Up yours AFL

[Mervyn Beasley]

The AFL boasted that the price of tickets in the first week of the finals were very affordable "starting at $40"
The truth is that the $40 tickets were few and far between and only in the back 10 rows behind the goals.
As the crowd started pouring in you could actually see the line in the stand in that area where the folks who had bought the 'cheap seats' were sitting.

I lashed out and paid $57 for Category 5 (out of 7) tix on Fri night. These were situated in row 11 on level 4 of Southern stand on the 'flank' at Punt Road end. (still a fair way from the action)
In the bays to the left and right of me there was literally only a handful of folks sitting in the 10 rows in front of us. This was obviously due to these seats being more expensive and clearly Category 4.
10 mins in we all just moved down.
So we all saved about $10 and got a better seat than the one we booked The few folks sitting there got a better atmosphere as a result but would have felt a tad robbed I would imagine.

The bigger picture however, is that the AFL robbed itself of a bumper crowd, and no doubt a fair bit of coin due to their inability to read what people can afford and are prepared to pay.

72 k is a good crowd. 80 is far better.

You know they have got it wrong when the MCC and AFL members is mostly full but the general areas aren't. Those folks turn up because they really want to be there at what is almost always a cracking game.
The other folks didn't turn up because they couldn't afford it or it simply wasn't good value for money.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Regarding being robbed of coin, I think all finals revenue goes to the AFL doesnt it? noone truly plays a home game.

 

[blue harvest]

I think many Cats fans would have stayed away regardless of the price.

Anyway, the best way to send a FU over ticket prices is to buy a category 1 or 2 child seat to sit in and the cheapest adult ticket there is to get you into the ground. Can save quite a bit in prelim week doing this.

With prelim prices double that of week 1 and 2 the AFL is in for a shock with the low crowd if the Hawks play Freo.

 

[master bate]

Up yours Hawthorn and Geelong fans you spoiled brats.

$50, $60, $80 isn't overpriced to see a finals game of footy. Movie tickets cost $20. An AFL final is undoubtedly worth 3 times that. Thousands of people by sold out shows to go see a Pink concert for more than a finals price.

I don't want to sound insensitive to people who are doing it tough. But enough people manage to find the coin Hawthorn and Geelong members. And you only have to look at the cars people drive, the money they spend on going out to restaurants, the multiple flat screen TV's everyone owns to see a lot of people still have the income to fork out for finals. I hope they fix the price at $40 and have more sub $60 tickets available for these early finals. But it's really good value if they do.

Ess v North for a much lesser final got a bigger crowd. I think that tells me Hawthorn and Geelong fans are spoiled. So maybe if equalisation kicks in and other teams have a go at qualifying finals they might get 90k like Rich v Carl last year.

 

[G0ther00s]

I went tonight very back row of the 'G, 25 mins into first moved down 20 rows and saved myself $30..... Will do again next week.

 

[blue harvest]

I went tonight very back row of the 'G, 25 mins into first moved down 20 rows and saved myself $30..... Will do again next week.

Next week you'll be able to come down to level 1.

 

[Collingwood 4 eternity]

Ess v North for a much lesser final got a bigger crowd. I think that tells me Hawthorn and Geelong fans are spoiled. So maybe if equalisation kicks in and other teams have a go at qualifying finals they might get 90k like Rich v Carl last year.

The Nth v Ess game was the series ticket game , where one ticket to a Melbourne final each week is sold to the corporates along with their Grand Final ticket

 

[Hawkk]

Crowd numbers to finals are actually very good. This surprised me but if you look at the MCG attendances (75000 and 79000) and compare it to 1999:

W Bulldogs v West Coast 41722 (Series) MCG
North v PA 31476 MCG
Essendon v Sydney 57687 MCG

Carlton v West Coast 55682 (Series) MCG

North v BL 61041 (Series) MCG
Carlton v Essendon 80519 MCG

Not every game is destined to draw 85000 plus, as fans we seem to have a warped sense of the crowds that the finals games should draw...

I think many Cats fans would have stayed away regardless of the price.

Anyway, the best way to send a FU over ticket prices is to buy a category 1 or 2 child seat to sit in and the cheapest adult ticket there is to get you into the ground. Can save quite a bit in prelim week doing this.

With prelim prices double that of week 1 and 2 the AFL is in for a shock with the low crowd if the Hawks play Freo.

It'd be just like the 2012 PF.

