skybeau said:
Fair enough with the grand final tickets...but don't you think that an interstate member may be just a little bit more inclined to come down to Melbourne if a grand final ticket was available to them? I'm just saying, its hardly fair to expect a priority just because some other person can't come to the game as regularly as you might do. They're still members and they still should be entitled to an equal chance to get a ticket if there's one available.
They may be inclined to come from interstate to see the Grand Final...but like I've said, supporters who pay their memberships AND go to games during the season, should have first access and priority when it comes to Grand Final tickets.
That's why I support Ian4's idea of barcodes which keep count of the number of games you have been to as a member...therefore the people who go each week, sitting in the rain at the 'G, or squashed into Kardinia Park, etc get rewarded for their financial sacrifices AS WELL AS being at the games supporting the team, week in, week out.
Its a shame people from interstate miss out, but I don't see why I should miss out going to a Grand Final because someone from the Gold Coast flies down in September to see his first game of the season, and its the Grand Final!
skybeau said:
Like what's been said before...what incentive is there for interstate members if they're not given the same chance to see a Richmond GF as all other members? If they make the decision to come down, they should be given a fair chance to see the game. If they decide to watch it on TV, so much the better for you.
The RFC has a special membership for interstate followers, which costs a lot less (and rightly so) than a standard membership. On top of my 16-game membership, I also have premium-A seating.
If I'm paying a lot more, why should the interstate members have the same rights when it comes to Grand Final tickets?
A lot of members who have reserved seats sacrifice other things in their life to be able to pay the hundreds of dollars to attend all the matches, travel to the games, etc....and I would be pretty annoyed if I missed out on a ticket because someone from interstate came down for one game, and got to go to the 'big one' ahead of me.
I (and many others) have been to the 100+ point thrashings, been there throughout the Walls, Gieschen, Frawley eras as well as the 80's/90's crap.....and if Richmond make the Grand Final, by golly, I'll be there or you'll be seeing a Liverpool explosion!
skybeau said:
Also, the original issue wasn't that people who hold full memberships (or season tickets) aren't getting their seats, its that these people aren't coming to the game and hence the ground is selling their seat. Which is fair enough in my book. If you went to England and wanted to watch Liverpool and some season ticket holder didn't turn up...would you like their seat, since it isn't being used?
No, no.....you're wrong on this one mate.
At the Dome the other day, people who had Richmond memberships....(and being a Carlton home game) were directed to go to L3.
During the week, if I had gone to Ticketmaster, I would have to pay $33 (if I remember right, someone correct me if I'm wrong?) for a seat on L1. I could get into the ground no probs with me membership, but would have had to pay extra for a seat on L1.
The annoying part was that 30-min or so before the game, when the Dome officials realised that there were numbers (complete rows) of seats on L1 not filled-up, because I assume, many Richmond members didn't want to pay an extra $30+ for a seat on L1, and therefore went straight to L3 after swiping their membership card....well, the Dome officials started letting in any Johnny-Come-Lately a "cheap" seat, on L1.
So here we had a whole heap of Richmond members on L3, who are the members who go week in, week out, sitting up with the birds....yet people off the street were paying a much cheaper price, and getting premium seating!
My point is, that it was a Carlton home game and of course, they have bays for their reserved seat members...and rightly so.
Then there are also bays set aside for AFL members, players families, etc...and rightly so.
And they should have bays set aside for away team members....even if was only 4 or 5 bays, and a 'first in first served' basis, to reward at least a fair few Tiger members the right to see their team from a prime viewing position.
Surely with all these bays, the whole bottom section would be filled for the TV audience, and the members, who pay the big bucks are happy...and the people who just want 'see a game' can sit up with the birds.
Thats my argument....in that the current system is rewarding nobodies off the street, yet the members (on the weekend, it was Richmond) are treated worse off.
