AFL 2021: How to get your ticket for Round 1 of the new season
A very limited number of tickets will be offered to Carlton fans for next week’s season-opener. Find out when tickets can be purchased.
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The AFL has released all that you need to know about getting a ticket to see your club for Round 1.
Read the full game by game guide below for information on when tickets go on sale, who you can buy them through, and what access you have depending on your membership type.
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Richmond v Carlton, MCG
Thursday, March 18
Current capacity: 50,000
Ticketing agent: ticketek.com.au
On-sale times
Monday March 15 9:00am: MCC Members
Tuesday March 16 10:00am: AFL Members
Priority 1: from 10:00am
Priority 2: from 11:00am
Tuesday March 16 1:00pm: Richmond Members*
Wednesday March 17 10:00am: Carlton Members
Wednesday March 17 1:00pm: General Public (subject to availability)
* all other eligible Richmond members were able to register for tickets via the Club
Collingwood v Western Bulldogs, MCG
Friday March 19
Current capacity: 50,000
Ticketing agent: ticketek.com.au
On-sale times
Monday March 15 9:00am: MCC Members
Tuesday March 16 10:00am: AFL Members
Priority 1: from 10:00am
Priority 2: from 11:00am
Tuesday March 16 1:00pm: Collingwood Members
Priority 1: from 1:00pm
Priority 2: from 3:00pm
Priority 3: from 5:00pm
Wednesday March 17 10:00am: Western Bulldogs Members
Wednesday March 17 1:00pm: General Public (subject to availability)
Melbourne v Fremantle, MCG
Saturday March 20
Current capacity: 50,000
Ticketing agent: ticketek.com.au
On-sale times
Monday March 15 9:00am: MCC Members
Tuesday March 16 10:00am: AFL Members
Priority 1: from 10:00am
Priority 2: from 11:00am
Tuesday March 16 1:00pm: Melbourne Members
Priority 1: from 1:00pm
Priority 2: from 3:00pm
Priority 3: from 5:00pm
Wednesday March 17 10:00am: Fremantle Members
Wednesday March 17 1:00pm: General Public (subject to availability)
Adelaide v Geelong, Adelaide Oval
Saturday March 20
Current capacity: 40,000
Ticketing agent: ticketek.com.au
On-sale times
Adelaide Crows and Adelaide Oval Football Members Western Stand Presale
Monday 15 March, 10:00am (ACDT) / 10:30am (AEDT)
Adelaide Crows Season General Admission members
Wednesday 17 March, 11:00am (ACDT) / 11:30am (AEDT)
Adelaide Crows 3 game members
Wednesday 17 March, 2:00pm (ACDT) / 2:30pm (AEDT)
General Public (subject to availability)
Thursday 18 March, 1:00pm (ACDT) / 1:30pm (AEDT)
Eligible Geelong Cats members will receive information on how to purchase from their exclusive allocation from the Club
Essendon v Hawthorn, Marvel Stadium
Saturday March 20
Current capacity: 28,961
Ticketing agent: ticketmaster.com.au
On-sale times
Tuesday March 16, 10:00am: AFL Members
Priority 1: from 10:00am
Priority 2: from 11:00am
Tuesday March 16, 1:00pm: Essendon Members
Priority 1: from 1:00pm
Priority 2: from 3:00pm
Priority 3: from 5:00pm (if required)
Wednesday March 17, 10:00am: Hawthorn Members
Wednesday March 17, 1:00pm: General Public (subject to availability)
Brisbane Lions v Sydney Swans, The Gabba
Saturday March 20
Current capacity: 39,202
Ticketing agent: ticketmaster.com.au
On-sale times
General Public tickets on-sale now
Sunday March 21
North Melbourne v Port Adelaide, Marvel Stadium
Sunday March 21
Current capacity: 28,961
Ticketing agent: ticketmaster.com.au
On-sale times
Tuesday March 16, 10:00am: AFL Members
Priority 1: from 10:00am
Priority 2: from 11:00am
Tuesday March 16, 1:00pm: North Melbourne Members
Priority 1: from 1:00pm
Priority 2: from 3:00pm
Priority 3: from 5:00pm (if required)
Wednesday March 17, 10:00am: Port Adelaide Members
Wednesday March 17, 1:00pm: General Public (subject to availability)
GWS GIANTS v St Kilda, GIANTS Stadium
Sunday March 21
Current capacity 14,521
Ticketing agent: ticketmaster.com.au
On-sale times
General Public on-sale 12:00pm Thursday, March 11
West Coast Eagles v Gold Coast SUNS, Optus Stadium
Current capacity (Final figure TBC)
Ticketing agent: ticketmaster.com.au
On-sale times
To be confirmed in coming days
For the early part of the season, tickets to matches will be released on a week by week basis.
Round Two on-sale dates will be released at the conclusion of Round One.
West Coast Eagles v Gold Coast SUNS, Optus Stadium
Sunday March 21
Current capacity: (Final figure TBC)
Ticketing agent: ticketmaster.com.au
On-sale times
To be confirmed in coming days
For the early part of the season, tickets to matches will be released on a week by week basis.
Round Two on-sale dates will be released at the conclusion of Round One.
