MCC Members on Day One

[Johnson#26]

Credit to the MCC, they're actually really very good at using social media to communicate with fans and members. They do a top job in that department.

 

[SJ]

There must be a way in this day and age to gauge the likely roll-up of MCCs. Poll 500 randoms over the phone a week or two prior to check on their intentions to attend. Would only have to happen four or five times a year max.

They know the likely roll up, they can estimate it pretty well from previous years' figures.

 

[SJ]

Also on that bay (N42), the back half of that is reserved for 50 year members. The front half is usually ticketed but I do not know what happened with it today.

 

[OzBomber]

Oh btw, heard that there were visitor tickets available today. A mate has one and was just wondering whether it would be the same tomorrow (or if today was true).

 

[jiphoc]

Why do people not learn. Us MCC member pay a hell of a lot to sit there. OK I understand the rest of you are annoyed that there are spare seats available there but that is the luxury we pay all that money to have. It will never change either because then bulk of the members will rebel against the current board. You also cannot talk to CA or the AFL about it because they are as powerless as Joe Blow on the streets in the matter.

As for todays crowds well I can shed some light on the matter. Firstly being walk up as it is and the weather being now brilliant you have to understand people nto showing up. Also almost every bar was packed the entire day today in the MCC area (I know as I was one of them ).

There must be a way in this day and age to gauge the likely roll-up of MCCs. Poll 500 randoms over the phone a week or two prior to check on their intentions to attend. Would only have to happen four or five times a year max.

This is the stpudidest ideas I have read so far. It goes against the luxury of being a member. Also when you poll every member would say yea maybe. Not sure yet. Because that is the privlidge we get. You DO NOT PAY IT. So you CAN NOT HAVE A SAY. Us who pay to have the right have the say. It has been said time and time again here and people still don't get the picture.

 

[jiphoc]

Oh btw, heard that there were visitor tickets available today. A mate has one and was just wondering whether it would be the same tomorrow (or if today was true).

Today was members only. Tomorrow is sold out however there will be soem walk up standing tickets available on the day to my understanding. If you are interested in them you will need to be at the gates at 7am though.

Yea to clarify again though. No visitors today in the MCC. All members only.

 

[Cousin Jed]

Why do people not learn. Us MCC member pay a hell of a lot to sit there.

I think the fact that you pay alot of money to not sit there is the issue here.

 

[Johnson#26]

Oh btw, heard that there were visitor tickets available today. A mate has one and was just wondering whether it would be the same tomorrow (or if today was true).

As far as I know, they opened it up for extra visitor tickets after the first session today (news released via fb and Twitter).

I'm pretty sure tomorrow and day three's visitor tickets are sold out, but keep an eye on these outlets, because if it's a similar turn up to todays, then I'm sure they'll look to release more. So don't write it off just yet. Don't forget that they're a fair bit pricier than your stock GA seat.

 

[big_e]

Just throwing it out there - would people have decided not to come on the basis that Cricket Victoria were predicting the world record crowd? Thinking, "oh bugger it, I won't get a seat so I'll just stay home and watch it on TV"?

 

[Johnson#26]

From fb:

Melbourne Cricket Club UPDATE: 11.20am - As a result of plenty of seats still available on Level 4 of the Members Reserve, the club has made a decision to sell visitor tickets. They will go on sale at 11.30am and can only be purchased online through Ticketek or in person at the Gate 2 ticket windows. A maximum of four per member and price is $26 (adults) and $13 (children u/15).

Hi Paul, no further visitor tickets will be available for days 2 or 3.

 

[magic_johnson!]

Seats on levels 2-3 were reserved/ticketed, so I assume the few in the middle had purchased theirs separately and were happy to stay in their spot. Does look weird though.

I pointed it out not because they were empty, but because there was one person in the middle of the circle (not shown in the picture) and it looked like he hadn't showered in a day or two, if you get what i mean...

 

[Mr Ripper]

They know the likely roll up, they can estimate it pretty well from previous years' figures.

Today's roll-up might suggest that they need to be a little more scientific in their guesstimations.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Time stamp deliberately left in. Still over an hour and a half of play left...

