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Roosters and Knights fans are frustrated after NRL grand final tickets sold out in two hours, leaving many members unable to attend the match at Accor Stadium.
Days before kick-off in the NRL grand final, many Roosters and Knights fans have been left disappointed even though their team could still win it all. A shortage of tickets to the big dance means most won’t be at Sydney’s Accor Stadium to see it. The final allocation of tickets, released at 10am on Monday, was exhausted within two hours due to huge demand following the weekend’s preliminary finals, especially from Knights supporters.
Roosters’ Massive Fan Base Misses Out
The Roosters are Sydney’s most-supported club, according to Roy Morgan Research, attracting more than 478,000 attendees, with about 24,000 members. If members were able to buy up to four tickets each, the Roosters could fill Accor Stadium without leaving any tickets for others.
Michelle’s family have been long-time Roosters fans and members, and her children, Kai, 9, and Lucy, 7, have been at every home game this year. But when her partner went to buy grand final tickets on Monday he was left devastated. The children are taking it hard, too. Michelle said she had never seen him as crushed. The family are trying to tell their kids they will just have a barbecue at home and watch the game, but they are not having it. They have been online looking but do not understand. Michelle noted that $1000 for a ticket is wild.
In a handwritten statement, Lucy described her father buying her a Roosters membership when she was born, like her older brother. Lucy wrote that her favourite player in the Roosters is Teddy and that the Roosters are the best team ever, and they should have got tickets for the grand final.
Ticket Demand and Resale Pricing
Long-time Roosters member Simon Hemphill said there were 14,500 people ahead of him in the queue when he wanted to buy four tickets for him and his children. He waited about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the front of the queue, only to find all the tickets were sold out.
The NRL’s resale platform has given some fans a second-chance at securing a ticket but has come under fire for some of its pricing. Hemphill has looked at resellers and seen tickets in the nosebleed section going for more than $1000. He said he is a Roosters fan but is not about to drop 4½ grand to sit the furthest possible away from the pitch. He added that they have basically resigned themselves to gather at a friend’s house with another few families who have all missed out and they are all going to commiserate together and watch it in one place.
Another Roosters gold member told this masthead he felt very disappointed tickets were snapped up so quickly, and that members did not have a better chance to secure seats. Leong said he is right next to the Knights supporters bay and that Roosters will be all over the place because it was so hard to get tickets.
Newcastle Knights fans who missed out on tickets had another option to watch, at McDonald Jones Stadium. The Knights said fans are encouraged to bring a picnic blanket and settle in on the field to watch the action on the big screen, with food and beverage options and grandstand seating also available.
Membership Access and Fan Suggestions
Distraught Roosters fan Hemphill said he understands ticket allocations will never be truly egalitarian. But he feels that if you are a member of the club for over 10 years, you should get a bit of a first look or an earlier look. He suggested that the longer you are a member, the earlier access you have to tickets, something like that.
NRL Grand Final Roosters Knights Accor Stadium Ticket Shortage Sydney Roy Morgan Research
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