One for the trivia buffs

[Guest]

Q. Has the Grand Final always been a sellout?

I ask this question because in the Herald Sun today they said the NRL GF is not going to be a sellout. I was just wondering if this has at least in recent times happened.

 

[Gonzo]

One of Ron Casey's (RIP) initiatives one year as head of Channel 7 was to buy all the unsold GF tickets so he could go to the AFL and state that it was a sellout and therefore Channel 7 should be able to beam live coverage to Melbourne. I have no idea of the year (late 60's would be my guess)

The GF has been shown live ever since.

So to answer the question (finally) the GF has not always been a sellout

 

[Jaffa]

The 1977 drawn Grand Final was the first to be shown live into Melbourne.

 

[Gonzo]

Thanks Jaffa

Like I said late 70's would be my guess

 

[Guest]

Gonzo, I never knew that about Casey, he was a real lateral thinker eh!

Jaffa are you saying that the '77 GF was not a sellout because the replay does not count.

Whenever the last non sellout did occur it will certainly be the last unlike the pathetic rugby league.

 

[Candyshoota]

In fairness to the NRL, I'd be surprised if an AFL grand final was a sellout if it were between an interstate side and one of the least followed Melbourne sides. Also stadium Australia currently holds well over 100000, closer to 110 I think, last time the MCG sold out the attendance was around 91000.

[This message has been edited by Candyshoota (edited 22 August 2000).]

 

[Dan26]

Ever since "ticketing" was introduced (as opposed to walking up on the day), it has been a sellout.

It doesn't matter who is in the GF, it will be a sellout. It wouldn't matter if the Kangaroos played Fremantle in the Grand Final, it would be a sellout.

The Grand Final has become an event. It is not seen by most people as the means to decide the years best team. It is seen as an "event" that encapsulates all that is good about the game.

That is why it will always be a sellout, no matter who is in it.

I love Grand Final day. It is my favourite day of the year.

I might add that in 1978, the Hawthorn-North Melbourne Grand Final only drew 101,000, when the capacity of the MCG was well over 110,000. The match was obviously a sellout (as it was televised live), so the low attendance could probably be attributed to members not turning up on the day.

In that era (1974-78), North played Hawthorn twice in the finals every year. Including H&A meetings, it was their 20 head-to-head match since the start of 1974. They had also played in the 1975 and 1976 Grand Finals.

So, there are still times when a Grand Final can get a lower than expected attendance.

 

[servo]

Hang on Candyshoota.

'97 Adelaide played the Saints.

Up till then and after, the Saints have not had large followings. The game was a sellout.

'98 Adelaide played Kangaroos.

Kangaroos according to all but he roo fans in here have always had a small following. The game was a sellout.

At last check Adelaide was still an "Interstate" team. Both the West Coast GF's were sellouts and the Sydney GF was a sellout.

The AFL GF will always be a sellout.

 

[Joel]

I walked up and bought tickets to the 1996 GF at the gate. On another story, does anyone know what the MCG's capacity would be after the Northen Stand redevlopment?

 

[Dan26]

Joel,

How did you manage to buy tickets to the 1996 GF at the gate ??? What were the circumstances ?

 

[Guest]

Candyshoota, as Dan24 so rightly pointed out it would'nt matter who played the GF, even Port Adelaide and Fremantle would be a guaranteed sellout. And it's those god damn MCC members that keep the crowd figures below the capacity of the ground.

As I understand it the capacity of the ground after the redevelopement of the Northern Stand will be nearly the same although in my opinion it should be increased to 120,000. I think Melbourne as the sporting capital could easily accomodate a ground this size unlike Sydney who are decreasing Stadium Australia to 80,000.

And Joel would you please please explain in great detail how you got tickets at the gate in the '96 GF as scalpers at the time were asking $2000 for a ticket. That GF was a very hot ticket.

[This message has been edited by happy hawker (edited 23 August 2000).]

 

[Eagle_Fan]

From one of those guys in trenchcoats just near the gates?

I've never been to a Grand Final, but have vowed since I got my first part-time job that the next time we made one I'd be there. Still waiting....

Even so, the atmosphere just from the TV is electric. Can't wait to feel it for real...

 

[sainter]

No Servo,

St Kilda does and always has had a large supporter base, just a latent one. And in fairness, you can't blame some of our supporters in being so fickle because they have gone through more hard times than any other team.

By the way, the fact that only 6000 Grand Final tickets were offered to St Kilda members in 1997 was an absolute joke.

As a matter of interest, the 1997 Grand Final crowd would have to be one of the biggest in years. The attendance of 98,000 was amended to 99,650 later in the match.

Never fear, amongst all the doom and gloom of this year I will never stop finding positives about the mighty saints.

 

[Rooboy 96]

Originally posted by Dan24:
Joel,

How did you manage to buy tickets to the 1996 GF at the gate ??? What were the circumstances ?

