Tickets to Crows sold-out preliminary final against Geelong already selling online for three times value

DIEHARD Crows fans who missed out on tickets to Friday night’s AFL preliminary final are angry tickets are already selling online for three times their value.

• $184 a ticket to see the Crows final?
• Footy fans hit by ticket double scam at Crows, Port finals
• Adelaide AFL scalpers defiant despite Government crackdown

DIEHARD Crows fans who missed out on tickets to Friday night’s AFL preliminary final are angry tickets are already selling online for three times their value.

Tickets costing $157 for the blockbuster clash between Adelaide and Geelong were listed on scalping resale site Viagogo on Monday for $472.

Dozens of tickets, including $65 Hill and Restricted View tickets sold for $249 on Viagogo — which has been savaged for artificially inflating prices through its network of more than 60 global websites.

But fans need to be wary as dozens missed out seeing the Crow’s qualifying final against GWS two weeks after buying “over-the odds” tickets through resale sites that include Ticketmaster Resale and eBay.

While other codes and promoters ban tickets for resale the AFL has refused to intervene on behalf of fans.

AFL spokesman Patrick Keane played a straight bat to suggestions of a rip-off.

“You can only be guaranteed entry to the Adelaide Oval if your ticket has been purchased through an authorised seller,” he said.

The brazen scalping of prized tickets flies in the face of the State Government’s decision to declare this year’s AFL finals at Adelaide Oval as major events — meaning strict anti-scalping laws apply.

Under the laws, anyone caught reselling a ticket at more than 10 per cent above its face value can be fined up to $5000 for individuals or $25,000 for corporations.

“You can only buy tickets with a membership barcode but people can present with multiple membership barcodes. There are two tickets per bar code to a maximum of eight tickets per person,” Mr Keane said.

Late Monday the AFL announced the game is effectively a sellout although a limited number of tickets may become available on Thursday.

Fans who contacted The Advertiser say the AFL’s decision this year to allow two tickets per barcode has ensured more tickets would be grabbed and end up being sold on.

Mr Keane said based on “historical numbers for travelling fans” the AFL had kept aside up to 6000 tickets for Geelong members.

Adelaide Crows member Pat O’Flaherty camped out from 6.30 on Sunday night to be the first in line Monday on for her tickets to the Crows prelim against the Cats. Picture: AAP/Emma Brasier

He conceded that number could rise if the demand from Geelong supporters increased, meaning even more Crows fans could miss out.

Mr Keane said preliminary final ticket prices, up 100 per cent since the qualifying final two weeks ago, were set at a higher level “to reflect the game’s importance in determining the premiership team.

Tickets went on sale at 9am Monday for Adelaide members and at 2pm to the general public but some members gave up trying to secure tickets after a couple of hours online.

One supporter who wasn’t going to miss out was Pat O’Flaherty, 74, from Burton. She and her family camped out for 15 hours to be at the front of the queue at the Entertainment Centre to grab tickets at 9am.

She paid $107 each for concession tickets. “We know we’re among the lucky ones because many won’t get tickets,” Mrs O’Flaherty said.

“Prices were high but everything is expensive these days.”

The ticket debacle was identical for the second preliminary final between Richmond and GWS in Melbourne on Saturday night.

Both Viagogo and eBay had ground-level seats up for grabs on Monday at $500 a ticket at the MCG.

A spokeswoman from Tourism Minister Leon Bignell’s office referred anyone with an inquiry or complaint about any ticket transaction to contact Consumer Affairs or the minister’s office.