The Melbourne Cricket Club has reviewed its seating plan for the 2019 AFL Season, which will see the following changes implemented for marquee matches at the MCG.
As the venue manager of the MCG, the MCC has an obligation to fill the Members’ Reserve, particularly on those occasions when the public area has sold out in advance of match day.After lengthy consideration, the following changes have been made to the seating plan in the MCC Reserve for the upcoming AFL Season.
CHANGES TO RESERVED SEATING
• The number of reserved seats available in the MCC Reserve has increased.• The additional reserved seats that have been made available are all on Level 4. If demand warrants it, all seats in this section will be allocated as pre-purchased reserved seating.
The two main reasons for this change are as follows:
• Member demand: Reserved seating for some marquee fixtures have sold out quickly in recent years, demonstrating that members wish to secure reserved seats in advance to avoid missing out
• Maximising capacity: As the venue manager of the MCG, the MCC has an obligation to maximise the capacity of the Reserve, particularly on occasions when the rest of the stadium is sold out.
Click here to view the MCC Reserve seating plan for the 2019 AFL Season.
A PROACTIVE STRATEGY TO FILL THE MCC RESERVE
In 2018, the MCC signed a landmark agreement with the AFL and the Victorian Government to host Home and Away matches and the AFL Grand Final at the MCG until at least at 2057.A requirement of this agreement is that the MCC will use its best endeavours to fill the MCC Reserve for designated marquee games.
For those marquee games where public tickets have sold out in advance, the MCC will employ a proactive match day strategy to ensure the MCC Reserve is filled.
The Club will actively monitor the attendance patterns of walk-up members and guests from gate opening time.
If it is determined that the Members Reserve will not reach capacity, the club may look at the following options:
• Make tickets available for Provisional members to access the Reserve;
• Put visitor tickets back on sale (if they were previously sold out in advance);
After exploring all existing opportunities to allow members and guests to access the Reserve or purchase tickets, the Club may consider releasing a select amount of tickets for the general public to purchase if it is determined that the Reserve will still not reach capacity.
Satisfying the needs of our members will always be our top priority.
The Club is very confident that the Members Reserve will reach capacity for marquee AFL fixtures.
However, this strategy exists to avoid an extreme scenario similar to the 2018 Preliminary Final between Richmond and Collingwood, where there were notable vacant sections in Level 4 of the Reserve and public tickets were sold out.
MOBILE TICKETING
Mobile ticketing is now available when purchasing visitor tickets and reserved seats online through Ticketek.Please note that members must be in possession of their physical membership card when entering the MCC Reserve using a mobile reserved seat ticket.