65000 / 70000 with a showing in the AFL and MCC members reserve. It's the only game in Melbourne so it'll get a bump from the Series Game as well...in fact given its the GF replay it might draw 70000

Anyway as far as the AFL is concerned TV ratings are the only things that matter amyway

 

[Hawkk]

Up yours Hawthorn and Geelong fans you spoiled brats.

$50, $60, $80 isn't overpriced to see a finals game of footy. Movie tickets cost $20. An AFL final is undoubtedly worth 3 times that. Thousands of people by sold out shows to go see a Pink concert for more than a finals price.

I don't want to sound insensitive to people who are doing it tough. But enough people manage to find the coin Hawthorn and Geelong members. And you only have to look at the cars people drive, the money they spend on going out to restaurants, the multiple flat screen TV's everyone owns to see a lot of people still have the income to fork out for finals. I hope they fix the price at $40 and have more sub $60 tickets available for these early finals. But it's really good value if they do.

Ess v North for a much lesser final got a bigger crowd. I think that tells me Hawthorn and Geelong fans are spoiled. So maybe if equalisation kicks in and other teams have a go at qualifying finals they might get 90k like Rich v Carl last year.

Not quite

The Essendon v North game was the Series Ticket game. Last season Collingwood played Port (non Series Ticket Game) and Geelong played Port ( Series Ticket Game) and drew the larger crowd.

Why is it that so many posters fail to understand this concept?

 

[coniglio_number1]

I've paid way more to
Go to subiaco.

Stop complaining

 

[FootyJunkie]

... and Oakley

 

[Tas]

Tickets are fairly cheap compared to most other major sports, but those nosebleed seats is like watching footy on TV filmed by someone in a Goodyear blimp, it is like watching ants. Most other sports events the stadium isn't the size of a runway.

 

[master bate]

Not quite

The Essendon v North game was the Series Ticket game. Last season Collingwood played Port (non Series Ticket Game) and Geelong played Port ( Series Ticket Game) and drew the larger crowd.

Why is it that so many posters fail to understand this concept?

Because I've never heard of the concept. Typical AFL rubbish that it is. So I do agree that would influence the crowd figures.

But I do stand by saying the prices probably aren't that bad and the Rich v Carl final last year seemed to emphasise that. And I still think that maybe mixing up the teams who make the finals each year might result in some bigger crowds. And 75k isn't all that bad either.

I think the AFL will look in to selling out different heights of the top level for different prices. It was an ugly look. And they've only hurt themselves if everyone got up and moved anyway. I'm all for different positions (wing, flank, behind the goals) for different prices. But the clear demarcation of people sitting behind chunks of empty seats looked so dumb on TV and made the levels look empty on first look.

 

[master bate]

Tickets are fairly cheap compared to most other major sports, but those nosebleed seats is like watching footy on TV filmed by someone in a Goodyear blimp, it is like watching ants. Most other sports events the stadium isn't the size of a runway.

I dont mind closer to the front, within the first 10-15 rows. You can make out a lot of play and get to see the play unfold ahead of time. From the back of the top level I agree it's like watching ants. But the new scoreboards help so you can watch them and it's like watching the game on TV but with way better atmosphere. Whether it's worth 40 or 60 or 150 dollars plus the price of food and drink is a different question.

 

[Hawkk]

Because I've never heard of the concept. Typical AFL rubbish that it is. So I do agree that would influence the crowd figures.

But I do stand by saying the prices probably aren't that bad and the Rich v Carl final last year seemed to emphasise that. And I still think that maybe mixing up the teams who make the finals each year might result in some bigger crowds. And 75k isn't all that bad either.

I think the AFL will look in to selling out different heights of the top level for different prices. It was an ugly look. And they've only hurt themselves if everyone got up and moved anyway. I'm all for different positions (wing, flank, behind the goals) for different prices. But the clear demarcation of people sitting behind chunks of empty seats looked so dumb on TV and made the levels look empty on first look.

Variety is important but the Essendon v Carlton (2011) and Richmond v Carlton (2013) matches can both be described as perfect storms. For a week 1 final their interest was unprecedented, something that probably won't be repeated anytime soon.

If the AFL was concerned with crowds, they couldn't have looked any further than scheduling a Saturday Afternoon final, the Hawthorn v Geelong (for example) probably would have drawn 10k more if it was scheduled for a time that allowed for Geelong fans to easily travel to and from the game.

