2025 Attendances

[The_Wookie]

11.12.2024

Gather Round tickets snapped up in record time


The AFL is pleased to announce that more than 195,000 Gather Round…Festival of Footy tickets have sold… with five of the nine games sold out, 20,000 more than this time last year.

Member on sale on Tuesday saw a significant uplift in demand for tickets this year, selling more than 100,000 tickets in the first four hours, in comparison to the same amount in 24 hours last year.

This year there are an extra 47,000 tickets on offer for fans with the two Saturday matches being ticketed separately.

Tickets still remain for Collingwood vs Sydney Swans on Friday night, Carlton vs West Coast on Saturday afternoon, Melbourne vs Essendon on Saturday night and a very limited number of restricted view tickets and tickets for the Pepsi Collective for Port Adelaide vs Hawthorn on Sunday evening.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said it was clear Gather Round momentum was not slowly down.

“The demand for tickets this year was significantly higher than the first two Gather Rounds, with more than 195,000 tickets being purchased in the first two days,” said Mr Dillon.

“A ticket to the matches at the Barossa Park was always going to be one of the hottest tickets in town and the fans have certainly illustrated that by selling out both matches so quickly.”

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said: “Gather Round continues to exceed all expectations.

“We are honoured that so many footy fans from around the country are making the commitment to travel to our beautiful state to experience this event like no other.

“They’ll be truly welcome.

“If you haven’t got a ticket already – get in quick!”

Tickets for the remaining matches can be found here.

 

[manicmagpie]

Potentially that would mean the highest drawing game this year won’t be ANZAC Day - the first time since 2009 when Ben Cousins return game (87,043) and Carlton v Collingwood (84,938) outdrew ANZAC Day (84,829)

Not sure that has happened otherwise since the early 2000’s?

2022 - Coll/Carl in Rd 23 (AKA the best H&A game ever) outdrew ANZAC Day by 4k. 88k to 84k. You can blame the Covid hangover but it still happened.

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

Biggest home crowd for each Victorian club:

• Melbourne = 1958 vs Collingwood (99,256)
• Collingwood = 2023 vs Essendon (95,179)
• Essendon = 2024 vs Collingwood (93,644)
• Hawthorn = 1981 vs Collingwood (92,935)
• Richmond = 1977 vs Collingwood (92,436)
• Carlton = 2000 vs Essendon (91,571)
• Geelong = 2025 vs Hawthorn (88,746)
• Western Bulldogs = 2025 vs Collingwood (78,027)
• St Kilda = 1978 vs Collingwood (72,669)
• North Melbourne = 1994 vs Collingwood (72,216)

 

[Air_Chester]

Anzac Day should be interesting. Lots of rain expected and looks to be throughout the whole day. No doubt we will all still show up but might not live up to the crowds set in the previous 2 years. Probably ends up being high 80s potentially low 90s.

The idea that people will skip Anzac Day because of rain is depressing. I mean, we know it’ll happen with a few thousand, but having a ticket and not using it feels so wrong.

Potentially that would mean the highest drawing game this year won’t be ANZAC Day - the first time since 2009 when Ben Cousins return game (87,043) and Carlton v Collingwood (84,938) outdrew ANZAC Day (84,829)

Not sure that has happened otherwise since the early 2000’s?

Imagine missing THAT Anzac Day game. You’d be kicking yourself to this day.

I still think it’ll pass 90k, but I agree there’s a chance it could be outdrawn this year. Easter Monday was an incredible crowd, and I think even that will get passed at some stage (Coll vs Haw/Geel looking most likely).

 

[Raz Man]

Biggest home crowd for each Victorian club:

• Melbourne = 1958 vs Collingwood (99,256)
• Collingwood = 2023 vs Essendon (95,179)
• Essendon = 2024 vs Collingwood (93,644)
• Hawthorn = 1981 vs Collingwood (92,935)
• Richmond = 1977 vs Collingwood (92,436)
• Carlton = 2000 vs Essendon (91,571)
• Geelong = 2025 vs Hawthorn (88,746)
• Western Bulldogs = 2025 vs Collingwood (78,027)
• St Kilda = 1978 vs Collingwood (72,669)
• North Melbourne = 1994 vs Collingwood (72,216)

Common theme in most of those results...the mighty Magpies. No wonder teams want to make special requests to the AFL to play them on the G', play them as a double up and even use them as the opposition for their special milestone celebrations (i.e. centenary, 150 years etc.).

