Thoughts on the ballot system for tickets to the GF

[cellis84]

a few of my mates and i entered the social club at the start of the '03 season and havent looked back. its simply fantastic, i love it and wouldnt do it any other way.

there is a cap on the amount of members accepted, and the waiting list was at a hundred or so at the start of this yr so thats going to go through the roof after the year we have just had. so if u r thinking of joining, u may b waiting a while!

as for the september members, i wouldnt have a clue if they have capped it or not. i know that if i was a run of the mill member, i would b forking out the extra hundred odd bux a yr 4 it. because i reckon it would b shattering 2 follow the team all year and then miss out on tix 2 the granny......long live the social club! haha

 

[thegerman]

a few of my mates and i entered the social club at the start of the '03 season and havent looked back. its simply fantastic, i love it and wouldnt do it any other way.

there is a cap on the amount of members accepted, and the waiting list was at a hundred or so at the start of this yr so thats going to go through the roof after the year we have just had. so if u r thinking of joining, u may b waiting a while!

as for the september members, i wouldnt have a clue if they have capped it or not. i know that if i was a run of the mill member, i would b forking out the extra hundred odd bux a yr 4 it. because i reckon it would b shattering 2 follow the team all year and then miss out on tix 2 the granny......long live the social club! haha

Will definitely look into this for next season, put my name down for the social club, then also take on the September member too.

 

[eliiiiza]

as for the september members, i wouldnt have a clue if they have capped it or not. i know that if i was a run of the mill member, i would b forking out the extra hundred odd bux a yr 4 it. because i reckon it would b shattering 2 follow the team all year and then miss out on tix 2 the granny......long live the social club! haha

Yeah, they do, 1000 or 1500 people, I think.

If I could afford it, I'd be a September member for sure, but yeah... I can't.

 

[Harambasch]

i might be opting for an afl membership next year. 8-10 years later get the gold one but in the mean time its possibly the best value for money.

 

[Crow Chick]

Ballot is fairer than in 97 and 98 when people slept out for a couple days to get tickets. While people lucky enough to have friends in Melbourne ))sent their memberships over and they could walk straight up to the counter 30 minutes before ticket sales opened in Adelaide!!!

 

[darren forssman]

A jihad on the ballot system. In the distant past when I have tried to get a GF ticket I have been successful without even being a member. I also wonder if I was K.O.'d because I only wanted one ticket.

Shut up Rabbi. You are just bitch'n!!!!

nothing wrong with the ballot system, the problem is with the number of tickets allocated to the competing teams.

members of other teams and "dignitaries" have more chance of getting to the match than us lowly supporters/members.

that is where the system is wrong.

 

[thegerman]

i might be opting for an afl membership next year. 8-10 years later get the gold one but in the mean time its possibly the best value for money.

The question I guess is an AFL member guaranteed a spot at the GF ?? Or they also on a first in basis ?? Whereas a GFC September member, or a social club member is guaranteed a seat if we make it and they bid in time.

I am interested in any option that doesn't allow for this to happen again, especially when I can afford those options.

 

[kendall_cedric]

i might be opting for an afl membership next year. 8-10 years later get the gold one but in the mean time its possibly the best value for money.

I'm looking into an AFL membership as well. The standard membership appears to be useless other than getting through the game in the H&A.

 

[Crow Chick]

i might be opting for an afl membership next year. 8-10 years later get the gold one but in the mean time its possibly the best value for money.

If I lived in Melbourne I would take up AFL membership in a heartbeat!! The cheapest Crows membership is $198 for 11 games, that's for behind the goals or deep in the pocket, the most expensive general season ticket seats (i.e. not members) is $280. Pay extra for NAB Cup games and finals, if you want priority access to GF tickets it's an extra $98.


I'm sure there is a huge waiting list, but am I wrong is thinking AFL full membership is only $395 . You get included access to 40 games a season, plus NAB cup games, plus week 1 and 2 finals in Victoria, plus access to both Prelims, priority access to GF (have to pay for tickets though at a discounted price), plus 1/2 price cricket tickets.

