I've been to two Sunday afternoon MCG games in the last two weeks (Melb v Geelong on 11/4 and Melb v Hawthorn on 18/4) and have noticed a concerning trend. It seems as if the quantity of general admission seating has been greatly reduced, after having been established and stable ever since the upgrade to the Ponsford/Olympic in 2006.
We all know that seating is now allocated in advance and that choice has been stripped away from fans as to where they can sit. However, on the:
11th of April:
- The entire top tier of the stadium was closed (except the MCC area)
- All GA fans were squeezed into the bottom deck of the Ponsford and behind the goals of the Southern stand.
18th of April:
- The entire top tier of the Southern Stand was closed
- It appeared that all General Admission tickets were crammed into Level 4 of the Ponsford (people were seated right up the back, which are normally only occupied for the biggest finals)
- Level 1 of the Southern Stand and Ponsford were VERY sparsely populated. (given the difference between Tier 1 and 4, and considering its usual popularity, I can only deduce that it was turned into a premium upgrade section.)
- Level 4 of the Northern (normally GA) had about 40 or so people in it, and looking at a distance just about all were wearing brown and gold. (was this a premium upgrade zone only for a certain Hawthorn membership type?)
--
The thing about all this that smacks of outright hypocrisy is the supposed COVID-safe strategy that is the cause of seating changes. On the 11th of April it was unseasonably wet and rainy, which led to a situation where fans were forced to sit in the rain in close proximity to others without the freedom to move. I saw people with toddlers and babies flee from their seats, and there was a suspicious lack of elderly fans. People who chose to stand behind the back row were told aggressively to "keep moving". All the while, infuriating messages flashed up on the screen telling us to "stay safe".
Given that the forecast was known for a few days, it's not a stretch to think that those unwilling to expose themselves to the elements chose not to attend. Those who took a risk and did attend, were denied the opportunity to enjoy their leisure time enjoying a game of footy in an acceptable environment.
On the 18th of April, a bottleneck queue at Gate 1 (Ponsford) led to a situation where fans continued to seek out their seats halfway into the first quarter. The queue itself was stifling - it was the least socially distanced I have felt for a long time. A security guard with a purple "COVID Safe Marshal" vest stood meekly in amongst the crowd, clearly unwilling to enforce the unenforceable.
Even though I booked my seat early as a MFC GA member, my seat was jammed between two groups of people (and surrounded in front and below). It felt as if everyone in this part of the stadium was being treated as a second class citizen - no choice, no ability to socially distance, and the least watchable/interactive view of the ground. I'd like to bring my kid to the games in future years and be down on ground level soaking up the atmosphere (without having to pay extra for the privilege).
In 2019 and all the years previously, I've had greater ability to socially distance (which I and countless others preferred pre COVID) when seating myself around the variety of GA areas of the ground. I completely understand that the finals are different, but these are early season H&A games being treated as finals.
The decision to close sections (in different arrangements over two weeks) reeks of devious experimentation and a slap in the face to footy-starved fans who are only now returning to live sport. Many of us paid for 2020 memberships to support our clubs with no attendance benefit. Closing sections and making formerly GA sections upgrade seats seems a way for the MCC to reclaim lost revenue from last year - save on staffing and cleaning costs by killing the experience of the people who make the game what it is. It's also disrespecting the clubs who had no idea they'd be selling memberships that offer less value than previously.
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Before anyone says I'm being a whinger and we should just deal the changes, are you really willing to accept such obvious deviousness? I'm willing to recognise that at many other Australian stadiums, there is no general admission, and that this in an inevitable cost of the commercialisation of our game. Attending the MCG has been comparatively affordable for a high quality experience for a long time. But using COVID regulations as an excuse to make such drastic changes to the equality of attending a game? It would be more refreshing if they just came out and spoke honestly - GA is being phased out (not gradually as would have been fair, but with one fell swoop).
It's so obvious that squeezing general admission patrons into smaller sections of the ground leads to more questionable COVID safe behaviour. If it was during an outbreak you would have to hold the MCC liable for their baffling crowd management techniques.
Even despite all that, commercially (with crowds down this year and better than ever television coverage) it seems to be backfiring spectacularly. I've always been a diehard supporter, but even with my team 5-0 up for the first time since I was 9 years old, I'm questioning whether the experience at the ground is worth it any more. And that's sad.