Ticket blues for Carlton fans
Carlton members will receive only 2000 tickets to next week’s Richmond clash, as the league awaits an invitation from the state government to push for an MCG capacity increase.
The Blues’ eager fanbase will receive only a few thousand of the 27,500 club members tickets available, with the AFL confirming on Friday the process to access tickets for games next week.
MCC members will be able to buy their allocation of 11,000 MCG tickets for Round 1 clashes on Monday, with AFL members in the queue from 10am on Tuesday.
On Tuesday at 1pm, home club members will have access to tickets for Round 1 games, with away members to receive their allocation at 10am on Wednesday morning.
In the rare event that those tickets are not sold out by then, the general public can try its luck from 1pm on Wednesday.
But there will be no walk-up access, with Richmond on Friday confirming the Herald Sun’s story last week that only 2000 tickets had been allocated to Blues members.
It means most Blues fans will have to wait until 30 hours before the clash to see if there are a handful of tickets left over in the scramble.
Collingwood is set to allocate around 4000 tickets to Western Bulldogs members for the Round 1 clash.
The Herald Sun reported last month the AFL had real optimism that as many as 65,000 fans could fill the MCG in Round 1, with Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale still holding out hope on Friday.
But despite two weeks of no COVID-19 cases outside quarantine, the lack of time could yet curtail the government’s hopes of raising maximum crowd capacities.
The state government would need to raise the crowd limit to phase two — allowing up to 75 per cent fans — then ask the league to provide a detailed COVID-19-safe plan.
The chief health officer and his panel of experts then would need to tick off on that plan, which is why AFL figures this week suggested Round 2 or 3 were more likely dates for increased crowds.
Gale told SEN Radio on Friday he hadn’t ruled out an increase that would allow rival members and general punters into the MCG.
“We have been working on 50 per cent capacity,” he said.
“We are hopeful there is an outside chance if conditions in the community continue to improve it might be increased. If community transmissions remain where they are, which is zero, and the compliance was very strong around the AAMI Series (there is hope).”
Tigers say most fans will get in
Richmond says the “vast majority” of its members will gain access to Thursday night’s season opener against Carlton.
As AFL clubs attempt to satisfy both rank-and-file members and those paying for premium access, the Tigers have successfully catered for all of their reserved seat members seeking a ticket in the ballot to the season opener.
While Richmond has 87,496 members so far this year, club chief executive Brendon Gale
told the Herald Sun on Thursday that most, if not all, of their paid-up, full members who were seeking tickets would gain entry.
Richmond’s general admission members will find out next Tuesday if they can get to the game.
The AFL has given clubs permission to prioritise the most expensive membership categories.
Power clubs including Richmond, Essendon and Collingwood have taken this path.
Collingwood will allow a two-hour window for its Legends and Club 5 categories when it opens up its ticket sales next Tuesday.
Under Richmond’s ballot system, successful reserved seat members will be able to sit in their customary MCG seating areas, while those who were unsuccessful in the ballot will still get tickets but in a different area allocated by Richmond.
They are then guaranteed they will sit in their normal seats the next time they enter the ballot.
The Herald Sun understands a decision to lift the state’s guidelines to phase two — which would allow up to 75,000 fans at the MCG — will likely run out of time.
But Gale said the club was keen to see more than 50 per cent crowds back at the footy.
“All the club’s eligible reserved seat and reserved bay members that successfully entered the Round 1 ballot have been allocated a ticket,” he said.
Q&A: ALL YOUR CROWD & TICKETING QUESTIONS ANSWERED
“Beyond that we anticipate the vast majority of members that want to attend the game will be able to do so, but that picture will become clearer next week.
“Our members have been very understanding and patient — this is a different environment we are working in and it can change very quickly.
“If we can get 50 per cent crowd capacity at our games we are confident that the vast majority if not all our members that want to attend will be able to do so.
“But clearly we want more — 50 per cent is a long way off meeting overall supporter demand. We need as many people back at the football as possible within the current constraints.”
The league has not lost all hope of as many as 60,000 fans filling the MCG, but it likely running out of time.
The State Government would have to decide ahead of Tuesday, when tickets go on sale, that it wanted to see an enhanced COVID-safe plan for more than 50 per cent capacity.
The league will await the State Government’s direction rather than directly pushing, aware that it should not take a short-term opportunistic approach when it can show how safely 50,000 fans can be seated at the MCG.
Its view is that once that is proven the State Government might quickly increase capacities, with state Sports Minister Martin Pakula saying on Saturday increased crowds by Round 1 were unlikely but not impossible.
Collingwood’s tickets for the Friday night blockbuster against the Western Bulldogs go on sale on Tuesday.
The Pies’ Club 5 and Legends members will get two hours of priority access before members with reserved seats receive another period of access.
Tickets left over will go to normal members including 11-game members for the MCG clash.
A Collingwood’s Legends Membership is a $750 membership, while the Club 5 membership is a five-year package which guarantees a Grand Final ticket should the club qualify.
Essendon, still angry the AFL did not schedule its game against Hawthorn at the MCG, will also allow its premium members first access.
The club’s High Mark and Silver reserved seat members are in Priority Group 1, with Priority Group 2 the bronze reserved seat members, with general admission access members in the third group.
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