 

[Mr Ripper]

This is the stpudidest ideas I have read so far. It goes against the luxury of being a member. Also when you poll every member would say yea maybe. Not sure yet. Because that is the privlidge we get. You DO NOT PAY IT. So you CAN NOT HAVE A SAY. Us who pay to have the right have the say. It has been said time and time again here and people still don't get the picture.

Why?
Wouldn't you like YOUR ground to be patronised to its full (or, at least, as close as is practical to its full) potential? Not a "stpudid" idea at all.

 

[red+black]

A few things:

- MCC Members pay a fairly highly amount of $$$s for the privilege of membership on a yearly basis. It's certainly a luxury, but it doesn't come at the click of your fingers. Like anyone else in general admission, if you pay for your ticket, it's still your choice as to whether or not you turn up.

- If you're going to open it up, cordon off the main MCC area (the dark green seats, FGS Bar, Long Room, etc), and open up the faded green seating area to the public after half time of a final, or after lunch on Boxing Day. Plenty of Members aren't able to make the first ball of a match for various reasons, so why penalise them two sessions of cricket?

Anyway. I do understand your frustration - but one issue with the start of play was that I reckon a lot of people thought it was an 11am start, hence a slightly later roll up.

One word. Bullshit. Stop going on about MCC Membership being a lot of money, it simply is not. The problem with your supposed luxury is that it's a blight on sport in Melbourne and that is a bigger concern than your precious rights. Whether the MCC follows through with this ticket ballot is yet to be seen, but I contend that the MCC members as a whole, do NOT have the right to leave 5000-10000 empty seats on a marquee day such as ANZAC Day, AFL Grand Final Day or Boxing Day.

MCC may introduce members' ballot

NO BROKEN RECORD

I don't know what the answer is or how best to implement it. MCC Members of course deserve the right to go (as opposed to not go), but we cannot have a repeat of today. I'd say open it up to AFL Members rather than the general public. They pay their money and have shown a commitment to sport in Melbourne, and I'm sure an extra 5000 AFL Members would have gladly filled up spare seats today while posh w***ers sat at home and asked their wives to make them another earl grey.

EDIT: And MCC Members, being the great and knowledgeable cricket fans that they are, should know full well that cricket these days is usually 10:30am to 6:00pm because in this day and age of slow over rates, play starts earlier than in years gone by to allow for the extra half-hour and for the news to start on time at 6pm (usually).

 

[Rob]

Why don't they just cut the size of the reserve by 5,000? MCC members won't care because they never fill those seats anyway. The people that can now sit in them for big events sure will though.

But if you ever want proof that the MCC is essentially a football supporters club, today was it.

 

[Johnson#26]

One word. Bullshit. Stop going on about MCC Membership being a lot of money, it simply is not. The problem with your supposed luxury is that it's a blight on sport in Melbourne and that is a bigger concern than your precious rights.

Speak for yourself mate. Not everyone has money to throw at the dartboard for a laugh. I'm not saying it's not an awesome deal, even for restricted members, but it doesn't come for nothing.

If it was so cheap, most of Victoria would be on the waiting list if not already a member.

Whether the MCC follows through with this ticket ballot is yet to be seen, but I contend that the MCC members as a whole, do NOT have the right to leave 5000-10000 empty seats on a marquee day such as ANZAC Day, AFL Grand Final Day or Boxing Day.

Maybe, maybe not. Maybe introduce a members ballot for the big occasions (and only big occasions - not a 'both sides have won their past four matches - must be a blockbuster' sort of game). But then how would it be policed to the public? For an area of the ground that has the first in best dressed unwritten law in play (save for a handful of 'reserved' seats for the big occasions), how would it be properly policed as to who gets in (non members), where they sit, and where it leaves the other members who turn up)?

I don't know what the answer is or how best to implement it. MCC Members of course deserve the right to go (as opposed to not go), but we cannot have a repeat of today. I'd say open it up to AFL Members rather than the general public. They pay their money and have shown a commitment to sport in Melbourne, and I'm sure an extra 5000 AFL Members would have gladly filled up spare seats today while posh w***ers sat at home and asked their wives to make them another earl grey.