Is this seriously only $395????? Even $295 for silver membership is a bargain!!!

 

[Harambasch]

I'm sure there is a huge waiting list, but am I wrong is thinking AFL full membership is only $395 . You get included access to 40 games a season, plus NAB cup games, plus week 1 and 2 finals in Victoria, plus access to both Prelims, priority access to GF (have to pay for tickets though at a discounted price), plus 1/2 price cricket tickets.

Is this seriously only $395????? Even $295 for silver membership is a bargain!!!

exactly why i want it. and it still provides the club with support. i'd do a geelong membership with the september member thing but it will be much more worth my while to get an afl one. i'm from a family where everyone either supports the dons or the blues (i'm starting a geelong branch..already converted a few cousins) and most of my friends either go for richmond or the doggies so i generally go to alot of games in the year anyway.

 

[Crow Chick]

exactly why i want it. and it still provides the club with support. i'd do a geelong membership with the september member thing but it will be much more worth my while to get an afl one. i'm from a family where everyone either supports the dons or the blues (i'm starting a geelong branch..already converted a few cousins) and most of my friends either go for richmond or the doggies so i generally go to alot of games in the year anyway.

Far out, that is soooo cheap!!!! It's even $405 for ultimate AAMI stadium membership, which only entitles you to 22 games, 4 SANFL games, NAB cup at AAMI, and priority access to finals tickets (still have to pay though). There is a huge waiting list for that as well!!

 

[Harambasch]

the only problem is that there is a joining fee. $290.

but personally its still worth it.

 

[geelong07]

Well, one aspect that needs to be fixed is that of on-selling of tickets allocated in the ballot. I’ve been contacted by several Geelong members who got tickets in the ballot and are now selling them for in excess of $400-$500.

This is not what the ballot was intended for. It was intended for members who have followed the team all year to have a roughly equal chance of getting to the game. Not for a few to profiteer from.

catempire those geelong members are not real members then they are SCABS and they should be named and shamed and not allowed to hold a geelong membership ever again.

 

[LongBomb]

catempire those geelong members are not real members then they are SCABS and they should be named and shamed and not allowed to hold a geelong membership ever again.

I reckon Cat Empire and I have been talking to the same people.
Pretty rough when members are trying to flog their ballot tickets for 3-4 times the price to fellow members.

 

[catempire]

I reckon Cat Empire and I have been talking to the same people.
Pretty rough when members are trying to flog their ballot tickets for 3-4 times the price to fellow members.

Sounds like we have LongBomb. What do you reckon? Name and shame?

 

[gmask1]

I joined Geelong as a member this year, and was fortunate enough to get my social club membership this year also (no waiting list, perhaps because of last year's performance).

I was crushed that I couldn't get there this weekend, but I knew this in advance, and so didn't register for my social club ticket. If I ever found out that the ticket I was guaranteed went to someone who resold it to another GFC member for more than face value, I'd be absolutely furious!

 

[Brasil2007]

I'd like to see some sort of handicapping brought in - if you're a member for 40-50 years you should have a better chance than someone who joined in January. Other than that I think the ballot is terrific.

 

[bigman100kg]

How did your system work? Just a random ballot?

That sounds a bit tough on supporters who have been 20+ year members, especially considering the number of supporters on here who missed out.

The way Port did it 2004 and this year if you were prepared to pay $10 at the start of the year you were guaranteed a ticket if we made it, of course if we missed out tha $10 is gone but it's well worth it. Would you guys be up for that and do you think it would work at Geelong?

 

[LongBomb]

Geelong have a similar system but it is $150 not $10

 

[Hoova]

There is one problem that you all seem to be missing, which just simply makes the ballot system unfair. It requires no effort to enter, and this is bad for those most passionate of members. Those less passionate, who tend to hop on when we are doing well, can apply for a ticket, with no sacrifice to themselves. This means that everything is equal for all members.