North Melbourne would love a quirk in the fixture in the coming years, where they get a few home games at the MCG. If they do, surely a game against the Pies or Bombers would be big if they were in form.

 

[Hawkk]

Common theme in most of those results...the mighty Magpies. No wonder teams want to make special requests to the AFL to play them on the G', play them as a double up and even use them as the opposition for their special milestone celebrations (i.e. centenary, 150 years etc.).

North Melbourne would love a quirk in the fixture in the coming years, where they get a few home games at the MCG. If they do, surely a game against the Pies or Bombers would be big if they were in form.

Should have got it this year for their centenary - they were an MCG tenant for 15 years during their glory years.

 

[Hawkk]

Biggest home crowd for each Victorian club:

• Melbourne = 1958 vs Collingwood (99,256)
• Collingwood = 2023 vs Essendon (95,179)
• Essendon = 2024 vs Collingwood (93,644)
• Hawthorn = 1981 vs Collingwood (92,935)
• Richmond = 1977 vs Collingwood (92,436)
• Carlton = 2000 vs Essendon (91,571)
• Geelong = 2025 vs Hawthorn (88,746)
• Western Bulldogs = 2025 vs Collingwood (78,027)
• St Kilda = 1978 vs Collingwood (72,669)
• North Melbourne = 1994 vs Collingwood (72,216)

Well at least we've lost the muppets claiming Collingwood weren’t the biggest club in Victoria!

 

[dave10]

Well at least we've lost the muppets claiming Collingwood weren’t the biggest club in Victoria!

Yeah, there were a few yellow and black muppets that disappeared once the Pies overtook them crowds and membership. At least our mate AstuteTiger isn’t one of them

 

[What else we can do]

Yeah, there were a few yellow and black muppets that disappeared once the Pies overtook them crowds and membership. At least our mate AstuteTiger isn’t one of them

AstuteTiger is a good man

 

[Raz Man]

Yeah, there were a few yellow and black muppets that disappeared once the Pies overtook them crowds and membership. At least our mate AstuteTiger isn’t one of them

Very astute indeed.

 

[What else we can do]

Common theme in most of those results...the mighty Magpies. No wonder teams want to make special requests to the AFL to play them on the G', play them as a double up and even use them as the opposition for their special milestone celebrations (i.e. centenary, 150 years etc.).

North Melbourne would love a quirk in the fixture in the coming years, where they get a few home games at the MCG. If they do, surely a game against the Pies or Bombers would be big if they were in form.

Jake Niall and the ABC radio crew were discussing this on Sunday mentioning Collingwood being the biggest club in Australia followed by two others

 

[AstuteTiger]

Tomorrow night, im expecting 70K+, regardless of ladder position, it's a marquee game, a special game. I'll be there with 12 other tigers. The weather is going to be good too, 25 and sunny.

Im going with 76,848 (maybe overestimating), but just using last year's attendance in the early 70's, which I think we'll surpass.

 

[Harry Bosch]

i think it will be under 70k , still plenty of unsold tickets bottom ponsford end. Hopefully i am wrong..
A ga turnout like 17 would help , that was a crazy night

 

[AstuteTiger]

i think it will be under 70k , still plenty of unsold tickets bottom ponsford end. Hopefully i am wrong..
A ga turnout like 17 would help , that was a crazy night

2017 was insane, we were going for 5 wins on the trot, and about 86K turned up.

Tomorrow night, I think you will get a lot of walk-ups. Last year we were on 1 win and 72,840 rolled up, so with both teams winning last week, I think it'll surpass that attendance.

 

[Hawkk]

Surprised how much tickets are l available for Carlton v Geelong - seems to be a lot less tickets sold than ANZAC Eve, especially given Carlton has a far more reserve seats than Melbourne.

 

[manicmagpie]

Collingwood/Geelong down to restricted view seats in the public areas.

There’s just under 10% of the AFL Members left. Not sure about the MCC but otherwise looks like it will fully sell out.

 

[magic_johnson!]

Collingwood/Geelong down to restricted view seats in the public areas.

There’s just under 10% of the AFL Members left. Not sure about the MCC but otherwise looks like it will fully sell out.

