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AFL to address ticketing furore
Sam Edmund • March 17th, 2026 12:37 pm
The AFL will now work closer with home-game clubs when it comes to declaring fully-ticketed matches.
Fan fury has erupted over the practice, which sees paid-up members having to fork out more money to reserve seats in anticipated high-demand games.
The St Kilda-Collingwood opening round match and the Round 1 Carlton-Richmond and Essendon-Hawthorn games were declared fully-ticketed. But the Saints game didn’t get to 83,000, while the two Round 1 games fell short of 75,000 and below forecasts.
The first complete round of the season saw attendances fall nearly 47,000 short on last year, with fully-ticketed games and cost-of-living pressures blamed for the drop-off.
But there will be no fully-ticketed matches across Rounds 2 and 3, before the Good Friday meeting between North Melbourne and Carlton at Marvel Stadium on April 3.
Some fans have stated that paying as much as $70 on top of annual membership fees for a reserved seat was keeping them away.
Some fans have stated that paying as much as $70 on top of annual membership fees for a reserved seat was keeping them away.
The declaration of fully-ticketed games has historically been the responsibility of the hosting club in matches where the projected attendance is set to exceed membership seating capacity.
But the AFL will now work in concert with that club in an attempt to better predict whether the game truly meets that requirement.
While general admission costs remain frozen for the eighth year in a row, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the league was conscious of the concerns.
“It’s something we’re acutely aware of and we work with our clubs and venues to make sure our game can remain affordable and accessible,” Dillon told SEN on Saturday.
“As we stand here now it is tough for people and it’s certainly at the front of our mind."
