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AFL grand final: General public tickets sold out in nine minutes, with 180,000 people in queue

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Chris RobinsonThe West Australian
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Joanne Maree and Veronica Kneale celebrate their ticket purchases at Crown.
Camera IconJoanne Maree and Veronica Kneale celebrate their ticket purchases at Crown. Credit: Michael Wilson

WA footy fans have predictably swarmed to get their hands on the last grand final tickets, with more than 180,000 people battling for little more than 10,000 general public seats.

Supporters battled one another for the allotment of 10,250 general public tickets that went on sale at Ticketmaster from 10am, with the full range of seats selling out in just nine minutes.

Some fans on social media revealed they had three different devices on the go at once to give themselves the best possible chance of securing seats to next Saturday’s clash between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs - but it was no guarantee for success.

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Ticketmaster confirmed there were 180,000 people in the queue at its peak before tickets sold out at 10.09am.

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Ticketmaster Australia managing director Gavin Taylor said the event marked the busiest on-sale in the company’s history.

“This is five times bigger than last year’s grand final and physically (the queue) would’ve stretched around the length of Optus Stadium and all the way back to the Burswood Peninsula,” he said.

The rush left Ticketmaster’s Twitter account explaining to disappointed fans how they missed out on securing their opportunity.

But there were also success stories as punters celebrated booking their place at the decider.

General public tickets ranged from $450 to $185, with the unique circumstances marking the first time non-member tickets had been up for grabs for a grand final this century. Fans were able to buy up to four tickets at a time.

Earlier this week, it had been anticipated that the general public number could swell beyond 10,000, with any unused membership tickets from Monday and Tuesday’s sales set to be added to the general pool.

But both the Demons and Dogs’ allotment of 12,000 members tickets were snapped up in around four hours, with fans over east sharing their member barcodes to enable WA residents to take advantage.

Ticketmaster’s online platform was the place for fans to go to snap up the general public tickets, but it didn’t stop dozens of fans queuing up at Crown’s Ticketmaster box - some as early as Wednesday afternoon - in an attempt to increase their chances.

Two of the first people in line, Joanne Maree and Veronica Kneale, were ecstatic to receive their tickets. But only the first eight people in line were successful in their quest.

AFL fans line up for Grand Final tickets at the Ticketmaster Box Office at Crown Perth.
Camera IconAFL fans line up for Grand Final tickets at the Ticketmaster Box Office at Crown Perth. Credit: Michael Wilson/The West Australian

Punters have been reminded about the dangers and penalties involved with scalping, with people looking to re-sell grand final tickets facing prosecution under WA’s new anti-scalping laws.

Optus Stadium will be heaving for the decider, with the expected capacity crowd of 61,266 set to mark a new record for football attendance at the venue.

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