Queensland fans ensure an AFL grand final sellout, after ticket sales open to general public
Tickets to Saturday’s historic AFL grand final have been snapped up in just 20 minutes, ensuring a Gabba sellout, after seats were made available to the general public.
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Tickets to this year’s historic AFL grand final at the Gabba have sold out in less than 20 minutes.
The general public were given the opportunity to attend the 2020 big dance for the first time in more than 20 years and fans were quick to take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, joining the online queue for tickets from 9am AEST.
The Ticketmaster website withstood the barrage but with just under 10,000 seats available, the premiership decider was sold out by 9.19am.
It’s a massive win for both Queensland and the AFL, who revealed on Monday night that several thousand tickets would go on sale to the general public on Tuesday morning for the clash between Richmond and Geelong at the Gabba on Saturday night.
It is almost an unprecedented move for the general public to have the chance to buy tickets to the AFL grand final, with seats at the MCG usually taken up by members, corporates, hospitality and club allocations.
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Members of the two grand final teams – Geelong and Richmond – had their opportunity to secure seats on Monday, with almost 10,000 tickets going to the clubs’ loyal fans.
But this move from the AFL was a huge win for sporting fans in Queensland and also opens the door for supporters in South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT and Western Australia to make a last-minute trip to the Sunshine State for the blockbuster showdown.
AFL CEO Gil McLachlan confirmed on Monday that the Gabba would adhere to a 30,000-capacity crowd, in line with Queensland’s current COVID-19 restrictions.
This means nearly one-third of available tickets went to the general public, despite an earlier push to lift the cap of 30,000 given Queensland’s continued success with limited coronavirus cases.
However, despite the capacity, McLachlan is predicting an “electric” grand final spirit on Saturday, similar to the one he experienced during Geelong’s preliminary final victory over the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on the weekend.
“The atmosphere at the Gabba on Saturday night was electric,” he said.
“It felt full. It’ll be an unbelievable grand final atmosphere and we’re very pleased to be here.
“We’ve had the right conversations, we’ve done a bit of gentle pushing (with Queensland health officials) but we are here because we’ve respected the decision of the Health Officer and the government and they’re pretty clear they’re comfortable with 30,000.”
McLachlan announced last month a price freeze on tickets from last year’s grand final, with prices to start at $185 for general public access.
In previous years when grand finals have been held at the MCG, up to 36,000 tickets have gone to club members.
This year’s premiership match has just over 20,000 seats dedicated to club members, corporates and hospitality.
Originally published as Queensland fans ensure an AFL grand final sellout, after ticket sales open to general public