No response because it's bullshit.

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

I was prepared to shell out nearly $1000 to a scalper to get to the 96GF but still couldn't swing it

You're bullshitting aren't you Joel ?

By the way, the crowd for 96GF was about 93,600 - the smallest GF crowd for a while, but it was still a sell-out.

 

[Drakey]

I think you are being a bit tough on Joel here. A guy I know bought tickets to the 98 grand final at the ground on the day. I know I saw him there while he was lining up for them. I think they were seats originaly reserved for the members but wern't taken up so they were released to the public on the day. The same thing may have happened in 96.

 

[Bernie]

The issue about the GF sellout originally revolved around whether to televise LIVE. That issue has gone away. The game would be televised live even if 25,000 attended.

I was at the 1970 GF ,with well over 100,000, in the old Southern Stand - standing room and all - and it was packed by 1/4 time reserves ( made for inventive toileting options ). Standing Room allowed for a bigger squeeze ( like a Japanese train ) so it got the numbers up. Certainly helped to be over 6'.

It was about getting over the 'magic' 100,000 and sticking it up Sydney and their boring code.

 

[Shinboners]

In the last couple of years, the AFL has released extra tickets in the MCC area in the days just prior to the Grand Final. I remember last year, a hundred or so tickets were released on Thursday morning.

At least with the MCG, when they say "it's a sellout", you know that all bar a handful of seats will be taken. At Colonial, when they say "sellout", there's still that 10,000 odd empty seats on that second level that remain empty.

 

[Dan26]

The last couple of Grand Finals I've been to, I've got a "pass out" and walked around outside the stadium for a while to soak up the atmosphere.

By 12:00, the MCC members was not full, and there was a huge queue of people waiting to get tickets on the day. It stretched back about a kilometre.

Same for the AFL members in 1997. By 12:00 it wasn't full, so the AFL released about 300 tickets to be sold at ticketmaster. They were quickly snapped up.

This can't happen anymore, because the AFL members reserve gets pre-sold.

The 1997 GF bewteen St.Klda and Adelaide was 99,600 as Sainter pointed out. This is about 6,000 more than all the other Grand Finals over this period. Why ?

I think I know why. For neutral fans, this was the most interesting Grand Final. It had a villian and a hero. Both the villian and the hero had never played in a Grand Final before in the modern era.

The Melbourne public had a team to hate and a team to barrack for. And the team to hate (Crows) wsn't a team like the Roos. They were a team that hadn't been there before, which made it even more interesting.

This obviously led to the MCC and AFL members reserves being more full than normal, due to the hero/villian scenario, which presented itself in 1997.

Compare it to 1998 where the public interest wasn't as high with the presence of two villians. Same in 1999. Even in 1996, it was two heros (good guys). North weren't as hated in 1996 becasue it was their first Grand Final under Pagan, and their first GF since 1978.

A hero/villain GF will be the best for drama and public interest.

This year, a Melbourne/Essendon GF wil be the most interesting for neutral fans (hero/villian). Due to the presence of Melbourne, that match-up could draw 98-99,000 at the MCG with the MCC members reserve being choc-a bloc

 

[Royal Blue And White]

I couldnt believe it when I went to the '96 Grand Final and found during the first quarter entire areas of the AFL Reserve on the bottom level to be empty. By the end of the first half this has fullish but it was only from the sardines in neighbouring seats stretching out their legs luxuriously onto the seats in front of themselves. I think that attendance was about 95,000 but thats bul#sh#t as there were way more than 4000 empty seats there.
The AFL members piss me off. If I was one Id at least buy a ticket and scalp it off for a major profit. They must be pretty dumb. No offense to all the AFL members on this board, youre all great

 

[Savatage]

Oh Please!

Can you kick a dog when it's down or what?

Actually as a matter of fact, the St.Kilda supporter base is one of the biggest in the AFL.

It has been on & off the bandwagon in recent years but that's to be expected with little success & especially so with controversial moves to home grounds twice in a short span of time.

I know many fans are still on protest from their move away from Moorabbin (stupid as it is it's true) & obviously in recent times from Waverley. Up until then good crows were REGULARLY drawn & thousands of supporters each week don't just fade away into obscurity forever.

Anyways, as soon as the mighty saints have a good year I know you will see how wrong you were & will ammend your post in accordance.

Nothing personal but I don't like being picked on after just having a bad year. Sure we sucked this year, but we actually DO have some good points amongst the bad.

 

[Guest]

Bernie, if I'm not wrong the 1970 GF had an all time record crowd of 121,000 but someone will correct me if I am wrong, must have been an amazing experience.

I hope when the MCG is redeveloped the seating arrangements allow for crowds of more than 100,000 even if only half the members turn up, a 100,000 crowd is a magical figure thats rarely seen anywhere in he world.