Ticket prices - a comparison

[Holbrook Bloke]

Not sure how many Nicksters caught up with this article from Paul Sheahan in the Fairfax Press on Monday but it really puts into perspective our gripes on the price hikes, scarcity of tickets and general cost of going to the footy.

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/punt-for-power-why-college-football-generates-millions-20130109-2cgmm.html

[Member 7167]

Thanks for the link Bloke.

I must admit that I marveled at the fact that here in Melbourne the average Joe can go to the football on a regular basis. Not just an armature league but to games involving the biggest clubs in the country.

I have also speculated that the day will come when I can no longer afford my current level of membership due to a limited income during retiremenst and the increasing costs associated with the sport at every level.

In the meantime I do not take it for granted and it is my intention to continue to enjoy the experience as long as possible

[sixpoints]

The article by Paul Sheahan was focusing on the recent NCAA Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game - the US college equivalent of our AFL Grand Final. The situation between the two sports in regard to ordinary supporters accessing the ultimate deciding game has many parallels.
Both the NCAA and AFL will supply hopelessly inadequate numbers of tickets to 'members' of the participating teams. So on both cases supporters who go week after week will miss out in vast numbers from the ultimate game. Try squeezing all Pies 18 game members into a Grand Final or all Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee or Penn State home game ticket holders into a BCS.
We have 70,000 members and the big Division 1 college teams all pull 75,000 plus for every home game.
Everyone (those who can afford memberships that is) can still go every week
except the final one. Ever tried getting a Grand Final ticket when your not a Legends Member? I paid for one in 2010 from Port Adelaide's allocation and it cost $1200. ps I'm not a Legends Member for reasons I won't go into here.
Like the Americans, most of us have pretty much lost access to our final and most important game already.

[larrylj]

However the point remains that we are still very very lucky here. We CAN mostly afford to go to games each week, We can meet and greet our hero players at family days, etc or even around the Westpac centre, If you compare to Man U fans and lots of other big clubs overseas, we are Blessed.
Go Pies!!!!

[David]

It's a shame, really, that ticket prices should ever be placed out of reach of ordinary people. What justification could there be for such inflated costs? Oh, that's right: pre-match entertainment, fireworks, go-go dancers, guest appearances by Justin Timberlake, music over the PA. I can't speak for Americans, but I think most Australian football fans would be perfectly happy if these things never existed to begin with. If we can keep this kind of stuff out of Australian sport as much as possible, I see little reason why prices should skyrocket.

[sixpoints]

There seems to be no major league with a perfect system. We (with US college football) can go along every week for what is not yet a ridiculous cost. However with big English clubs like Man U its a sell out / members only / luck of the draw for what's left situation on a week by week basis.
But at least the FA Cup final is still for fans. Competing clubs basically fill Wembley with allocations of close to 40,000 each.
My beef is that the ludicrously named "peoples ground" of the MCG, firstly has to cater to MCC & AFL members (the idea of which would be absurd in the USA & UK), then the corporates, then bizarrely all AFL teams get an allocation, and then finally the two competing Grand Final teams gets what's left.
It's brilliant going every home and away week and the lead up finals are sensational, but bloody hell we have got the Grand Final screwed up.

[think positive]

Went to a Miami heat basketball game in December, they were playing no one special, Not a final, we were in the third tier of seats, four tickets cost $218!

Yes it was worth it, but gees imagine that every week!

Court side tickets were about $400 each!

But hey it was LeBron James!

[Darkstranger]

All i can say is thank F**k we dont barrack for $Essendon$

Considering we are the biggest club, I reckon our prices are the best going around...and quite cheap compared to what i experience in London, US & italy... we are a very fortunate country !

[Woods Of Ypres]

[stui magpie]

[David]

Not sure if supply and demand works here. Surely there's sufficient demand for tickets from the supporters of the teams alone, let alone all the hangers on from other clubs and people who've never watched a game of football in their life.

I think what this is more evidence of is not supply and demand, but monopoly. There's no 'competition', so the AFL can inflate the prices pretty much as high as they like in the knowledge that some people will be desperate enough to pay whatever's on offer and the corporates get a fistful of free tickets to share with their mates. It's a bit of a rort, really.

[think positive]

[stui magpie]

[Brenny]

There was an article the other day that spoke about concert ticket prices and showed the breakdown of the prices... insurance and so on.

I'd like to see the same for the AFL grand final ticket.

The NRL grand final was about half the cost of the AFL and the AFL still outsold the NRL.

I'd be aligning with Stui on the supply and demand side of it more than the monopoly side of it.

The College system in the USA says players are not allowed to get paid or receive gifts for their playing skills. An american friend of mine told me that's why it's so popular, because it's so raw.

[Culprit]

I still chuckle at the "Free Entry to VFL Home Games". Of course there is free entry it's an open venue FFS.