2025 Attendances

[The_Wookie]

11.12.2024

Gather Round tickets snapped up in record time


The AFL is pleased to announce that more than 195,000 Gather Round…Festival of Footy tickets have sold… with five of the nine games sold out, 20,000 more than this time last year.

Member on sale on Tuesday saw a significant uplift in demand for tickets this year, selling more than 100,000 tickets in the first four hours, in comparison to the same amount in 24 hours last year.

This year there are an extra 47,000 tickets on offer for fans with the two Saturday matches being ticketed separately.

Tickets still remain for Collingwood vs Sydney Swans on Friday night, Carlton vs West Coast on Saturday afternoon, Melbourne vs Essendon on Saturday night and a very limited number of restricted view tickets and tickets for the Pepsi Collective for Port Adelaide vs Hawthorn on Sunday evening.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said it was clear Gather Round momentum was not slowly down.

“The demand for tickets this year was significantly higher than the first two Gather Rounds, with more than 195,000 tickets being purchased in the first two days,” said Mr Dillon.

“A ticket to the matches at the Barossa Park was always going to be one of the hottest tickets in town and the fans have certainly illustrated that by selling out both matches so quickly.”

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said: “Gather Round continues to exceed all expectations.

“We are honoured that so many footy fans from around the country are making the commitment to travel to our beautiful state to experience this event like no other.

“They’ll be truly welcome.

“If you haven’t got a ticket already – get in quick!”

Tickets for the remaining matches can be found here.

 

[Fletched]

Some sort of improvement with ticketing last night... We have a new standard for prelim finals in melbourne now really shouldn't be below 98k now if no rain

 

[Professor Knowall]

What were ticket prices like to the VFL back in 1968-71?

We all know there were massive crowds back then especially in comparison to the population to now, but could one consideration be ticket prices are a lot more compared to income now, and a lot more neutrals would go to finals back then?

Ignoring the obvious stadium capacity limit.

Maybe, but one other consideration back then, when all finals were played at the MCG, was that fully one third of the MCG capacity back then was standing room - there was a tick under 80,000 seats (bench seating only) and the rest (around 40,000) was squeezed into standing room.

 

[Cmarsh]

Some sort of improvement with ticketing last night... We have a new standard for prelim finals in melbourne now really shouldn't be below 98k now if no rain

Not for all MCG prelims surely. You can't expect the Dogs or North to host an MCG prelim against an interstate side to go near that kind of number.

 

[Fletched]

Not for all MCG prelims surely. You can't expect the Dogs or North to host an MCG prelim against an interstate side to go near that kind of number.

I don't see why not

Saints got 68k vs the giants for an elimination final and that was 2 years ago

 

[Hawkk]

I think we should cool our expectations on future Preliminary Finals. Geelong v Hawthorn (coming off b2b interstate finals wins) is a unicorn match up. That said, finals attendances are definitely on the rise.

These are the MCG finals since Covid

2022 QF Melbourne v Sydney 78,377
2022 QF Geelong v Collingwood 91,525
2022 SF Melbourne v Brisbane 62,162
2022 SF Collingwood v Fremantle 90,612
2022 PF Geelong v Brisbane 77,677

2023 QF Collingwood v Melbourne 92,636
2023 EF Carlton v Sydney 92,026
2023 EF St Kilda v GWS 68,465
2023 SF Melbourne v Carlton 96,412
2023 PF Collingwood v GWS 97,662

2024 EF W Bulldogs v Hawthorn 97,828
2024 PF Geelong v Brisbane 93,066

2025 QF Geelong v Brisbane 86,364
2025 PF Geelong v Hawthorn 99,597

To get 90,000 plus you need a big club and an empty MCG for weeks leading up to the game. Collingwood v Brisband is an expectation (given the Pies size, Brisbane’s Vic following and the rivalry) but its the exception to the norm.

 

[Rouel_14]

I think we should cool our expectations on future Preliminary Finals. Geelong v Hawthorn (coming off b2b interstate finals wins) is a unicorn match up.

Not all, but there is no reason why the Richmond - Collingwood Prelim should not have been around the mark. Ala the blues ones, Essendon and it’s evident hawks are now a huge club too.

Has potentially AI made it easier to assess ticketing and remove the shortfalls?

 

[Senor M]

It’s just a different culture. Aussie Rules is a bit like European football where you get thousands of fans travelling interstate for away finals. The NRL doesn’t have that, but how many global sports do have that?

