Ticketek meltdown forces Cats members to wait until Wednesday in AFL finals tickets farce

CATS fans desperate to secure seats for Saturday’s elimination final against Melbourne will have a second chance on Wednesday when Ticketek staggers on-sale times for AFL finals tickets.

Footy fans Gary Harding, Joe Winiecki, and Maria Winiecki lining up for tickets at GPAC on Tuesday morning. Picture: Alison Wynd

GEELONG fans desperate to secure seats for the first AFL final have been caught up in nationwide ticket sale chaos.

A line of football supporters sprawling more than 50 metres took form across the foyer of GPAC from 9am on Tuesday morning, majority leaving empty-handed.

Ticketek has since scheduled a new, staggered release of ticket sales for club members on Wednesday.

Tickets for the Geelong v Melbourne game will go on sale again from 1pm, before AFL members will be granted access to the same game from 9am Thursday.

If any tickets remain, the general public can try their luck from 2.30pm Thursday.

The Melbourne Cricket Club released a statement in the wake of the new schedule, advising fans all transaction fees would be waived for finals week one purchases.

“In a gesture of goodwill, the MCC has negotiated with Ticketek to waive all transaction fees on any further purchases to the two MCG matches in week one of the finals. This applies to club members, AFL members and the general public,” MCC CEO Stuart Fox said in a statement.

Tickets back on sale tomorrow:
Club Members:
11:00am Richmond v Hawthorn
1:00pm Melbourne v Geelong
3:00pm Sydney Swans v GWS Giants
AFL Members Thursday morning. General Public Thursday arvo.

— Matt Thompson (@MattThompson) August 28, 2018

In follows the seemingly annual event of Ticketek’s system struggling to cope as thousands of fans logged on to secure a seat to finals matches.

Ten minutes after the site went live to club members, Geelong fans were told by Ticketek outlet staff the system had crashed.

Hamlyn Heights residents Joe and Maria Winiecki were waiting at the GPAC Ticketek outlet for several hours after arriving at 8.30am.

“This happens every year,” Mr Winiecki said.

“I don’t know why they would put all the games on sale at once. They’ve got the time, stagger them out. The AFL really need to think about it.”

Would-be purchasers reported the site continued to shift between slow and offline for several hours before a decision was made by Ticketek to temporarily suspended online sales while it tired to restore technical glitches with its system.

Public ticket sales, originally set to go live at 2pm, were delayed until members can buy seats. Melbourne Cricket Club members were able to secure their seats.

Footy Fans Lining Up for Tickets at GPAC. Picture: Alison Wynd

“We stood here for nothing. It’s been closed longer than it’s been open,” Ms Winiecki said.

“People online get halfway through paying and aren’t sure if the transaction has gone through.”

The AFL Fans Association president Gerry Eeman said the bungle caused some club members to think their finals game was sold out when it wasn’t.

“Unfortunately, this is an annual problem that is almost becoming part of the finals experience. The frustration of fans is palpable. If the Ticketek system can’t handle the traffic, consideration must be given to staggering when tickets go on sale for each game,” he said.

Rubbing salt into the wounds of Ticketek customers, Collingwood and West Coast fans enjoyed a stress free ride, getting their finals tickets from rival ticket agency Ticketmaster.

The AFL said it too was “extremely disappointed” in the experience a large number of club members were presented with when trying to purchase their tickets.

“We share in our club members frustration and are working with the venues (MCG and SCG) and their provider (Ticketek) for a full explanation,” the AFL said.

Originally published as Ticketek meltdown forces Cats members to wait until Wednesday in AFL finals tickets farce