THE AFL says it is on track to beat last year's attendance mark, saying the move to reduce the price of some general admission tickets is a cost-of-living initiative.
The League announced on Wednesday that is has reduced general admission ticket prices for matches at the MCG and Marvel Stadium between rounds 10 and 15.
AFL STATEMENT GA ticket prices reduced
Adult general admission tickets will drop from $27 to $20, concession from $18 to $15 and a family ticket from $54 to $40. Junior tickets remain at five dollars.
Hotdog prices at Marvel Stadium have also been reduced from $6.50 to $4.
Tom Harley, the AFL's Chief Operating Officer, told reporters on Wednesday that despite some softer crowds for big round one games in Victoria – including Carlton v Richmond and Essendon v Hawthorn – the move to cut ticket prices was a cost-of-living initiative rather than an attempt to boost crowd numbers.
"We're on track to top last year's attendance – at this point of the season, it's the second-highest attended season to date," Harley said.
"We just want to provide the most opportunity for our fans to come to games. The reality is, full stadiums are good for football. I do really want to call out the work with the clubs and the MCG on this as well.
"The average crowd sits just under 40,000. There have been some games, perhaps early on, where we might have expected to see more. But then on the flip side, we've had Anzac Day, Easter Monday, so I think you've got to look at it in the context of where the teams who are playing are at.
"But equally, acknowledge if there is a trend, to do something about it.
"I want to make this really clear that this isn't about growing crowds, this is about doing the right thing for our fans."
Harley said the League was conscious of the cost-of-living stresses in the community.
"We've been really clear since the new regime has come in, the last six months has been really focused on footy, fans and the future, and fans are a really important part of that," he said.
"And understanding some of the challenges we're all facing in life at the moment, and really appreciate the 2-3 hours in the weekend (watching footy) is the best 2-3 hours of family time. We've worked really closely with the clubs, with MCG and Marvel to adjust our GA ticket prices.
"[This is] to make sure it's really accessible, affordable and really enrich the lives of our fans.
"We've worked really closely with clubs on those fully ticketed games, and tightened up the parameters there – this is for when there are GA tickets available."