Collingwood is a good example of a club that appeared to have 'finals fatigue' in 2012-13. Whoda thunk they'd draw 'just' 50000 to a MCG Elmination final way back in 2010?

As above it wasn't that long ago that Essendon and Carlton drew 'just' 80000 to the most famous PF of all time. That would be unheard of in 2014...

 

[Tas]

I dont mind closer to the front, within the first 10-15 rows. You can make out a lot of play and get to see the play unfold ahead of time. From the back of the top level I agree it's like watching ants. But the new scoreboards help so you can watch them and it's like watching the game on TV but with way better atmosphere. Whether it's worth 40 or 60 or 150 dollars plus the price of food and drink is a different question.

It is a bit of Russian roulette with the seats though, from some spots you literally can't see the pocket right underneath you.

 

[Mervyn Beasley]

Up yours Hawthorn and Geelong fans you spoiled brats.

$50, $60, $80 isn't overpriced to see a finals game of footy. Movie tickets cost $20. An AFL final is undoubtedly worth 3 times that. Thousands of people by sold out shows to go see a Pink concert for more than a finals price.

I don't want to sound insensitive to people who are doing it tough. But enough people manage to find the coin Hawthorn and Geelong members. And you only have to look at the cars people drive, the money they spend on going out to restaurants, the multiple flat screen TV's everyone owns to see a lot of people still have the income to fork out for finals. I hope they fix the price at $40 and have more sub $60 tickets available for these early finals. But it's really good value if they do.

Ess v North for a much lesser final got a bigger crowd. I think that tells me Hawthorn and Geelong fans are spoiled. So maybe if equalisation kicks in and other teams have a go at qualifying finals they might get 90k like Rich v Carl last year.

You dont want to sound insensitive, bur regardless you do.

Apart from the first few rows of the top level on the wing, nothing else should cost more than $50 on top level at the G in 1st week of finals
Not everyone who barracks for Hawthorn lives in Hawthorn, and there are plenty of folk from Geelong who barrack from Geelong and 'used' to work at Ford and Alcoa.

You might see the folks in the restaurants with the fancy cars in your world. Take yourself a trip to Corio and discuss the matter there. Let me know how you get on. People of all classes like footy mate, and they all deserve the opportunity to attend.

 

[Jewbacca]

Its not fair until people are paid to attend.

 

[Hawkk]

Ess v North for a much lesser final got a bigger crowd. I think that tells me Hawthorn and Geelong fans are spoiled. So maybe if equalisation kicks in and other teams have a go at qualifying finals they might get 90k like Rich v Carl last year.

The last time the two longest suffering clubs played off in a final (St Kilda and the W Bulldogs) the game drew 62694 - 2010 PF (Series). Ditto Melbourne and St Kilda 67528 - 2006 EF (Series). The 2014 Haw v Geel (74753 - non Series) was actually larger than the corresponding QF in 2011 (73400 - non Series). Far from spoilt, the number was an improvement...

The only difference between now and 2006 / 2010 is that the 2014 finals ticketing exposes empty seats like never before (unlike 2006 where the empty seats were far more spread across the stadium)

 

[Kram]

Ridiculous, 57 bucks? Oh the humanity!

Should just be a gold coin donation to gain entry into the ground.

 

[vonn]

Think people are saving their tickets for the prelim and/or GF.

 

[Ahern2Boof]

I stole a pie tonight. There was people everywhere, and a young girl on the register. I grabbed one, put it in my pocket as I was juggling a couple of things, then thought 'why not?' And grabbed another one. Up yours AFL, will do again next week.

 

[jimbler]

I stole a pie tonight. There was people everywhere, and a young girl on the register. I grabbed one, put it in my pocket as I was juggling a couple of things, then thought 'why not?' And grabbed another one. Up yours AFL, will do again next week.

Weren't you supposed to be able to get free pies anyway?

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...n-twenty-freebie/story-fni0fit3-1227043181789

 

[Ahern2Boof]

Weren't you supposed to be able to get free pies anyway?

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...n-twenty-freebie/story-fni0fit3-1227043181789

WHAT

 

[Mervyn Beasley]

Ridiculous, 57 bucks? Oh the humanity!

Should just be a gold coin donation to gain entry into the ground.

I paid it because I can afford it.

Many others cant.

I couldn't afford more than that though, and clearly many others couldn't either which is why they were sitting in the seats above.

Maybe you should buy yourself some perspective with all your spare gold coins.