Gutted

[A Living God]

Isn't upsetting that every single "Real fan" of the AFL is poor.

 

[smasha]

The atmosphere on Friday night at the Prelim was twice as good as the Grand Final is likely to be. The reason why is that the preliminary final crowd contained twice as many actual supporters of competing teams (probably even more).

As usual, the Grand Final will be out of reach of the average footy fan. The crowd will be largely comprised of corporate spivs, sponsors and "theatre-goers" attending their one game of the year, where they get to look and act totally out of place amongst the minority of real fans who are lucky enough to get in.

Around 22,000 seats are allocated to the Melbourne Cricket Club, which despite boasting that it is "arguably the biggest sporting club in the world" never fills all its seats at the GF (last Friday was a one-off - expect to see hundreds of empty Members seats again at this year's Grand Final - just like all the other ones).

A further 5000 seats now are allocated to $5000-a-year Medallion Club members. And we all know what passionate die-hards they all are.

Furthermore, each of the 16 clubs gets their allocation of 1,000 tickets which they then on-sell to the corporate spiv market, often in package deals worth over $1,500 each, in what can only be described as legalised scalping. After all the other so-called "sponsor obligations" are accounted for, only 25,000-odd tickets are left for real fans - the members of the competing clubs.

Unfortunately, Comrade Dimetriou and the AFL are completely indifferent to this issue. There is nothing to stop them from reducing the outrageous amount of tickets which go to the corporate "on-seller" market, but each year they do nothing.

To add insult to injury, this year the Comrade's great new marketing ploy has been his new "exclusive" Grand Final ticket - the so-called "Centre Square" - all yours for a mere $1,995.

When the AFL spends thousands advertising expensive corporate spiv packages like "Centre Square" yet allocates barely one-fifth of all tickets to real supporters, it is depressingly clear where its priorities lie. Comrade Dimetrious purports to be a left-wing socialist when it suits him, but when it comes to the Grand Final, he and the AFL are as elitist as they come.

It seems the league would rather have a Grand Final crowd full of apathetic corporate spivs than passionate battlers who really care.

While Grand Final day will once again belong to the spivs, Prelim Final day is the battlers' Grand Final. At least we had a great game and a great crowd last week.

The way of the modern world.

Greed and money will evenutually erase the human race.

Even crap shows like Australian Idol (the future of music rofl) employ jerks like Kyle Sandilands-a bloke who wouldn't have a clue about judging music yet because he is controversial,he gets the gig.
Controversy sells every one-anything to make a buck.

The way of the modern ****ing world.

Give me the old days when Led Zep and Floyd were releasing albums and Richmond were winning premierships.

The old WOS panel with Lou Richards and Jack Dyer.

Those were the great ole days of aussie rules!

Today is just a recurring nightmare.

 

[PowerOfThePussy]

buy the ticket from your sister...

I wish.

Besides I need 3 - always go with my girlfriend and brother. Doubt she'd give it up though. We are all trying all avenues to maybe get some seats, so all not lost yet, but it is extremely disappointing.

 

[BK Eaglesfan]

I think it should be done on how long you have been a member and if you took tickets to the last grand final. With the rules:

1. If your team hasn't made the Grand Final in the last 5 years - tickets are given to Members in order of when they joined the club i.e. the eighty year old lady who has sat in the outer for the last 50 years gets a ticket over the bandwagoner supporter who joined up last year. This also gives an incentive for people to keep their memberships in bad times. The people who stick with the club through the bad times get the ticket.

2. If your club has been to a grand final in the last 5 years - a ballot is conducted to randomly select who should be able to go. Similar to this year. I would do something like people who didn't go to the last one get 2 balls in the ballot, people who went to the last one get one ball in the ballot. Or perhaps even allocate them to people who didn't take up their ticket allocation last time - this would also mean people would use their tickets themselves rather than dish them off to non-members and others if they didn't go.

I don't know, its hard, the AFL needs corporates and fans.

Good ideas both.....could be said that it hurts a young bloke, but really, fans who have been a member and supported a club through thick and thin should be first cab of the rank.

Much as I was a beneficiary last year, the experience of the Eagles fan above was similar for me. I got tickets through an AFL member mate that gets his allocation and then sells them (for a fair price) to someone he knows that supports the clubs playing, just so another AFL member who is going because they can, doesn't get their hands on them. I was sat next to a couple of top blokes that were supporting Sydney, got on real well throughout the arvo. But all of us had the irrits with 4 clowns in front of us.....one had a Carlton jumper, one an Essendon jumper and the other two were obviously no supporter of either club playing. They spent the afternoon sledging and booing all 44 players, the umpires and anyone else who moved on the ground.

 

[Hawthorn United]

i'd like to see a games attended system. wouldnt help me as an interstate carlton member) but would be fair. if you attend all games (surely this is recorded) the you should be top of the list. tough on those who miss out. would encourage crowds more also. just a suggestion

I believe they do that in the EPL. Heard it talked about on SEN a few weeks ago. The season tickets are only for league games so each game you attend, you get a point which is tallied up. Those with most points have priority to purchase Champions League match tickets.

 

[sheba]

Is that a guarantee even ifyour club isn't in the g/f, or only if you make the g/f?

Would say it is only guaranteed if your club is in the Grand Final, that's how the Swans membership works for guaranteed Grand Final tickets.

 

[_RT_]

Mate I reckon offer the brother in law about $100-150 for his ticket and you might get it done. Saves yourself paying some money hungry scab from way over the odds towards the end of the week.

 

[PowerOfThePussy]

Mate I reckon offer the brother in law about $100-150 for his ticket and you might get it done. Saves yourself paying some money hungry scab from way over the odds towards the end of the week.