People may say that this equality is the best thing about the ballot, but I am forced to disagree. The line-up system required members to make a sacrifice, and those who made the biggest sacrifice, received the greatest priority. It was an effort, but it sorted the real from the fake. This can no longer occur, and it meant that me, and many other most passionate members missed out.

You may say that the ballot took the hassle out of the system. I believe it also took out the fairness. Those who would have previously not bothered to go for a ticket, now do, and this comes as a detriment to the most loyal and passionate of Geelong supporters.

 

[gmask1]

There is one problem that you all seem to be missing, which just simply makes the ballot system unfair. It requires no effort to enter, and this is bad for those most passionate of members. Those less passionate, who tend to hop on when we are doing well, can apply for a ticket, with no sacrifice to themselves. This means that everything is equal for all members.

People may say that this equality is the best thing about the ballot, but I am forced to disagree. The line-up system required members to make a sacrifice, and those who made the biggest sacrifice, received the greatest priority. It was an effort, but it sorted the real from the fake. This can no longer occur, and it meant that me, and many other most passionate members missed out.

You may say that the ballot took the hassle out of the system. I believe it also took out the fairness. Those who would have previously not bothered to go for a ticket, now do, and this comes as a detriment to the most loyal and passionate of Geelong supporters.

I disagree with this. Assuming the current levels are what they are, no one member should have preference over somebody else paying the same amount. If you and I both paid $200 for the same level of membership, then we (should) have exactly the same rights. The phone system brought that equality across the membership tier, IMO.

Anything less is simply unfair to those who live interstate, in regional areas, even overseas, and are equally as passionate as you.

I do believe that some form of a handicap is a reasonable idea. The longer you pay to be a member, perhaps you gain small extras or rewards above a new member. That's ongoing loyalty to the club, and it's a loyalty that could be rewarded.

 

[Hoova]

I disagree with this. Assuming the current levels are what they are, no one member should have preference over somebody else paying the same amount. If you and I both paid $200 for the same level of membership, then we (should) have exactly the same rights. The phone system brought that equality across the membership tier, IMO.

Anything less is simply unfair to those who live interstate, in regional areas, even overseas, and are equally as passionate as you.

I do believe that some form of a handicap is a reasonable idea. The longer you pay to be a member, perhaps you gain small extras or rewards above a new member. That's ongoing loyalty to the club, and it's a loyalty that could be rewarded.

I never said that those who pay more should get preference, I don't know where you are getting this idea from. All I am saying is that, with the line-up system, effort was rewarded, and those most passionate were those who put most effort in. It was a struggle but it sorted out who were real and who weren't.

 

[clad idiout]

it is the fairest way to do it. however it is a blite on the game. every member who pays up at the start of the year and follows their team should get a ticket, not all these corporate toffs who go to one game a year.

and sorry call me harsh but why did the footy show just give 3 tickets to a kid and his parents, and they fu*#ing barrack for freo. y does he get tickets and heaps of people like me miss out. can anyone explain that?

very annoying

 

[krisholio14]

The bottom line people, is that no matter what sort of fan you are, if you want to be guarenteed a ticket to the big game, you are going to have to pay extra to get it.

How you choose to do this is entirely up to the individual, but basically, anyone who has just a basic membership knows when they buy that membership they have only a small chance of actually getting a ticket to a GF.

I bought a September Membership from the first year, and have got it every year since, whether I think we are going to make it to the GF or not. I want to be assured of a ticket should we make it, and I don't begrudge putting a few extra dollars in the clubs' kick each year. Sure, most years we don't make it, but so what? It's been worth having because as soon as we made it to the GF, I knew i'd have a ticket.

There are ways to avoid this situation, it depends on if one is prepared to pay the cost.

 

[LongBomb]

Diablo the problem is they only introduced the ballot system a couple of weeks ago.
I would have definitely bought a SC/CC membership if I'd known this to be the case at the start of the season.

I was always confident of getting a ticket by queueing. We have never missed out with this system in the past.