But don’t mistake that for lack of support — some of those Sydney based NRL clubs have massive fan bases especially the Eels, Dogs, Rabbits and Dragons.

Which club out of the Bulldogs & the Panthers will be travelling from interstate on Sunday in the NRL?

Two Sydney teams and it still won't be a sell out.

Two Sydney teams played last weekend and it was held in a stadium with half the capacity of GMHBA.

I don't think the "interstate" fans are the cause for low NRL crowds

 

[Hawkk]

Not all, but there is no reason why the Richmond - Collingwood Prelim should not have been around the mark. Ala the blues ones, Essendon and it’s evident hawks are now a huge club too.

Has potentially AI made it easier to assess ticketing and remove the shortfalls?

Of course. But that's 5 of the 10 Vic clubs. I can't see North or the Dogs drawing those sort of numbers baring very favourable conditions (ie no finals at the MCG for weeks ala Cats v Lions last year).

Given the Richmond and Collingwood PF’s against the Giants we've known this for about a decade too.

 

[Hawkk]

Which club out of the Bulldogs & the Panthers will be travelling from interstate on Sunday in the NRL?

Two Sydney teams and it still won't be a sell out.

Two Sydney teams played last weekend and it was held in a stadium with half the capacity of GMHBA.

I don't think the "interstate" fans are the cause for low NRL crowds

It should still draw 60,000. Accor is not the MCG - where you have thousands of stadium members that help fill the ground. To be fair its a not a fair match up either - Hawthorn and Geelong is an actual rivalry whilst the Dogs and Parra is nothing.

Probably would be more like the Bulldogs and Eels or Bulldogs and Dragons which would surely sell out. As I said before the smaller NRL clubs in Sydney are far smaller than the AFL clubs in Melbourne. Which is big difference between the codes.

 

[Fletched]

I think we should cool our expectations on future Preliminary Finals. Geelong v Hawthorn (coming off b2b interstate finals wins) is a unicorn match up. That said, finals attendances are definitely on the rise.

These are the MCG finals since Covid

2022 QF Melbourne v Sydney 78,377
2022 QF Geelong v Collingwood 91,525
2022 SF Melbourne v Brisbane 62,162
2022 SF Collingwood v Fremantle 90,612
2022 PF Geelong v Brisbane 77,677

2023 QF Collingwood v Melbourne 92,636
2023 EF Carlton v Sydney 92,026
2023 EF St Kilda v GWS 68,465
2023 SF Melbourne v Carlton 96,412
2023 PF Collingwood v GWS 97,662

2024 EF W Bulldogs v Hawthorn 97,828
2024 PF Geelong v Brisbane 93,066

2025 QF Geelong v Brisbane 86,364
2025 PF Geelong v Hawthorn 99,597

To get 90,000 plus you need a big club and an empty MCG for weeks leading up to the game. Collingwood v Brisband is an expectation (given the Pies size, Brisbane’s Vic following and the rivalry) but its the exception to the norm.

I Wouldn't include 22 in post covid, it was severely effected

 

[Senor M]

Tell me you have no idea what you're claiming without telling me you have no idea what you're claiming.

It should still draw 60,000. Accor is not the MCG - where you have thousands of stadium members that help fill the ground.

Accor Stadium does have its own membership--

Accor Stadium Membership | Accor Stadium

Beyond the unbeatable benefit of a guaranteed seat – Accor Stadium Members never need to queue at the biggest sports events in Sydney, Accor Stadium m

www.accorstadium.com.au

To be fair its a not a fair match up either - Hawthorn and Geelong is an actual rivalry whilst the Dogs and Parra is nothing.

I'm not sure what the rivalry between the Dogs and the side who finished 11th has to do with the final on Sunday between the Bulldogs and the Panthers.

Probably would be more like the Bulldogs and Eels or Bulldogs and Dragons which would surely sell out.

In one paragraph you claim that the Dogs & the Paramatta Eels don’t have a rivalry, then it the next paragraph you claimed that the match up would “surely sell out”.

While not being the match up— you could at least make up your mind whether it’s a rivalry or not.

 

[deck]

Interesting todays game still has tickets in N15 of the AFL members available. Last nights game had tickets in multiple bays across M,N and P level in the AFL members 1 hour before the game.

 

[Hawkk]

Tell me you have no idea what you're claiming without telling me you have no idea what you're claiming.

