AFL Aussie rules football clubs are taking advantage of the organisation’s dynamic ticketing system to inflate prices, a fans’ group has claimed.
The pricing system is in theory supposed to determine reserved seating ticket costs by assessing demand. It allows clubs to set reserved pricing during pre-season and then increase by up to $12 for blockbuster games until match day.
The idea is that prices can also decrease if demand is low, but the AFL Fans Association claims that has only occurred five times this year.
“[The system]’s used simply as a mechanism to get more revenue,” said AFL Fans Association president Gerry Eeman.
According to ABC, Eeman said he has compared prices to spectator turnout and claims that the dynamic system is “10 times more likely to increase prices than decrease them.”
Eaman added: “In one bizarre example, North Melbourne increased reserved seat prices in four of eight categories by up to A$6 for its Round Six Etihad Stadium match against Gold Coast that drew just 15,431 fans.” The stadium has a capacity of almost 54,000.
Sydney, Collingwood, GWS and St. Kilda, in a league made up of 18 clubs, are the only teams to have decreased their reserved seat prices.
“There is absolutely no way dynamic pricing is favourable to fans. The system simply makes it more expensive to buy reserved seats and is incredibly confusing,” Eeman said.
“Our praise goes to all the clubs who don’t exploit their fans through dynamic pricing. We save particular high praise for the [Melbourne] Demons, who are the only Victorian club not to have used dynamic pricing to increase ticket pricing.”
Adelaide, Gold Coast, West Coast, Port Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne are the only teams who have not used dynamic pricing in any games.
Image: Jenks24
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