There’s a few rows in the front of level q in the Olympic stand. Their release to me implies the rows behind aren’t released yet either.

MCC has a fair few reserve seats to sell.

Collingwood/Geelong down to restricted view seats in the public areas.

There’s just under 10% of the AFL Members left. Not sure about the MCC but otherwise looks like it will fully sell out.

 

[manicmagpie]

There’s a few rows in the front of level q in the Olympic stand. Their release to me implies the rows behind aren’t released yet either.

MCC has a fair few reserve seats to sell.

I think those seats in the Olympic stand are returns from somewhere. Could be wrong but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the back section of those bays go already and they don’t sell the restricted view seats until after the rest are gone.

 

[ep12]

i think it will be under 70k , still plenty of unsold tickets bottom ponsford end. Hopefully i am wrong..
A ga turnout like 17 would help , that was a crazy night

Every year they put heaps of tickets for sale instead of GA a day before the game and every year they sell out on the night. The problem is Melbourne charges too much for level 1 goal and I reckon it’s a turnoff to be paying over $80 for average seats.

The GA roll up will come from us this year because it’s our home game. The vast majority of reserved seats sold will be to Richmond members who don’t have away access. It will also be interesting to see how full our reserved seat areas are.

I doubt it gets to more than 70k unless you get the full 8k mcc ga turnup (which you will), and a combined 15k in the public and afl ga areas which is unlikely especially in the afl.

 

[dave10]

This brought back so many memories for me, that ANZAC Day 1995. These photos. I remember walking across Tennis Centre bridge (closest to city) and seeing these hordes of people ringing around outside the gates unable to get in about 45 minutes before the game. Thousands of them. Then once I got inside, I sat in MCC members (Ponsford Stand section level 2), members were crammed in the stairwells and along the back behind the seats. Then you could see these hordes seated in aisles all around the Ponsford Stand public sections.

Who knows what the real crowd was that day. It was obviously over the reported 94,825 and to think so many thousands were unable to get in.

Abd the game was magic. It ebbed and flowed. High scoring, pulsating. Champions having impacts. And when the siren rang at 111/111, firstly the stunned silence followed by a long standing ovation that must’ve gone for 2 minutes. People knew the significance of what they had witnessed that day. It was unforgettable. No wonder it continues 30 years later.

 

[Walshawk]

Common theme in most of those results...the mighty Magpies. No wonder teams want to make special requests to the AFL to play them on the G', play them as a double up and even use them as the opposition for their special milestone celebrations (i.e. centenary, 150 years etc.).

North Melbourne would love a quirk in the fixture in the coming years, where they get a few home games at the MCG. If they do, surely a game against the Pies or Bombers would be big if they were in form.

North should push for an MCG game once the stop playing in Hobart after 2027. Could play Essendon or Carlton.

 

[manicmagpie]

6 hours to game time and the AFL Members hasn't yet finished selling the front rows of the top deck, a real step back from previous years (understandably).

Still, once that front section is gone that would mean 70% has been sold so it's should still be a pretty good crowd if the public and MCC is proportional.

 

[Sammoll]

North should push for an MCG game once the stop playing in Hobart after 2027. Could play Essendon or Carlton.

Could they play Good Friday at the G? Or at the AFL set on having a ‘marquee’ game at Docklands

 

[ep12]

6 hours to game time and the AFL Members hasn't yet finished selling the front rows of the top deck, a real step back from previous years (understandably).

Still, once that front section is gone that would mean 70% has been sold so it's should still be a pretty good crowd if the public and MCC is proportional.

AFL members has never come close to selling out for Anzac eve. It usually only gets to level 4 middle at Q18 and they open the rest up for public Ga on the night.

 

[dave10]

AFL members has never come close to selling out for Anzac eve. It usually only gets to level 4 middle at Q18 and they open the rest up for public Ga on the night.

Yes, that’s my recollection, they sell sections to the public as the MCC would be heavily populated.

 

[ep12]

Yes, that’s my recollection, they sell sections to the public as the MCC would be heavily populated.

They haven’t sold to the public but in 2017, 2022, 2023 they opened it on the night due to larger than expected GA turnouts.

I don’t think that will be the case tonight but I hope to be proven wrong. Expecting 67-70k.