Pay more to upgrade and watch your team serve up a steaming pile of sh-t.
Fk off Essendon
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This isn’t unprecedented.
I swear there have been dreamtime games where this has been enforced but the crowd ended up ~75k.
I wish the club would put some effort into junior membership. They do it so poorly. I see they’ve allocated a specific person for High Mark memberships, but you’d be better off having someone who’s role is to increase numbers and engagement of junior fans.
Baby membership- $70 for a plush footy, magnet and some cards? The profit margin must be huge, but what’s the point if hardly anyone buys it? It should be $20, and actively promoted to fans to buy them for any new babies- their own, grandkids, nieces/nephews, friend’s kids etc. The focus should be on getting them on board rather than trying to profit off them. Same goes for Skeeta Fleet. It’s silly that match-day (Flex 4) junior memberships are so much more affordable. Is it just a matter of shunting people to those options because they count for more in some sponsor targeted breakdown?
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This is slightly different,
In previous Dreamtime games (2024/25) and last years Kings Birthday Eve, in all three cases these games basically sold out of public reserve tickets. Dreamtime even sold out ~ 600 tickets to the public in the AFL Reserve. Reason why these games only drew 75-79K was Club reserved seat member no shows (due to lowly form of competing teams).
This Hawks games shapes differently to these games. This game isn’t at this stage tracking towards selling out the public reserve. They have only pre sold 3/4 of the Olympic Stand Q level. They haven’t even released seats on Q level in Ponsford Stand.
If this wasn’t a ticketed game and a strong GA walkup occurred on the night, primarily Hawks fans using replacement game status, this could push over 80,000….. Now no GA it must sell out and I don’t think it will go close. I reckon it’s a case of greedy profiteering and mismanagement.
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Has everyone received their membership pack? I live in Geelong and have received no correspondence yet.
Yes. Got mine in January
Thanks looks like a phone call.
Yeah was January
Ticket sales for Hawks game are really slow compared to last years game. They have only just started selling seats in the top deck of the Ponsford Stand. They still have thousands of seats to sell in top decks of Southern / Olympic Stands.
This is looming as a clear case of greed (imo) and misguided forecasting on Clubs part. I think it has misjudged the level of excitement and has been caught out expecting that Hawks fans would upgrade to a reserved seat.
Just an FYI, Essendon is expecting punters to pay $55 for a seat on Q level in the Ponsford Stand!
In doing so it has likely stopped ~10,000 from attending and in doing so forced a disappointing crowd that now puts at risk the Clubs efforts to play Hawthorn in a certain ‘home’ game in the opener at the G each year.
This game was never going to sell out and I think the decision to go fully ticketed was a sham (presented as enormous demand) and the club will have egg on its face when the crowd is posted at potentially <70,000.
Disappointing for all the clubs Flexi members who won’t get in and see thousands of empty seats on Q level in Ponsford, Southern & Olympic Stands.
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To be fair, their disappointment will turn into relief after about 17 minutes of game time.
Maybe this is the club looking out for its supporters?
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I got front row for $50 upgrade..I’m by myself so which was lucky as hardly any seats left lower level.
True.. Very frustrating though. This was never going to sell out based on ticket sales to last weekend and it stops thousands of Bombers (and Hawks) fans from using their memberships to scan into the ground and sit GA.
They will regret their shortsighted and think opportunistic decision that is shaping to backfire on them.
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There will be hundreds of seats on lower levels released next week when the club released club reserved seat returns onto the system.
Q level seating examples available. Other sections on Q level still to be released. GA / Flexi members should be livid with the situation unfolding with this cockup.
Ponsford Stand
Olympic Stand
Southern Stand
Soon after they went to make it all ticket they put bronze and silver memberships 20% off for existing members - i upgraded mine so it ended up being cheaper than paying for an upgrade - it was $150 for the upgrade for one adult and one child so overall it might be that they just want to inflate their membership numbers slightly artificially
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This stuff p….s me off coz members pay up in good faith then they cop this stuff.
If the game was shaping over the weekend as a potential sellout you could certainly argue the club were making the right call.
This isn’t even close to selling out. At current rate it’s seriously struggling to be 70,000.
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Im pretty happy as the upgrade means I get to go with my son and he only wants to go to eat chips so hes happy - overall win win!
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The AFL members section of the G is almost sold out
Not from what I understand. I was told they’ve only sold the front third of the top level in this reserve. That means they’ve only allocated about 70% of seating to date and this is in line with last years game. Last year however, the ended up selling Q27/28 to the public due to strong public demand last year.
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The Dawks have also really stuffed this up. This is a replacement game for their members and normally they just scan in. However they are also being asked to pay for an upgrade and the members that I know have decided to make other plans.
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