AFL puts ticketing responsibility on MCG, Ticketek

The AFL has put the responsibility for the week one finals ticketing debacle on the MCG and Ticketek, but says it will look at other options after this season wraps up.

Ticketek’s system froze after sales opened at 9am for club members ahead of next week’s Richmond-Hawthorn and Melbourne-Geelong finals, both of which are expected to come close to filling the MCG. The Sydney-GWS final, to be played at the SCG, was also affected.

The website was later shut down and sales suspended.

Travis Auld says the MCG and Ticketek have assured the AFL the issues have been fixed.

Travis Auld says the MCG and Ticketek have assured the AFL the issues have been fixed.

The AFL's manager of fixtures and clubs, Travis Auld, told SEN radio on Wednesday morning that the situation wasn't good enough.

"I don't have the technical explanation [as to what went wrong] and that's because the relationship exists between the MCG and Ticketek," he said.

"It's for the MCG to hold them accountable, to identify what went wrong and make sure it doesn't happen again. We've made that clear to the MCG. They've accepted responsibility. They've told us it'll be fixed.

"The frustration for us is that we just don't have a seat at the table when it comes to selecting ticketing agents. It's one of the last things we need to address when it comes to the fan experience and we're determined to do so.

"We put a lot of time into setting up the finals and holding ticket prices and making sure we keep games accessible and affordable, and then we're let down by situations like this. We're as disappointed as anyone."

Auld said he had been assured the issue was fixed, and that he had personally spoken to MCC boss Stuart Fox and Ticketek CEO Geoff Jones.

"I've been given assurances that it won't happen again this morning when we go on sale," he said. "Our fingers are crossed."

"The accountability for us sits with the MCG. We have a direct relationship with the MCG, like we do with all other venues. It's up to them to hold their ticketing partner accountable."

Auld said the league would look at other ticketing "solutions" at the conclusion of this year's finals series.

"We can't continue to rely on someone else to deliver a poor experience to our fans," he said.

"We're certainly not walking away from this, we're standing behind this and we're holding the people that need to be held accountable, to account. But as we get through this finals series, we need to turn our minds to, 'what is the right solution for our fans?'"

Who provides tickets for each final depends on the venue for each game. Each venue is able to select their own provider, and the MCG renewed its contract with Ticketek in August this year after a "competitive tender process".

"The renewed partnership will ensure patrons continue to receive world’s best practice in ticketing technology and service when accessing tickets for events at the MCG through Australia’s most advanced multi-channel event ticketing and digital marketing company," a Melbourne Cricket Club statement said at the time.

Auld said on Wednesday the AFL was not privy to the details of the MCG-Ticketek agreement, but understodd it was a long-term deal.

"My understanding is that the MCG does have a long-term agreement with Ticketek, but that'll have its own clauses and commercial elements that we're not aware of," he said.

"Each of the venues select their own ticketing provider, and that has been a historic thing.

"We had another venue, Optus Stadium, go on sale yesterday, we processed 50,000 tickets in two hours with Ticketmaster without any problems, so this is a frustration for us,” he said.

Ticket sales were set to resume on Wednesday morning on a staggered schedule.

The MCG has been contacted for comment.

Revised ticket sale times

Club Members – Wednesday August 29
11am Richmond v Hawthorn
1pm Melbourne v Geelong
3pm Sydney Swans v GWS Giants
The club member purchase window remains open and exclusive for 24 hours.

AFL Members – Thursday August 30
9am Richmond v Hawthorn
9am Melbourne v Geelong

General Public – Thursday August 30
1.30pm Richmond v Hawthorn
2.30pm Melbourne v Geelong
4pm Sydney Swans v GWS Giants

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