are unhappy with them.

So they queue up anyway and get better walk-up seats leaving their reserved seat/s to go vacant. Caller suggested this was a prominent cause of the PF vacant seats and might well happen at the GF also.

I can believe this may explain perhaps a few hundred vacant seats but not two a half large.

Doubt there'd be a sizeable amount who, after being successful in the ballot, would then queue up at around 6am or earlier, with rain predicted, to have a small chance of improving your seat. The very best seats, levels 2 & 3, are walk up but my GF queue experience would suggest you have to get there about 4am to lock in those seats. Others are not as good as the ballot reserved seats.

 

[Walshawk]

Doubt there'd be a sizeable amount who, after being successful in the ballot, would then queue up at around 6am or earlier, with rain predicted, to have a small chance of improving your seat. The very best seats, levels 2 & 3, are walk up but my GF queue experience would suggest you have to get there about 4am to lock in those seats. Others are not as good as the ballot reserved seats.

What time on GF day does the MCC usually fill up? Can you just roll up at 2PM?

 

[Walshawk]

The MCC members is too big but that's only the start of the problem. The AFL reserve is too big as well. In fact there shouldn't even be an AFL reserve or an AFL membership for that matter. The AFL shouldn't compete with its clubs. Docklands Medallion Club members should get GF tickets. Radio stations etc shouldn't have tickets to give away in competitions. It's not like they won't broadcast footy if they didn't get tickets to give away. Sponsors get too many tickets. They sponsor the AFL because they get PR and exposure.

Agree. The AFL should be phasing out AFL membership as people drop off and shrinking the reserve. Instead, they are pushing more me,nerships. At least give competing club silver members priority over other clubs supporters.

 

[McOrist]

Allegation on the 3AW Rumour File today that MCC members get their reserved seats prior to the game but are unhappy with them.

So they queue up anyway and get better walk-up seats leaving their reserved seat/s to go vacant. Caller suggested this was a prominent cause of the PF vacant seats and might well happen at the GF also.

I can believe this may explain perhaps a few hundred vacant seats but not two a half large.

Doubt this would happen on a large scale.
MCC states that members that receive reserved seats in the Grand Final ballot, but fail to take up the seats on game day, will be deemed ineligible to participate in the Grand Final ballot for the next year.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Allegation on the 3AW Rumour File today that MCC members get their reserved seats prior to the game but are unhappy with them.

So they queue up anyway and get better walk-up seats leaving their reserved seat/s to go vacant. Caller suggested this was a prominent cause of the PF vacant seats and might well happen at the GF also.

I can believe this may explain perhaps a few hundred vacant seats but not two a half large.

The vacant seats last week appeared to mostly be in an unreserved section at the back half of level Q, so the facts dont line up with the rumour.

This is highly unlikely to be something that is material.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Doubt this would happen on a large scale.
MCC states that members that receive reserved seats in the Grand Final ballot, but fail to take up the seats on game day, will be deemed ineligible to participate in the Grand Final ballot for the next year.

Technically they dont check if youre sitting in your seat, just if you have scanned through the gates.

But the vacant seats were not in the reserved areas as far as I could tell so the rumour is full of crap.

 

[McOrist]

What time on GF day does the MCC usually fill up? Can you just roll up at 2PM?

If you rock up at 2:00pm, the only seats that may be available will be the ones that were vacant last week -upper top corner of level 4, next to the Ponsford stand fence. To get the best walk-up seats on levels 2 or 3, you need to queue up at about 5:00am. We did this in 2011.
The last few years, we have rocked up at about 7:45am and joined the back of the queue. Gates open at 8:00am. We went straight up to level 4 and got seats about 3/4 of the way back. Up to about row W are reserved via the ballot.

 

[musha_13]

Entitlement to cricket members should have been wiped when they signed the recent extension

Football dollars subsidise a cricket club - it’s ridiculous

The Cricket Club who's members drafted the first set of rules for Australian rules football.

 

[Blueboys11]

Allegation on the 3AW Rumour File today that MCC members get their reserved seats prior to the game but are unhappy with them.

So they queue up anyway and get better walk-up seats leaving their reserved seat/s to go vacant. Caller suggested this was a prominent cause of the PF vacant seats and might well happen at the GF also.

I can believe this may explain perhaps a few hundred vacant seats but not two a half large.

This wouldn’t affect the capacity of the reserve as your scan in would be matched against the reserved seat. Would only mean in a lockout that someone who may have got a seat will have to stand

 

[Walshawk]

If you rock up at 2:00pm, the only seats that may be available will be the ones that were vacant last week -upper top corner of level 4, next to the Ponsford stand fence. To get the best walk-up seats on levels 2 or 3, you need to queue up at about 5:00am. We did this in 2011.
The last few years, we have rocked up at about 7:45am and joined the back of the queue. Gates open at 8:00am. We went straight up to level 4 and got seats about 3/4 of the way back. Up to about row W are reserved via the ballot.

Cheers. Can you get out of the members and stand in the southern stand?

 

[The Falcon Strike]

The Cricket Club who's members drafted the first set of rules for Australian rules football.

Congratulations - but them a plaque

 

[Bulldog Brent]

Opening the reserve to restricted today. Let’s hope it’s full today.

 

[blue harvest]

Congratulations - but them a plaque

They did, and a statue, you can take a look today if you are there.

 

[cleveland]

 

[McOrist]

Cheers. Can you get out of the members and stand in the southern stand?

Yes -no problem. You would have to walk though the internal gates between the MCC Members and the Olympic/Northern Stand and collect a 'pass-out' from the attendants. The Gates are on level 1 or level 4. You then just walk through the Northern Stand to the Southern Stand.
There is also standing room in the MCC Members on levels 1 and 4.

 

[Underarm]

View attachment 565599

They do this every year.

 

[kranky al]

Basically every stadium has had a membership of some sort. It’s a big part of stadium economics.

AFL membership was originally VFL Park membership. It’s now a reserve at the MCG since the GSS was built. The AFL contribute huge amounts for upkeep and renovations at the MCG.

Docklands has the Medallion Club. It’s a slightly different model - less members, $5,000 per year - but it’s exactly the same thing. It’s $20m - $25m in revenue a year that goes toward operating and renovating the stadium.

If you get rid of AFL membership, the AFL loses a truckload of revenue. They still contribute the upkeep and renovations at the MCG - it just comes out of other revenue. That would otherwise go where their biggest outflow goes - to the clubs as distributions.

Ultimately, it’s no different financially.

They instituted the club support scheme so that there was some direct revenue going directly to AFL members’ clubs, reflecting how many of their supporters had AFL membership that might otherwise have club membership.

I asked all these questions years ago, that’s how it works. Stadiums have to be paid for.

See we did it smart.

1000 people at $5000 per year

$5 mill a year and barely a dent in capacity.

 

[Draft Pick]

They do this every year.

Not every year.

 

[Underarm]

See we did it smart.

1000 people at $5000 per year

$5 mill a year and barely a dent in capacity.

And then charge members an arm and a leg in membership fees.

 

[Bulldog Brent]

They do this every year.

Last time was 2015.

 

[LanceRomance]

I think the ground is owned by mcc, car park is owned by government.

There is no way they get rid of walk up rights. As a 20 year voting member it’s my right to decide if I wish to attend.

The whole thing is owned by the government and it is managed by the MCG Trust