- Daicos says players will receive 8 tickets to the grand final
- Pies boss calls on Ticketek to ‘improve the system’
- This weekend’s AFL grand final is a sellout
Collingwood star Josh Daicos has revealed how many grand final tickets players are receiving – as Pies general manager Craig Kelly calls on Ticketek to ‘improve their system’ and wants an increase in allowance for club members.
Daicos was interviewed on Nova 100 Ben, Liam & Belle Breakfast Show in Melbourne On Monday morning, Ben asked him how many tickets he had received for this weekend’s AFL grand final at the MCG.
“Well we are lucky to get some, usually during the season we get 4 each and then for the Grand Final we get 8,” Daicos said.
Liam asked the football star if other players received the same amount.
“No, everyone understands that it’s convenient,” Daicos said.
Josh Daicos says players will receive 8 tickets for family and friends if they qualify for the grand final
Collingwood boss called for more seats to be allocated to big clubs
“But it obviously helps to have Nick because it means you know mom and dad have to go get those tickets and we more or less have some for maybe a buddy or a cousin.”
Meanwhile, Collingwood boss Craig Kelly has called on the AFL to increase the membership allocation to clubs from 17,000 to 20,000 to meet the growing demands of the league’s largest clubs which have more than 100,000 members.
Amid the fight for tickets to the decider, Collingwood members who had forked out thousands of dollars in membership dollars were given standing tickets when they should have been allocated a seat by the ticketing agency Ticketek.
Others who were selected to receive tickets via a ballot had money taken from their accounts before being assigned tickets, while other members’ credit cards were rejected in what became an annual problem with the delivery of tickets for the grand final.
Kelly addressed the issue on Monday and although he said all Collingwood members who were guaranteed tickets to the grand final would get them, he called for a change to the system and the number of tickets allocated to competing clubs .
“We believe that members who contribute their hard-earned money should be rewarded with a fair opportunity to see our team on the biggest stage,” he said in a club statement.
“We have been working on the situation overnight and have some updates for you.
“Each Priority One (P1) member who registered for the Grand Final ballot will receive a ticket to the 2023 AFL Grand Final.
Craig Kelly said every Pies member who was guaranteed tickets to the grand final would get them.
“There are 37 P1 members who did not choose the standing room option and, as such, did not obtain tickets through the automated ballot – we will sort each of these 37 members directly to ensure that ‘they have a seat.
“Anyone who is a P1 member and has been issued a standing room ticket – this will move from standing room to assigned seating.
“We are asking Ticketek to improve its system so that as soon as funds are withdrawn from bank accounts, tickets are immediately released to members.
“We know that grand finals are a case of high demand and limited availability, which is why we are calling on the AFL to increase allocations to competing clubs from 17,000 to at least 20,000 tickets.
“We want to assure all members that we are actively engaging with the AFL, MCC, Ticketek and other stakeholders to push for changes and improve this system and access for our most dedicated members.”
Despite these errors, Ticketek insisted it had fulfilled its role in awarding the ballots.
“Ticketek would like to assure all Collingwood members that the voting process for the AFL Grand Final went ahead as planned, without any issues and in accordance with the instructions of the AFL, Collingwood Football Club and the MCG” , indicates a press release from the agency.
The grand final takes place in front of a sold-out crowd.
