Empty seats likely at Optus Stadium AFL Premiership games

An unexpected consequence of the relocation of West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers AFL Premiership games to Perth’s new Optus Stadium is that the 60,000 capacity venue is unlikely to be full for most fixtures.

West Coast Chief Executive Trevor Nisbett has this week conceded that the crowd of 53,553 for the first game at the new venue - between the Eagles and Sydney- had fallen short of expectations.

Various reasons have been given for the lower than expected crowd: a late release of previously-allocated tickets, unused staff seats, unused seats that had been reserved for TV cameras and the late release of around 2,000 of unsold Eagles ‘flexi-memberships’.

Teething issues with transport to and from the Stadium have also been talked about as a factor, with the delayed Stadium footbridge connecting the venue to East Perth expected to ease of the congestion. Planned for completion by the end of May, 14,000 people expected to use the bridge on game days. It remains to be seen how accurate that forecast is.

Commenting on the transport issue, Western Australian Transport Minister Rita Saffioti this week advised “we saw significant numbers go to the women's game, we saw significant numbers go to Ed Sheeran. I really think it just a mix of that ticketing and I am sure that is something that will be worked through.”

However, it may be that a 60,000 capacity venue will seldom be full for regular AFL season matches.

At the 43,500-capacity Subiaco Oval, West Coast's home attendance average peaked at 41,117 in its premiership season of 2006 and has been a gradual decline since.

Last season it was 36,751, despite the club having a lengthy list of members waiting to get access to a season ticket.

Fremantle's average home attendance peaked a year later in 2007 at 37,474. During its most successful season in 2013, when the club made the AFL Grand Ffinal and hosted a preliminary final, its average home attendance was 35,015. Last year it was 32,375.

Even in 2015 when there were four finals played at Subiaco, including two preliminary final, tickets were still available for some of those games on the day of the event.

According to ABC Sport presenter Clint Thomas “there has been a bit of myth for a while, perpetuated for whatever reason, about it being impossible to get tickets to AFL games in Perth.

“The truth is that if you're desperate to get a ticket to the footy, you can get it, and it has been that way for some time - even before the move to Burswood.

“There is a real buzz at the moment about Perth's new stadium, which should mean both clubs' average attendance records will be broken this season, even though neither club is tipped to figure heavily in finals.

“(But) the real test will come later in the year if the results don't come.

“It's also worth mentioning pay TV subscribers now have access to every game of AFL, every weekend, live.

“So even if you have a membership, on a Sunday afternoon when you have work the next morning, the easy option is to sit in the comfort of your own living room and watch the match on TV.

“But perhaps the biggest thing that needs to change is the thinking of the WA football public.

“On most occasions you can get up on a Saturday morning, decide to go to a game and you'll be able to get a ticket. Perth footy fans need to wake up to this fact.”

The ability for fans to be able to buy a ticket on game day is also likely to impact on the Eagles and Dockers memberships, once seen as vital to be able to gain access to tickets.

Earlier this week, Nisbett committed to continue adjusting its ticketing processes at Optus Stadium to be more accessible.

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2nd March 2018 - NEW GENERAL MANAGER - COMMERCIAL APPOINTED AT PERTH’S OPTUS STADIUM

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