Australian Open ticketing scalps parents as kids over 12 pay adult prices

It wasn’t long ago that the Australian Open was promising more fun for kids than ever before. Who knew the definition of “kids” would change year to year?

This time last year, children aged three to 14 qualified for heavily discounted kids’ tickets. At this year’s Open, kids that have celebrated their 12th birthday are no longer deemed children and should pay adult prices – which are not easy to figure out under the event’s new dynamic pricing.

Australian Open ballkids hard at work.Credit: Eddie Jim

A graze of Ticketmaster’s website on Wednesday night showed adult ground passes for the day would cost $75 from Thursday right through the weekend until Sunday.

Kids’ tickets, provided you’re not too far into those double digits, cost between $10 and $15 to head along to the day session. Oh, and tots under three are free. At the 2019 Open, a kids’ ground pass cost $5.

Night ground passes – notoriously family-friendly finish times included – range from $29 to $39. But there are no kids’ prices on offer at night. We asked the Open for its thinking on all this and if we hear back we’ll let you know.

The young people Open Season spoke to at the soggy tournament on Wednesday left their parents to worry about the price hike, and complained instead about the cost of ice cream. Still, it’s a surprising little price squeeze on a demographic that already works for nothing as ballkids.

Perhaps the kids could drown their sorrows with the free Japanese iced coffee, Boss, being handed out at Richmond station. That’d make their parents really sad.

GULLS GO WILD

Melbourne sporting venues must prepare for public transport chaos, “oi, oi, oi” chants and performances by ailing rockers. But sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest splash.

On Tuesday night, German duo Dominik Koepfer and Alexander Zverev were forced to summon the towel to mop up a mess created by a dozen birds.

Birds will almost always find a way into sporting matches – sometimes copping nasty knocks to the head in the fast-paced Big Bash League – so codes have to be inventive.

Alexander Zverev cleans bird poo off the court.Credit: Getty

This city’s spiritual home, the MCG, just across from Melbourne Park, has previously tethered two wedged-tailed eagles to its northern and southern stands to scare birds away.

It also has bird wires in place during the AFL season, but these have to be removed to allow for special overhead cameras during marquee games such as the finals, Anzac Day and Dreamtime. “Sorry there’s not a more definitive answer as to their ongoing presence during the year,” a Melbourne Cricket Club spokeswoman said.

We asked the Open how it planned to protect courts and players from seagulls’ stray bombs, but its answer was blowing in the wind.

TOO BIG TO FAIL

What price good press? The Victorian government is standing by its hitherto secret $63 million bailout to Tennis Australia, which is in such financial distress that it’s offering record prizemoney and expecting record attendance this year.

Treasurer Tim Pallas.Credit: Wayne Taylor

Treasurer Tim Pallas insists the debt-laden state will not try to claw back its 2022 donation, and in fact got a great deal out of it. “I want them to continue to deliver a quality product,” Pallas told reporters on Wednesday.

“We got value out of that offering. I think for the first year we haven’t had stories run about the state of Victoria losing the Australian Open to some other fictional player.”

MARKETING BUDGET

Some very big companies are happily paying to make hay in the Australian Open’s expensive marketing sunshine, this year including Kia, Rolex and Emirates.

ANZ is the tournament’s official bank under an association stretching back to 2010.

It’s not often that a rival to a company such as ANZ would admit publicly it can’t afford to match its adversary.

Still National Australia Bank, which is headquartered only an overcooked serve away from ANZ at Docklands, hasn’t minded admitting this shortcoming for its online brand uBank.

Eagle-eyed readers spotted cyclists outside Richmond station on Wednesday afternoon with uBank billboards attached to their bikes. The message? “We wanted to sponsor the tennis. This billboard was more in budget.“

RUNNING UP THAT HILL

Alex de Minaur has charmed the Australian Open crowd not only with his sharp tennis, but also his affection for his 1973 Mini.

“It just turned 50 last December, so we had a big party for it,” he told host Jim Courier after demolishing Italian rival Matteo Arnaldi.

“Normally, it’s pretty good, but the whole fun of it is not knowing whether it’s going to start every morning. I enjoy it. I’ve often been stuck in the middle of the road … with my little Mini letting me down, but it’s still my baby and I love it.”

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