Do you really reckon that 5000 more AFL members would have turned up and made the difference? There were gaps all over the place in the public areas, just quietly. Maybe exaggerating with 'all over the place' but how about those who bought their tickets and then recorded donuts at the turnstiles? That's even worse, really. It's a ticket for the general public that never got used.

EDIT: And MCC Members, being the great and knowledgeable cricket fans that they are, should know full well that cricket these days is usually 10:30am to 6:00pm because in this day and age of slow over rates, play starts earlier than in years gone by to allow for the extra half-hour and for the news to start on time at 6pm (usually).

Just putting it out there - it was clear that it did fill up quickly between 10.30 and 11am.

You really have a fair bit of hate for the MCC. I suppose you're not a member simply out of dislike for the system?

 

[Johnson#26]

Why?
Wouldn't you like YOUR ground to be patronised to its full (or, at least, as close as is practical to its full) potential? Not a "stpudid" idea at all.

It's a nice idea in that it would make everyone happy and everything equal.

It'd also make me happy to plant a tree that ended up growing $100 notes instead of leaves. But like the MCC, it ain't gonna happen just because I want it.

 

[red+black]

Mate, I don't hate MCC Members nor do I believe that they are not entitled to their entitlements, for want of a better phrase. If an MCC Member wants to go to the cricket, of course they should be able to go. But we could have, as has happened more than once, a situation where the vast majority of empty seats in the stadium is in the MCC.

Is the MCC seating allocation too big? Should more MCC Memberships be allocated? I think reducing the seating allocation or selling more memberships is an easier solution than a ballot/phone/ticket system where Members have to announce their intention to go.

Or do they open up a part of the MCC at 12pm or so?

Like I said, I really don't know what is the best answer, but it's clear the MCC stands were too big for the number of MCC Members that wanted to go.

Ideally I'd like a solution that does not upset MCC Members while also appeasing the masses.

And how much are you selling those trees for?

 

[SJ]

Time stamp deliberately left in. Still over an hour and a half of play left...

What on earth does the crowd at 5:11PM have to do with it, particularly given yesterday's play? Give me the 11:00AM photo.

 

[Selective Retention]

They know the likely roll up, they can estimate it pretty well from previous years' figures.

Not really applicable given the demand changes a lot on who the opposition is. I don't think estimating on the West Indies (or was it Pakistan) is going to help much with England (or South Africa or India).

If I could have I would have bought visitors tickets yesterday.

In this day and age it surely isn't difficult to get members who want to go to log on to their website and indicate they will be going, even if it doesn't involve reserving individual seats.

Yes they have a lot of older members, most up to retirement age would have used computers for the last 10-20 years of employment. Save a few seats for the 70+ who don't have kids to do it for them and it's easy sorted out.

 

[SJ]

Not really applicable given the demand changes a lot on who the opposition is. I don't think estimating on the West Indies (or was it Pakistan) is going to help much with England (or South Africa or India).

If I could have I would have bought visitors tickets yesterday.

In this day and age it surely isn't difficult to get members who want to go to log on to their website and indicate they will be going, even if it doesn't involve reserving individual seats.

Yes they have a lot of older members, most up to retirement age would have used computers for the last 10-20 years of employment. Save a few seats for the 70+ who don't have kids to do it for them and it's easy sorted out.

I placed the apostrophe after the s. Years plural.

 

[STC]

Today was members only. Tomorrow is sold out however there will be soem walk up standing tickets available on the day to my understanding. If you are interested in them you will need to be at the gates at 7am though.

Yea to clarify again though. No visitors today in the MCC. All members only.

At 11:30am yesterday they started selling guest passes because they could see it wasn't going close to full.

 

[Astro_]

Poor form by MCC members yesterday. If you're not going to turn up yesterday when will they? AFL Grand Final II and now boxing day when all public seats sold out.

Time to reduce their seating allocation if they arent going to use their seats for big events

 

[magic_johnson!]

Poor form by MCC members yesterday. If you're not going to turn up yesterday when will they? AFL Grand Final II and now boxing day when all public seats sold out.

Time to reduce their seating allocation if they arent going to use their seats for big events

Time to take in more members to use the seats! Even a third catagory membership or something, that restricts the amount of matches you go to...