Calls to axe Grand Final ballot fee as clubs bleed fans dry

It’s hard enough to get a Grand Final ticket. Now fans are calling for the fee just to apply for tickets to be scrapped, saying it is just another way for clubs to drive up profits.

Footy fans have called for a controversial fee charged just to try your luck in the AFL Grand Final ballot to be scrapped.

With the last Saturday in September fast approaching, members of remaining finals clubs have been charged non-refundable registration fees of between $5 and $6 to apply for a seat.

Regardless of whether they score a ticket and whether it is standing room, restricted view or on centre wing, the fee is forfeited by fans on top of ticket costs of between $155 and $422.

Profits from the fee — paid by Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and GWS fans — are believed to be split between the clubs and ticket giant Ticketek.

AFL Fans Association president Gerry Eeman branded the impost “revolting’’, calling on clubs to scrap the “crazily high fee”.

“It just sounds like they’re using the ticket ballot as a way of driving profits,’’ he said.

“They’ve found a new way to extract further dollars from their members and really for something that is probably an automated process where tens of thousands of people are going to miss out on tickets.’’

Richmond this year slugged members $5 to appeal for the Grand Final ballot.

Cats fan Renee Bennett and Tigers fan Liam Dimattina are looking forward to the clash. Picture: David Caird

Collingwood members were charged $6 and paid up and passionate Geelong fans were hit with a $5.50 levy.

GWS charged fans $5 to enter the ballot but Giants spokesman Leigh Meyrick said Ticketek set the levy and the club passed any money it made from on it back to the ticketing agency.

But Mr Eeman said the fact clubs were charging members different rates raised eyebrows.

“It just seems ludicrous to have that in place, taking advantage of the most passionate supporters of your club who are A, members and B, willing to fork out to buy tickets,’’ he said.

“And they will still have to pay booking fees on top of that.’’

The AFL said it did not see a cent.

Cameron Hoy, chief operating officer and head of ticketing for TEG confirmed where the money went but said “the fairest possible access to Grand Finals tickets” was provided to fans.

“The registration fee is split between the AFL clubs and Ticketek and our share of the fee is to cover the costs of running the ballot process,” he said.

In a letter to members, Collingwood said fans would not be charged for tickets if it failed to make the Grand Final.

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“However the $6 registration fee (per member) will be retained to cover administration costs incurred,’’ it said.

The rush for Grand Final tickets is this year as intense as ever with even Collingwood fans who paid for “guaranteed’’ seats in their memberships asked to join the ballot.

Richmond fans could only take part in the ballot if they had been a member for 10 years or more.

Richmond and Collingwood alone boast more than 188,000 members combined.

Thousands of Richmond fans are expected to pack the Punt Rd Oval when an open training session is staged on Thursday morning.

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But an equal number of Collingwood fans are expected just a few good drop punts away, when the Pies stage their own open training at their Olympic Park headquarters.

On Wednesday night, only 990 public tickets remained to Friday’s match with 69,981 sold and a crowd of more than 93,500 expected.

There were 15,000 public seats left to Collingwood’s clash with GWS with more than 81,000 people tipped to attend and more than 55,615 tickets sold.

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