MCG needs to increase capacity

[blue harvest]

What if you came to Australia when you were 25? Have to wait to 60 to purchase your MCC membership.

AFL Membership is a much shorter wait. 10-15 years is the current estimate to become a Gold Member.
You can become a Silver member straight away, some years that's enough to get you a GF ticket, especially if there's an interstate or less popular Victorian side playing. Last year was the first in 6 years where no AFL Silver members got a GF ticket.

Most clubs also have GF guarantee membership option. I remember Bulldogs fans on here buying the GF upgrade during the 2016 season when they were looking good. I also remember Freo had a GF guarantee option for just $10 before their 2013 appearance - pay just $10 extra on your membership each year and you'll be at the GF if they make it! It obviously sold out pretty quick once they came good and they jacked the price up to something like $50 after 2013. Half way through 2008 my club rang me and asked if I wanted to upgrade to a GF guarantee membership, I already had a pretty good chance at a GF ticket with my Hawks silver membership (as it turned out 100% of Hawks silver got a GF ticket) but the upgrade to gold was something like $50 so I took it. It obviously sold out later in 2008 and remained sold out during our flag era. However it was once again available early this year after people dropped off during our crappy 2017. Lions/Swans/Suns/Giants pretty much all members who want a GF ticket would get one. The Swans actually had trouble off loading their allocation in their ballot and had to do a secondary ballot to get rid of them all - every member who wanted one got one. The Eagles have a Victorian platinum membership with a GF guarantee which I believe was available for purchase during this year.

So the bottom line is, it's not really that hard to get the right membership. If you wait until September when your team is in the 8 then you have left it too late, you need to plan ahead a little bit.

 

[blue harvest]

Here is simple idea

As part of your mcc memberships your required to go ....or Give the seat to someone who can go

If you don’t you are fined 500 bucks ......do it two times then sorry your membership is revoked ....seeya piss off.

Sorry I’ve not sympathy for rich toffee nosed mcc members who dont show up ......yeah they would then come ...problem solved .....yup I’ll get shouted at again in this forum...but seriously every seat on grand final should be filled ...


It’s the people’s game ...I’m disappointed when I see 95,000 at a gran final when we know 105,000 could fit in if everyone went

Every member doesn't have their own seat. There are over 100k members and something like 21k seats. Capacity is 100k, they've been getting very close to that for 10 years now.

 

[dave123]

Every member doesn't have their own seat. There are over 100k members and something like 21k seats. Capacity is 100k, they've been getting very close to that for 10 years now.

This seats must be filled grand final day

If your allocated a seat you must use it ....or be fined

Sorry it’s national disgrace that on our premier sporting day these empty seats

This would t happen at the fa cup or Super Bowl or nba finals

Sorry but we are a joke

 

[blue harvest]

If you have been following the AFL you would know that the fans views don’t matter. The clubs themselves don’t care about the fans because if they did they would collectively tell the AFL to give them the 900-1000 tickets each club is given to scalp to the public through packages back so competing club members could go. There is another 16 thousands tickets right there.
So if the clubs themselves don’t care about the fans then what chance the AFL caring.
As I have said before, if you want to go then get your wallet out, if you don’t want to pay much then sit at home.

Actually these tickets have been slowly reduced over the years. It's something like 600-700 per club last time I heard. I think this is where the increased competing club allocation has come from. Not all of them are scalped, the clubs use some of them internally, staff, players, sponsors etc. It's probably over $1k of pure profit per ticket for the clubs for the ones they do sell in a package. I don't mind there being some of these packages because it means people who are desperate can still go, and supporters who might want a once in a life time visit to the GF can go, but I would like to see this allocation scaled back a lot more.

 

[blue harvest]

This seats must be filled grand final day

If your allocated a seat you must use it ....or be fined

Sorry it’s national disgrace that on our premier sporting day these empty seats

This would t happen at the fa cup or Super Bowl or nba finals

Sorry but we are a joke

People who are allocated a seat have applied in the ballot and paid for it, so they do actually go. They don't dish out seats to members who don't want them. They even have a mechanism where you can pass that seat to another member or return it if your circumstances change. I haven't seen empty seats in the MCC for all the GFs I've been to in the last 10 years. The 2010 replay is the only one I can think of in recent times where it wasn't full, but that was obviously a special circumstance.

 

[dave123]

People who are allocated a seat have applied in the ballot and paid for it, so they do actually go. They don't dish out seats to members who don't want them. They even have a mechanism where you can pass that seat to another member or return it if your circumstances change. I haven't seen empty seats in the MCC for all the GFs I've been to in the last 10 years. The 2010 replay is the only one I can think of in recent times where it wasn't full, but that was obviously a special circumstance.

Here is my other idea ...if the stadium isn’t full at quarter time ...then you can get a seat by lining up outside .....

Sorry we need to fill the friggin joint

Have big screens set up outside to watch .....and if there empty seats it’s announced and you can get in ....or you can purchase an ampty seat ballot qtr time ....if you don’t show up for the game and your allocated and you miss out too bad

Sorry but we need to fill it ...

