Pies forfeit prime reserved seating on level two of MCG Ponsford Stand

The battle between Victorian clubs for seats at the MCG has come to an end, with Pies fans forced to relocate out of their preferred seating for some big clashes.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 25: Collingwood fans celebrate during the 2023 AFL Round 06 match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Essendon Bombers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 25, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Collingwood has been forced to forfeit prime reserved seating on level two of the MCG’s Ponsford Stand as part of a revised agreement with the stadium.

Magpies’ members will lose all of their access to level two for away games against Richmond and Hawthorn and will be offered new seats on levels one and four as replacements.

The revised agreement is off the back of months-long talks between Collingwood and the MCG after a war words erupted between the Hawks and the Pies over the distribution of seating.

And the total number of Collingwood seats on level two in the Ponsford Stand for Carlton, Melbourne and Essendon away games will be reduced as part of what the MCG labelled a fairer agreement for MCG tenant clubs.

Collingwood stressed it was happy with the overall deal as the overall number of away game reserved seats remained the same.

The club is set to put on about 10 extra staff members to help deal with the seat shuffle to ensure every member who wants a seat for next season will have access to one and sit with the same group of family or friends.

It is understood about 2000 fans will be moved from level two for away games against Hawthorn and Richmond and about 1300 fans will be affected for the away games against Carlton, Essendon and Melbourne.

Some Pies fans will be on the move. Picture: Alex Coppel

However, the prime seats on level two for Collingwood members are certain to be more expensive as there will be less of them to offer under the new arrangement for next season.

Collingwood confirmed it will revamp its membership pricing structure for next year. A new member group will be created called the 1892 members.

The Magpies have also lost access to one of its corporate rooms – the Harrison room – but will create a new fan access area as a replacement.

Collingwood chief executive Craig Kelly said the club had worked hard in months of discussions with the MCG to get the best result for Collingwood members.

He said the extra staff would help make the process as smooth as possible for fans.

“It was a 24-year deal which had to change, and it is not perfect, some of our members won’t like all of it but it is god as we are going to get,” Kelly told the Herald Sun.

“It is important to note that we wanted our fans to be able to stay in large chunks together behind the goals and it is really important they supported the players as they ran out of the race.

“We do need to concede that level two and the Harrison Room was important to those other (tenant) clubs and from there is different levels of how many seats we give up.

“We have put on an extra eight to 10 staff to make sure every one of our members will be personally called by our membership team and they will be talked to and spoken to and worked through their situation.

“If people are in groups and have been together for 50 years we want to make sure that stays the same.

“There are 56-year members and have been handing over their hard earned cash and have been sitting with their friends for a long time.

“Every one of them we will call.”

MCG chief executive Stuart Fox said the new arrangement was a fairer agreement for all of the stadium’s tenant clubs.

“As we’ve worked through negotiating new tenancy agreements with the MCG’s home clubs, our collective and primary focus has always been about getting the best possible outcome for the Club, its members and fans,” Fox said.

“The MCG is the spiritual home of football and also the home ground for six proud Victorian teams. We approached negotiations with that in mind as we aimed to achieve fairness and equity for all home clubs.

“It’s never an easy task to balance the competing and at times conflicting needs of multiple clubs whilst also respecting a long standing 30-year agreement such as Collingwood’s.

“The AFL industry has grown exponentially over those years and with that so has the demands on us as a stadium to deliver the best seating models, function spaces as well as commercial returns for each home club.

“We’ve been able to resolve and ultimately return some of that premium inventory to the other clubs for their home games where Collingwood is the away team at the MCG.

“With a shared understanding of the complexities at hand, I’m pleased we’ve been able to deliver improved commercial arrangements for each of our home clubs and they should be commended for how negotiations have been worked through”.

Former Pie Shane Wakelin in the Collingwood social area in 2004.

Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert said the new deal was a significant improvement for Melbourne fans.

“The new agreement is a great result for all Melbourne Football Club members and supporters,” Pert said.

“We have worked closely with the Melbourne Cricket Club and other tenant Clubs, It now gives us the opportunity to sign up an extra 1500 premium reserved seat members on level two in the Ponsford stand, which we haven’t been able to do to until this point

“As part of the new agreement it is also pleasing that we have secured access to The Harrison Room, a premium entertainment space on level two.

“This is something our members and supporters have been asking for a long time and it’s exciting that we are now able to make it available to our supporters in the Ponsford Stand.”

Interim Hawthorn chief executive Ashley Klein said it was a pleasing result.

“This is a great result for our loyal members and fans,” Klein said.

“It delivers us the level two seats that should rightfully belong to our members, as well as all key function rooms across our home match days.

“Our members have continued to be fantastic in showing up each and every week and supporting our new and exciting era of young hawks

“It is the fair and just result our members and the club deserve.”

Originally published as Pies forfeit prime reserved seating on level two of MCG Ponsford Stand