Almanac AFL Fan Issues: Round 1 ticket pricing analysis from the AFLFA

The AFL Fans’ Association sent us this press release today. It is published here verbatim. We have not tested the accuracy of the stats used – but we have no reason to doubt them. Here it is:

 

 

Some clubs lift Round 1 reserved seat prices by up to 42 per cent

 

 

Some AFL clubs increased Round 1 reserved seat prices by up to $20 each and in one case by 42 per cent, which the AFL Fans Association says is excessive and prices many fans out of good seats.

 

The AFL introduced dynamic pricing, which allows home clubs to lift or reduce reserved seat prices up until game day, in 2016. It restricted increases to $12 in $3 increments. It now appears that clubs can increase prices by up to $20 in increments of up to $5.

 

GWS lifted prices for Sunday’s UNSW Canberra Oval game against the Western Bulldogs by up to $20; the dearest was $105. Most prices at the ground were also $5 more than those advertised on the official AFL tickets seat pricing guide. GWS also increased general admission prices (see next page), which are not supposed to rise under dynamic pricing.

 

Hawthorn increased prices for Saturday night’s Collingwood game by up to $17. Level 4 rose from $40-$57 (42%), Level 4 wing front from $50-$67 (34%), Level 1 wing/goal and Level 2A wing/goal $65-$80 and Level 2 goal/wing $73-$88 (20.5%). This meant that by game day, the cheapest reserved seat was $57. The crowd was 58,051.

 

AFL Fans Association President Gerry Eeman praised the AFL for keeping Melbourne general admission prices at $25 for adults, $17 concession and $5 for juniors, but says reserved seat prices are becoming prohibitive for many fans.

 

Gerry says the system is too expensive. “If the AFL has removed the $12 increase cap, it needs to tell fans.  Transparency is a must.” Gerry says. “Is the increased cap now $17 or $20 as advertised at the GWS game, or more? For all we know, the cap could have been removed completely.” The AFL did not respond to requests from the AFLFA to clarify whether the cap has increased.

 

Gerry says “Most reserved seats are already expensive, with some nudging $100. Many fans who don’t know the original prices probably don’t even realise clubs are increasing ticket prices in the lead-up to games. It’s a growing trend since ‘dynamic pricing’ was introduced in 2016. When ‘dynamic pricing’ was introduced, the spin to the public was that prices were going to increase and decrease in equal measures over the course of the season. However, in 2017 dynamic pricing was used to increase prices in 85 per cent of cases. This year looks like more of the same.”

 

Home teams and venues set reserved seat prices for each game. In Round 1, the following movements were noted compared to AFL ticket guide prices that were released in early March.

 

• Richmond v Carlton, MCG. Level 4 seats increased from $40-45.
• Essendon v Adelaide, Etihad Stadium. No change.
• St Kilda v Brisbane, Etihad Stadium. Three price categories increased by $4-5, while one fell by $8.
• Port Adelaide v Fremantle, Adelaide Oval. No change.
• Gold Coast v North Melbourne, Cazaly’s Stadium. No change.
• Hawthorn v Collingwood, MCG. Prices increased in nine of 10 categories by up to $17.
• GWS v Western Bulldogs, UNSW Canberra Stadium. Ten of 11 categories increased by up to $17 on the official price guide and $20 at the game.
• Melbourne v Geelong, MCG. Seven categories up by up to $10.
• West Coast v Sydney, Optus Stadium. No change.

   

 For more information contact: AFLFA president Gerry Eeman on 0403 938 484. Email: [email protected] or [email protected].