--------------------
Now I don't know what the situation has been like for other games on other days, so it would be great to get some insight into what's going on overall. I haven't heard any journalists or commentators talk about this issue which I find incredibly bizarre. There are no forum topics or social media posts about it either (apart from Ticketek woes). Is it just a Melbourne Football Club home game experiment?
We all know that seating is now allocated in advance and that choice has been stripped away from fans as to where they can sit. However, on the:
11th of April:
- The entire top tier of the stadium was closed (except the MCC area)
- All GA fans were squeezed into the bottom deck of the Ponsford and behind the goals of the Southern stand.
18th of April:
- The entire top tier of the Southern Stand was closed
- It appeared that all General Admission tickets were crammed into Level 4 of the Ponsford (people were seated right up the back, which are normally only occupied for the biggest finals)
- Level 1 of the Southern Stand and Ponsford were VERY sparsely populated. (given the difference between Tier 1 and 4, and considering its usual popularity, I can only deduce that it was turned into a premium upgrade section.)
- Level 4 of the Northern (normally GA) had about 40 or so people in it, and looking at a distance just about all were wearing brown and gold. (was this a premium upgrade zone only for a certain Hawthorn membership type?)
--
The thing about all this that smacks of outright hypocrisy is the supposed COVID-safe strategy that is the cause of seating changes. On the 11th of April it was unseasonably wet and rainy, which led to a situation where fans were forced to sit in the rain in close proximity to others without the freedom to move. I saw people with toddlers and babies flee from their seats, and there was a suspicious lack of elderly fans. People who chose to stand behind the back row were told aggressively to "keep moving". All the while, infuriating messages flashed up on the screen telling us to "stay safe".
Given that the forecast was known for a few days, it's not a stretch to think that those unwilling to expose themselves to the elements chose not to attend. Those who took a risk and did attend, were denied the opportunity to enjoy their leisure time enjoying a game of footy in an acceptable environment.
On the 18th of April, a bottleneck queue at Gate 1 (Ponsford) led to a situation where fans continued to seek out their seats halfway into the first quarter. The queue itself was stifling - it was the least socially distanced I have felt for a long time. A security guard with a purple "COVID Safe Marshal" vest stood meekly in amongst the crowd, clearly unwilling to enforce the unenforceable.
Even though I booked my seat early as a MFC GA member, my seat was jammed between two groups of people (and surrounded in front and below). It felt as if everyone in this part of the stadium was being treated as a second class citizen - no choice, no ability to socially distance, and the least watchable/interactive view of the ground. I'd like to bring my kid to the games in future years and be down on ground level soaking up the atmosphere (without having to pay extra for the privilege).
In 2019 and all the years previously, I've had greater ability to socially distance (which I and countless others preferred pre COVID) when seating myself around the variety of GA areas of the ground. I completely understand that the finals are different, but these are early season H&A games being treated as finals.
The decision to close sections (in different arrangements over two weeks) reeks of devious experimentation and a slap in the face to footy-starved fans who are only now returning to live sport. Many of us paid for 2020 memberships to support our clubs with no attendance benefit. Closing sections and making formerly GA sections upgrade seats seems a way for the MCC to reclaim lost revenue from last year - save on staffing and cleaning costs by killing the experience of the people who make the game what it is. It's also disrespecting the clubs who had no idea they'd be selling memberships that offer less value than previously.
-------------
Before anyone says I'm being a whinger and we should just deal the changes, are you really willing to accept such obvious deviousness? I'm willing to recognise that at many other Australian stadiums, there is no general admission, and that this in an inevitable cost of the commercialisation of our game. Attending the MCG has been comparatively affordable for a high quality experience for a long time. But using COVID regulations as an excuse to make such drastic changes to the equality of attending a game? It would be more refreshing if they just came out and spoke honestly - GA is being phased out (not gradually as would have been fair, but with one fell swoop).
It's so obvious that squeezing general admission patrons into smaller sections of the ground leads to more questionable COVID safe behaviour. If it was during an outbreak you would have to hold the MCC liable for their baffling crowd management techniques.
Even despite all that, commercially (with crowds down this year and better than ever television coverage) it seems to be backfiring spectacularly. I've always been a diehard supporter, but even with my team 5-0 up for the first time since I was 9 years old, I'm questioning whether the experience at the ground is worth it any more. And that's sad.
--------------------
Now I don't know what the situation has been like for other games on other days, so it would be great to get some insight into what's going on overall. I haven't heard any journalists or commentators talk about this issue which I find incredibly bizarre. There are no forum topics or social media posts about it either (apart from Ticketek woes). Is it just a Melbourne Football Club home game experiment?