Mate - you don't know the brother in law. Again, i wish.

 

[Portia]

Abolish AFL membership.

 

[Ari]

How many seats were allocated to the Geelong members?

Apparently 56% of those in the ballot received tickets.

Not enough for mine.......

 

[The Pies Are In Front]

Someone get them all some tissues! Go to the ground and by one off a scalper if you all want to go! Im goin thats for sure!

 

[dees 4 life]

I'll be there as i have been for the past 12 years.

 

[BIGBEZ]

I'm not entirely sure how it works. I must admit it was my fault for not checking it out properly at the time of purchasing my family membership. The GFC staff member did not mention anything at all about a September member because if they had of I definately would have got that one.

But as I said my own fault for not looking into the memberships better.

Further to your question, i think it only guarantees you a ticket if your team makes it.

You should look at joining the cheersquad, even if you dont want to, its heaps cheaper than normal membership, and your guaranteed a ticket, this system has worked for years, I hope they dont change this system, I guess me posting this doesnt help, but wtf!

 

[plod]

You should look at joining the cheersquad, even if you dont want to, its heaps cheaper than normal membership, and your guaranteed a ticket, this system has worked for years, I hope they dont change this system, I guess me posting this doesnt help, but wtf!

not so cheap if you factor in the DNA test to prove you are inbred, before they allow you to join

 

[BIGBEZ]

not so cheap if you factor in the DNA test to prove you are inbred, before they allow you to join

I dont know if to take that as an insult or not!

You dont have to sit with them, well at least during the H+A!
And the finals, you will end up behind them unless your hardcore cheersquad!

 

[The Majestic]

There is certainly too many seats reserved for the corporates.

According to this: http://afl.com.au/Portals/0/afl_docs/2007_AFL_GF_Tickets_180607.pdf "5000-15000" for "AFL Entitlements/Contractual Obligations" and "4500-5000" for "Medallion Club Members". 20,000 for corporates is WAY too many.

The MCC also takes up way too many, but short of building our own MCG there isn't much we can do about that.

I'd rather see 85,000 tickets split between the clubs, and whatever is left gets snapped up by the general public. It's stupid to have only a few thousand supporters that support the clubs there.

 

[Khan]

Going on the figures on that page and adding up the maximums that is 115,000 seats.

With last weeks game the gates were closed at 98000

The two figures don't add up. From my recollection is the two competing clubs for the last ten years or so have got around 18,000 tickets maximum rather than 26,000 so the must be expecting to on sell some AFL members or MCC members tickets later in the week back to the competing clubs memberships.

This is my perennial soap box. the AFL SUX

Khan

 

[MF]

That hurts mate....
I know it wont help this year, but maybe look at a higher level membership
package,one that guarantees a g/f ticket,thats what i do, i couldnt stand the pain of missing out...

I get a GF preference ticket in seasons where I don't expect us to do very well and a GF Guaranteed ticket when I do expect us to do well. It costs a little extra but it seems a small price to pay when faced with the realisation you can't watch your team in a Grand Final. I've been lucky enough to attend the last 3 Swans grand finals.

 

[Gasometer]

My best result was in 96 when you get them from any ticketmaster anywhere...so I went to Warrnambool with 20 other Roos in line and had my GF ticket by 9.15.

What's best is that I saw a Premiership.

gaso

 

[J-swan]

I do feel for you. As someone already said, the best way was the old fashioned camp out the front of the ground. I got to the SCG at midnight on the Saturday night in 05 and by 10am on Sunday, had my tickets in my hot little hand. Very different last year when they introduced this crappy lottery. I was lucky and again got tickets, but I upgraded my membership so I don't have to sweat that out again.

 

[BIGBEZ]

My best result was in 96 when you get them from any ticketmaster anywhere...so I went to Warrnambool with 20 other Roos in line and had my GF ticket by 9.15.

What's best is that I saw a Premiership.

gaso

Clever!

A lot of people are travelling to country towns to get thier licences(no traffic), not relevent to topic, but also clever!

 

[baaaallllll]

The problem with the old system is that booking agencies don't want massive lineups with people waiting at their door overnight as they are responsible for the saftey of the people in the line.

AFL should have the same policy that they use for a GF that they use for a Prelim.

 

[Bomber Man]

Went to both finals and probably about 8-9 games throughout the year.

Cant get to as many as I used to these days but the GFC is my main passion in life, hence I am gutted.

Was at the 89, 92 and 94 G/Finals. And all of the finals in those years and since.

Not a happy camper - devastated actually. Will try to get tickets some other way but I don't have a lazy 4 grand for my girlfriend and I lying around, so will most likely have to have a party at home with friends, but clearly not the same as being there. I have waited my whole life for a Geelong Grand Final win and to not witness it live is going to be a travesty for myself and many other die hard fans if we happen to get up.

That's harsh, I wasn't having a crack at you, just getting an idea of how dedicated a fan misses out with the process.

It's frustrating. The biggest fans fork out cash to:
- buy a membership
- cover all the additional costs of attending
- get FOXTEL to catch all the other games
- buy finals tix every week they can

Then miss the ultimate match because of crap processes and no concern for the fans. I bet you check all the boxes above.

 

[Chasing the Dream]

Mate I reckon offer the brother in law about $100-150 for his ticket and you might get it done. Saves yourself paying some money hungry scab from way over the odds towards the end of the week.

Pretty sure that by offering that amount you may be asking for him to sell it at LESS than face value

 

[westcoast wizard]

I have to agree my boys won it last year I was desperate for a ticket but missed out half these corporate twits would not know what AFL. Its a shame