Fans Loose out to Corporates at AFL Grand Final

Loyal AFL club fans lost out to âthousands of corporate blow-ins, freeloaders and other âtheatre-goersâ�? at Saturdayâs AFL Grand Final.
Writing in The Age, Tom Ormonde highlighted the âinjustice�? of âtens of thousands of loyal, passionate footy club members who turn up to watch their teams every week, through good times and wretched, denied entry on the one day for which some have been waiting most of their lives.�?
In their place, Ormonde wrote were âtens of thousands of corporate blow-ins, freeloaders and other âtheatre-goersâ who don't particularly care about the result, who would never show up at a regular Saints-Cats game, but who have the cash or connections to jump the queue on grand final day.
âNo other major public event or institution in (Melbourne) has been so comprehensively hijacked by commercial interests to the detriment of so many people - and of the occasion itself.
âA few decades ago, before the arrival of big money, the stands of the MCG on grand final day were a sea of tribal colour and atmosphere, jammed with mostly genuine supporters from both teams.
âOn Saturday, the team colours (were) confined mainly to a few conspicuous patches in the stands - individual blocks of seats allocated to the competing clubs for a fortunate minority of their members.
âIncredibly, this corruption of an otherwise great event has been allowed to happen on public land with the tacit approval of the state.
âSuccessive Labor and Liberal governments of the past two decades have blithely sold out fans' interests by signing off on stadium development projects that have resulted in almost 50,000 of the ground's 100,000 seats being permanently set aside on grand final day for members of the MCC, the AFL and the Medallion Club.
âThe politicians have also looked on with apparent indifference as another 25,000 or so tickets have been packaged up and directed, through various channels, into the hands of well-connected and well-heeled citizens, leaving just 25,000 to be distributed among ordinary members of the competing clubs.
âIt is hard to fathom why, in the face of such a wrong state of affairs, most disenfranchised footy fans accept their fate so meekly, cheerfully cranking up the barbie at home on grand final day while others occupy what should be their seats.
âWhy isn't there a riot outside AFL headquarters about this time every year?
âNo doubt some fans take the disingenuous protestations of Andrew Demetriou and other AFL bosses at face value: that their hands are tied, there's nothing they can do to fix the ticketing situation. In a strictly mathematical sense this is correct. Of course, there will never be enough tickets for every fan.
âBut don't be fooled: the league bosses could find thousands more tickets for supporters.
âOne obvious area for the league to act is on a large block of grand final tickets currently distributed among the AFL clubs.
âIn recent years these tickets have become a big source of revenue for the clubs, which sell them for exorbitant prices - in some cases more than $1,500 - in entertainment âpackagesâ involving celebrity breakfasts, lunches and other grand final day events.
âA few years back, under public pressure, the league reduced the allocations to the non-competing clubs to get a few thousand more tickets into the hands of members of the competing clubs.
âThere are other options, too.
âThe league has direct control over about 20,000 seats in the AFL members reserve in the Great Southern Stand.
âWhy not offer some of these to fans of the competing clubs? No doubt there would be a backlash from some AFL members, and possibly a drop in their number or the annual fees they are prepared to pay.
âAs an enterprise turning over hundreds of millions of dollars a year, the AFL can afford to give up a little of its grand final loot for the broader benefit of the game and the fa