Industry News

Low attendance forces FFA to drop A-League finals cost

Poor attendance during the A-League season has led the Football Federation Australia (FFA) to drop some ticket prices for the semi-final and grand final.

The FFA was criticised last year for inflating ticket prices for the A-League finals, which was compounded by the meagre crowds in Melbourne for the first two finals games last weekend.

Just over 23,000 football fans came out to watch the two games, which are considered the biggest events of the league’s season.

The move to lower prices for the lower categories comes after o- going grievances from fans over the high costs for FFA fixtures, such as the FFA Cup and A-League finals series.

The FFA sets all the ticket prices for the finals and keeps the revenue from the gate, unlike the regular season in which clubs have more control over ticketing.

For this weekend’s semi-final match between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory at Allianz Stadium, the cheapest family tickets have been cut by 20 per cent from last year and the lowest category junior tickets have been halved. Premium tickets remain unchanged.

The bottom two categories of adult ticket prices range from A$39 to $75, while family tickets are between A$88 and A$150.

“FFA believes the prices are good value compared with other similar events and provide a reasonable return to the sport while being affordable for families,” an FFA spokesman said.

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