AFLFA: Dynamic pricing is not good for fans

Season Review – Dynamic pricing is not good for fans

AFL FANS ASSOCIATION (AFLFA): “GIVING FOOTY FANS A VOICE”

 

A season-long AFLFA investigation into dynamic pricing has confirmed that AFL Clubs have mainly used it to raise reserved seat prices in 2017. This is despite the AFL telling fans its research indicated that “in many cases it will be quite favourable to supporters.”

 

In total, the AFLFA noted 73 increases and 13 decreases in various reserved seat price categories during the home and away season. This equates to dynamic pricing being used to increase prices in 85 per cent of cases, and to decrease them in only 15 per cent of cases.

 

The investigation also found that some clubs offered sporadic fan-friendly special ticket deals which partially offset some of these rises, such as $15 adult general admission (down from $25), $30 family tickets (down from $60) and two-for-one or discounted reserved seats. However, these deals are not disclosed on the AFL Tickets Seat Pricing Guide.

 

“The AFL told us dynamic pricing was good for fans,” says AFLFA president Gerry Eeman. “By any objective standards that is simply not true. The vast majority of the time it is used to increase prices, not decrease them, that’s not good for fans. Some clubs have special offers, and they can be very good value. However, the problem is these specials are generally communicated by social media, so unfortunately many people don’t find out about them.”

 

Dynamic pricing allows home clubs to set reserved seat prices pre-season and then increase them by up to $12 until match day. They can also drop prices. General admission cannot change. Dynamic price rises are limited to $12, but clubs can start at a higher price than the previous year. Examples this year have included:
• Essendon lifted some Level 4 Anzac Day seats by 80 per cent in total after raising them by 50 per cent in March and another $12 leading up to the game. They went from $40 to $72.
• North Melbourne increased reserved seat prices in four categories by up to $6 for its Round 6 Etihad Stadium match against Gold Coast that drew just 15,431 fans. Yet North cut prices for its Round 20 Etihad Stadium game against Collingwood by $15-$35 for a much bigger crowd – 33,294. Level 2 wing fell from $75 to $40.
• Carlton lifted Round 12 prices for its Etihad Stadium game against GWS in four of eight
categories by $3-$5, despite attracting just 23,194 fans.
• North Melbourne charged up to $87 for Level 2 seats at its Round 13 Friday night Etihad
Stadium game against St Kilda before 26,107 fans. Four of eight categories rose by $9.
• Hawthorn increased prices in 8 out of 9 categories by the maximum $12 for its Round 19
MCG game against Sydney that drew 52,181.
• St Kilda increased five categories by $10 for its Round 20 Etihad Stadium game against West Coast, despite a crowd of just 22,688. Two categories fell by $3.
• St Kilda increased prices in 7 of 8 categories by $12 for its Round 22 game against North
Melbourne at Etihad Stadium in front of 29,126.