Cool. I'll try…

Accor Stadium does have its own membership--

Accor Stadium Membership | Accor Stadium

Beyond the unbeatable benefit of a guaranteed seat – Accor Stadium Members never need to queue at the biggest sports events in Sydney, Accor Stadium m

www.accorstadium.com.au

So, does Accor have an MCC and AFL membership that takes about 45,000 seats?

I'm not sure what the rivalry between the Dogs and the side who finished 11th has to do with the final on Sunday between the Bulldogs and the Panthers.

Hawthorn v Geelong is a legit rivalry that goes back to the 1960s — until last night the Hawks had knocked the Cats out of the finals or last round in 1984, 1987, 1989, 2000, 2002, 2008 and 2013. Plus the classics in 1991 and 2016. The Dogs and Panthers do not have anywhere near that sort of rivalry or history. The Dogs and Parra do (which is a much fairer match up)

In one paragraph you claim that the Dogs & the Paramatta Eels don’t have a rivalry, then it the next paragraph you claimed that the match up would “surely sell out”.

While not being the match up— you could at least make up your mind whether it’s a rivalry or not.

Its quite clear I typed the Eels instead of the Panthers by mistake. The Panthers are a tiny NRL club - that crowd will be about 90/10 Bulldogs way. The Panthers are probably half the size of the smallest AFL club in Victoria (North Melbourne).

The NRL has nothing like the MCG - a centrally located mega stadium that has huge MCC and AFL reserves - to drive up the attendances. For example, the Cats v Lions QF has about 10,000 unsold seats in the public and yet it drew 85,000 plus.

 

[Hawkk]

Interesting todays game still has tickets in N15 of the AFL members available. Last nights game had tickets in multiple bays across M,N and P level in the AFL members 1 hour before the game.

Makes sense. Collingwood is by far the biggest club in the AFL members whilst the Hawks and Cats are the fifth and sixth. There would be thousands of Collingwood supporting gold members that would have snapped those tickets up straight away on Tuesday.

My tip is 96,000 to 98,000 today.

 

[deck]

Makes sense. Collingwood is by far the biggest club in the AFL members whilst the Hawks and Cats are the fifth and sixth. There would be thousands of Collingwood supporting gold members that would have snapped those tickets up straight away on Tuesday.

These are the tickets released from the Medallion club allocation. They are released late in the week well after the original ticket sales.

 

[manicmagpie]

Worth noting that AFL Members tickets aren’t free. Gold Members don’t pay much but that will still be more than some of the categories at Accor this week.

Silver members would pay considerably more than the most expensive Accor category.

 

[Bjo187]

Glad I got my tix to pies vs lions, 4 tickets, first mcg finals game.

How was your first mcg final mate and have you got that photo from the game?

 

[Hawkk]

Worth noting that AFL Members tickets aren’t free. Gold Members don’t pay much but that will still be more than some of the categories at Accor this week.

Silver members would pay considerably more than the most expensive Accor category.

That's very fair. We are extremely lucky to support a code that pretty stands apart worldwide for its level of fanatical support.

 

[Rouel_14]

These are the tickets released from the Medallion club allocation. They are released late in the week well after the original ticket sales.

Nope. Medallion club membership gets exact same access as everyone else. When they are gone - they are gone.

I was using my mates two medallion club barcodes Monday and Tuesday for him while he was at work.

So they can’t be medallion club spares - unless there is another level above full medallion?

 

[Rouel_14]

Interesting that we always say there is no way of knowing the genuine crowd split yet the NRL are using it as a direct marketing ploy..

 

[Hawkk]

Interesting that we always say there is no way of knowing the genuine crowd split yet the NRL are using it as a direct marketing ploy..

Maybe the AFL doesn't want too?

 

[Professor Knowall]

Maybe the AFL doesn't want too?

More to the point ... the AFL doesn't need to.

 

[manicmagpie]

AFL would be aware how many tickets were purchased by each set of club members and AFL members with club support.

I’ve also quite often been asked to say which club I support when buying public tickets to grounds outside Vic (I think it’s mainly Ticketmaster but might be Ticketek as well).

Data would be out there, but the AFL has no need to make it public.

 

[deck]

Medallion club membership gets exact same access as everyone else. When they are gone - they are gone.

Medallion club has 4 different tiers.

 

[ep12]

Medallion club has 4 different tiers.

I may be wrong but I’m pretty sure I’m not but the seats in N15 and N19 that go on sale are actually restricted view so they never get sold to the medallion club. They go on sale for all big games in the week of the game.
If you are able to get one you will see the box that says “I understand this is a restricted view” appears