Ticketing chaos as A-League grand final sells out

Ongoing crises engulfing Football Federation Australia (FFA) has seen angry fans criticising ticket sale arrangements for this weekend’s A-League Grand Final.

Having faced declining crowds throughout the regular A-League season, this Saturday's A-League decider at Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium has sold out five days before the decider after an unprecedented demand for tickets.

With the Newcastle Jets enjoying a high level of regional support, it was expected that demand for tickets at the 30,000-capacity venue was going to be stretched for the team’s first ever home Grand Final.

However, when tickets went on sale on Sunday morning to Jets and Melbourne Victory members’, the FFA allowed purchases of up to 10 tickets.

With ticket sales to FFA ‘Football Family’ members and then general sales announced for Tuesday (1st May), FFA at short notice then changed the date of these sales to today

Tickets then sold out in minutes earlier today - the eighth successive time the event has sold out.

With large numbers of fans left disappointed, tickets then began appearing on the Ticketmaster Resale site, some with vast mark-ups, amid accusations that fans who had bought multiple tickets were then looking to scalp tickets that they did not need.

The capacity crowd at McDonald Jones Stadium, the first time a non-capital city has hosted the A-League Grand Final, is expected to set a new record for any sporting event at the venue following redevelopment.

Commenting on the Final, FFA Chief Executive David Gallop said selling tickets had been “a breeze”.

He advised “the Jets have gone from wooden spooners to grand finalists in one season and earned the right to play in front of their home crowd ... and Melbourne Victory will be relishing the chance to win another grand final, so I am sure we are going to see a fitting finale to the season."

Under a previous policy, any final hosted by a NSW-based team would have been played at Allianz Stadium.

Due to ticket demand outstripping supply in Newcastle, the FFA is working with Newcastle City Council and its broadcasters to establish live sites for those who missed out.

Further details regarding these sites will be released in later in the week. 

Images: Newcastle Jets Chief Executive Lawrie McKinna celebrates his team' semi final win (top, courtesy of Damian Briggs Photography) and Grand Finals tickets for sale on Ticketmaster Resale (below).

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