The AFL grand final is less than a fortnight away and many fans are opting to buy their tickets in person rather than online.
AFL Fans Association president Ron Issko said some supporters may be preferencing physical purchases because of a lack of confidence in the online system.
He believed people felt they had a better chance of getting a ticket if they were able to speak directly to the seller — and that they were fed up with an online system they found unreliable.
“We have fans telling us all the time how frustrated they are with Ticketek and Ticketmaster, depending on which ones they use, depending on which ground they’re going to,” Mr Issko said.
He described the online ticketing system as a “broken” lottery.
Ron Issko says football fans are fed up with the online ticketing system. (Supplied: Ron Issko)
“Some people have told us they got in on the online system, waited 10 minutes, got tickets, fantastic seats, very happy — that’s about half of the people,” Mr Issko said.
“The other half … they got in and waited for an hour, found the tickets they wanted, went to the payment section and were booted out.
“They lose their tickets, have to go back in the queue and start all over again and miss out completely.”
Mr Issko said he wanted the AFL to address complaints about online check-outs timing out before buyers could finish entering their details.
“We’ve said to the AFL, ‘Please talk to Ticketek before the grand final next week, because you’re going to have the same issue. People are not going be happy,'” he said.
Louise Brown is a Brisbane Lions supporter. (ABC Goulburn Murray: Delys Paul)
First in, best dressed
Shepparton newsagent Louise Brown said fans who got in early have been rewarded for their efforts.
“We’ve had a few in the queue for a couple of days and everyone got great seats that had been queuing up, so that always makes us very happy,” she said.
At the very front of the line were Deborah Clinch and her sister, who arrived at 4pm on Sunday, more than 24 hours before tickets went on sale.
Deborah Clinch is a Magpies supporter. (ABC Goulburn Murray: Delys Paul)
“I think we’ve got a chance [at winning], but I’m a great believer in any team on any day, so fingers crossed that we get over the line,” Ms Clinch, a Collingwood supporter, said.
“Win, lose or draw, it’s good fun.”
Fellow Pies fan Anthony Fulton travelled from Shepparton to Melbourne for nearly every game this year and was not going to miss his chance of securing a seat at the final.
“I came down at six o’clock this morning,” he said.
“With Collingwood [playing], you need to get your act together and get here on time.”
Is in-person ticketing better?
In a statement, a Ticketek spokesperson said it made no difference whether a purchase was made online or in person.
“Ticketek’s ticketing system is centralised, meaning that whether a purchase is made online, through the call centre, or at a Ticketek agency, all transactions access the same live inventory of tickets in real time,” the spokesperson said.
“The ticketing queue is randomised at the moment of on-sale.
“This means that all fans who log on prior to the on-sale time have the same chance of securing a place in the queue.
“Fans who log on after the … sale has begun are placed at the back of the queue.”
Ticketek has defended its football finals ticketing system. (AAP: James Ross)
An AFL spokesperson said there had been unprecedented demand for tickets during this year’s finals series.
They said seven of the eight matches sold out and that matches at the MCG this weekend were expected to draw crowds of 90,000 people.
The AFL has declined to comment on the issues with the ticketing process.
