Food freebies, discounts rolled out for AFL fans at Etihad Stadium

FOOTY fans are in for a treat at Etihad Stadium this season with food freebies and discounts rolled out as part of the venue’s new For the Fans campaign.

FREE milk, cheap pies and food and drink discounts will be served to footy fans at Etihad Stadium in a push to enhance the spectator experience at the Melbourne venue.

Kids will be given free milk throughout May and the cost of pies slashed to $3 for all matches next month in a new initiative to help the hip pocket.

A For the Fans campaign will also see food and drink prices cut by 10 per cent for supporters cheering the home team in August.

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And free hot chocolate will be given to fans who brave Melbourne’s winter to venture to footy matches at the AFL-owned stadium in August.

The freebies for fans come on top of prices being frozen for popular items such as chips, pies, sausage rolls, crisps, cheese burgers and water since 2016.

Etihad Stadium chief executive Michael Green said food and drinks were a big part of the footy experience for fans, especially parents bringing children to matches.

“Our guest experience is paramount and we are constantly seeking new ways to treat our valued patrons and ensure their time at the stadium is memorable,” he said.

“We love that families choose our venue as a place to gather over a much-loved national sport and we want to reward their dedication to Etihad Stadium with For the Fans.”

Etihad Stadium and MCG chiefs flipped the price on food and drinks in 2015 after a backlash from fans fed up with paying up to $6.60 for a serve of chips, $4.80 for a pie and $11.50 for salad.

Food and drink prices were the number one gripe from footy fans.

AFL chief Gillon Mclachlan admitted food and drink prices were the number one gripe he heard from fans after taking over as league boss the same year.

A “Pies the Limit” special will cut the price of pies from $5 to $3 at Etihad Stadium throughout June, as well on Sundays all season.

Home club members will get 10 per cent off all food and drinks except alcoholic beverages in July.

And Essendon, Western Bulldogs, Carlton, North Melbourne and St Kilda themed doughnuts will be sold at the ground in the lead-up to free hot chocolate being served to kids in August.

In a further move to appeal to Melbourne’s foodie set, Etihad Stadium has set up a food truck park outside it’s Garden Gate Bar in Docklands.

And it has opened an open-air beer bar to patrons from noon until late on Thursdays and Friday’s.

Fans will still be able to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks into footy matches at the ground.

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