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Here is simple idea

As part of your mcc memberships your required to go ....or Give the seat to someone who can go

If you don’t you are fined 500 bucks ......do it two times then sorry your membership is revoked ....seeya piss off.

Sorry I’ve not sympathy for rich toffee nosed mcc members who dont show up ......yeah they would then come ...problem solved .....yup I’ll get shouted at again in this forum...but seriously every seat on grand final should be filled ...


It’s the people’s game ...I’m disappointed when I see 95,000 at a gran final when we know 105,000 could fit in if everyone went

Very dumb idea.
Someone buys an entitlement and you want to apply a criminal sanction if they dont use it?
What about club members who are entitled to game access, should they have criminal sanctions applied?
Will they then have to present a case to the court with medical evidence they were I'll? Would a child's wedding be sufficient reason or a family members funeral.

Think before you post.

 

[dave123]

Very dumb idea.
Someone buys an entitlement and you want to apply a criminal sanction if they dont use it?
What about club members who are entitled to game access, should they have criminal sanctions applied?
Will they then have to present a case to the court with medical evidence they were I'll? Would a child's wedding be sufficient reason or a family members funeral.

Think before you post.

Of the6 can’t make it that’s fine ...if they have legit reasons

Seriously irks me when we get 96,000 to grand final

4000 missed out ...that’s what irks me

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Of the6 can’t make it that’s fine ...if they have legit reasons

Seriously irks me when we get 96,000 to grand final

4000 missed out ...that’s what irks me

If they have legitimate reasons in your mind?

I think people can reasonably expect their priorities are a matter for them.

 

[blue harvest]

Here is my other idea ...if the stadium isn’t full at quarter time ...then you can get a seat by lining up outside .....

Sorry we need to fill the friggin joint

Have big screens set up outside to watch .....and if there empty seats it’s announced and you can get in ....or you can purchase an ampty seat ballot qtr time ....if you don’t show up for the game and your allocated and you miss out too bad

Sorry but we need to fill it ...

It is full. I don't know where you are getting your info from. There are not thousands of empty seats. In the 10 years I've been going I have never seen empty seats. Late morning on GF day if the walk up section of the MCC reserve is looking like it won't be full then they open it up to the next level of MCC membership, there are already thousands of these people ready to pounce on any seats.

 

[dave123]

It is full. I don't know where you are getting your info from. There are not thousands of empty seats. In the 10 years I've been going I have never seen empty seats. Late morning on GF day if the walk up section of the MCC reserve is looking like it won't be full then they open it up to the next level of MCC membership, there are already thousands of these people ready to pounce on any seats.

it’s never full ...I’ve been to one ....it wasn’t full .

 

[blue harvest]

Of the6 can’t make it that’s fine ...if they have legit reasons

Seriously irks me when we get 96,000 to grand final

4000 missed out ...that’s what irks me

Since the ground was expanded for the Commonwealth games we haven't had 96 or less except for the replay in 2010.

 

[Rob]

This seats must be filled grand final day

If your allocated a seat you must use it ....or be fined

Sorry it’s national disgrace that on our premier sporting day these empty seats

This would t happen at the fa cup or Super Bowl or nba finals

Sorry but we are a joke

Simple solution to that - just give MCC members the ability to purchase a ticket. At normal prices. By Wednesday any leftovers go to club members that didn't get one, if there are any left after that then the public get their shot.

No-one's paying $350 for a ticket and not going.

 

[blue harvest]

it’s never full ...I’ve been to one ....it wasn’t full .

Yes it is. I've been going for 10 years. Which one did you go to?
If you see a couple of empty seats those people might have gone for a piss or to the bar.

 

[Starburns_]

It is full. I don't know where you are getting your info from. There are not thousands of empty seats. In the 10 years I've been going I have never seen empty seats. Late morning on GF day if the walk up section of the MCC reserve is looking like it won't be full then they open it up to the next level of MCC membership, there are already thousands of these people ready to pounce on any seats.

Aside from the 2010 replay, you have to go back to 2007 before you get an attendance of below 99k, so he's flat out making it up.

I love how it's just assumed that the missing seats are the MCC too, there's no way of knowing for sure where the no-shows are, especially in the last few years when the entire ground looks full because it's only a few hundred short at most.

Simple solution to that - just give MCC members the ability to purchase a ticket. At normal prices. By Wednesday any leftovers go to club members that didn't get one, if there are any left after that then the public get their shot.

No-one's paying $350 for a ticket and not going.

We've already paid for it, every year, whether we attend or not.

 

[blue harvest]

Simple solution to that - just give MCC members the ability to purchase a ticket. At normal prices. By Wednesday any leftovers go to club members that didn't get one, if there are any left after that then the public get their shot.

No-one's paying $350 for a ticket and not going.

MCC members not turning up after purchasing a ticket is not currently a problem - not sure where that other poster is getting their info from. If they have a last minute change of circumstance they can even pass it onto another MCC member who missed out.

 

[dave123]

Yes it is. I've been going for 10 years. Which one did you go to?
If you see a couple of empty seats those people might have gone for a piss or to the bar.

92

Was cool

 

[swiftdog]

Probably already been asked in this thread but why do the MCC persist with any walk-up tickets for GF day? There are more members than seats so wouldn’t it make more sense to just sell the allocation a la AFL members beforehand?

 

[W.C. Fry]

Eagles have a Victorian platinum membership with a GF guarantee which I believe was available for purchase during this year.

So the bottom line is, it's not really that hard to get the right membership. If you wait until September when your team is in the 8 then you have left it too late, you need to plan ahead a little bit.

I will add that member option to the pile of useless memberships only good for people living in Vic along with MCC and AFL.

Eagles memberships with priority 1 GF access in Perth were only available to Class A seats at the new stadium. As an 18 year member I ended up being offered Class B seats.

If we make it I have little chance of getting a ticket. Last time scrapped in just by getting standing room. With the ridiculous price on airplane tickets it costs about 5k to go to the GF anyway. Simply too much to go if I can't get a face value ticket.

 

[FreoRicci]

The MCC situation is a traditional oudated boys club. It's for cricket and always has been, Lords and The Oval have it. It's an unfair system that allows neutral, part time football fans of no clubs to just go as they please, because they have the money or inherited.

It should be a system where you have until the week leading up the game to confirm you're going otherwise your ticket is prohibited/voided, particularly for GFs. That ll sort out alot of the problems quickly.

Watch alot of the 40-50k attended games, and the MCC looks so empty it's embarrassing.

 

[blue harvest]

The MCC situation is a traditional oudated boys club. It's for cricket and always has been, Lords and The Oval have it. It's an unfair system that allows neutral, part time football fans of no clubs to just go as they please, because they have the money or inherited.

It should be a system where you have until the week leading up the game to confirm you're going otherwise your ticket is prohibited/voided, particularly for GFs. That ll sort out alot of the problems quickly.

Watch alot of the 40-50k attended games, and the MCC looks so empty it's embarrassing.

Actually it is your views which are a little outdated.
Most MCC members have a team they support, it's full of colour on match days, obviously depends on the team - some don't have a huge following amongst MCC members. MCC membership at $600 odd is cheaper than many club memberships, it's not a rich persons thing, it's a sport lover thing. Also you can't inherit membership, you just apply using an application form.

Also you don't automatically get a ticket for the GF, you have to apply and pay. It works a lot different to the H&A season.

 

[Mile High Tiger]

The MCC situation is a traditional oudated boys club. It's for cricket and always has been, Lords and The Oval have it. It's an unfair system that allows neutral, part time football fans of no clubs to just go as they please, because they have the money or inherited.

It should be a system where you have until the week leading up the game to confirm you're going otherwise your ticket is prohibited/voided, particularly for GFs. That ll sort out alot of the problems quickly.

Watch alot of the 40-50k attended games, and the MCC looks so empty it's embarrassing.

You're plain wrong. It's as democratic as a club can be - you wait to be a member in a very long queue. I'm a member and I'm not rich. $690 for all your footy and cricket per year is affordable to most people.

 

[Pedantic]

Probably already been asked in this thread but why do the MCC persist with any walk-up tickets for GF day? There are more members than seats so wouldn’t it make more sense to just sell the allocation a la AFL members beforehand?

Because that is what the members want. You know that if you are eligible to go and want to go you can get in, you just have to get there early enough on the day. Going fully ticketed (either via a ballot weeks out from the game, or via Ticketek the week of) removes that certainty.

The MCC situation is a traditional oudated boys club. It's for cricket and always has been, Lords and The Oval have it. It's an unfair system that allows neutral, part time football fans of no clubs to just go as they please, because they have the money or inherited.

It should be a system where you have until the week leading up the game to confirm you're going otherwise your ticket is prohibited/voided, particularly for GFs. That ll sort out alot of the problems quickly.

Watch alot of the 40-50k attended games, and the MCC looks so empty it's embarrassing.

Conversely, go to any MFC game (about 25% of H&A games at the G for the year) and the MCC is the fullest section of the ground.

 

[pebblestone]

it’s never full ...I’ve been to one ....it wasn’t full .

Well if you've been to one then I guess that's the end if it.
Last year crowd was 3 short of maximum capacity.
That's full.
And your concept of fining people and stripping memberships for not showing up is laughable. Mcc members do not have allocated seats unless they actually purchase a reserved seat through ticketek in the same way as anyone else has to. Anyone who does so is showing up.
You're out of your depth.

 

[yodellinhank]

Probably already been asked in this thread but why do the MCC persist with any walk-up tickets for GF day? There are more members than seats so wouldn’t it make more sense to just sell the allocation a la AFL members beforehand?

Walk up is great and it's what the membership wants. Pre-booking and seat allocation leads to empty seating - I see it every docklands home game with Essendon.