March 25, 2026 — 6:58pm
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Less than 12 days before the Easter Monday clash between Hawthorn and Geelong, the Hawks are yet to decide whether to make the blockbuster game fully ticketed, in a sign of a shifting landscape for ticketing in the AFL.
Hawthorn confirmed late on Wednesday they had not determined whether that now-annual major-event game – which drew more than 88,000 last Easter Monday between eventual preliminary finalists – was fully ticketed, which would compel club members and others to purchase a ticket to gain admission beforehand.
Will Hawthorn’s upcoming clash with Geelong be fully ticketed, and will Patrick Dangerfield be fit to play?AFL Photos
“Currently the match is not a fully ticketed match,” said a Hawthorn spokesman. The Hawks, like many clubs, are mindful of not making the call on ticketing until relatively late when they have a clearer picture of the demand for tickets. The clubs and AFL took note of the round one drop in crowds for Carlton v Richmond and Essendon v Hawthorn, both games that were fully ticketed and drew several thousand fewer than first forecast.
It is still open for the Hawks to make Easter Monday a fully ticketed game, subject to demand, but Hawthorn’s call is merely one of several instances in which high-drawing clubs in Melbourne are weighing up carefully whether to go down the road of fully ticketing or not.
Carlton v Collingwood, on Thursday, April 16 – the night before Victorian school holidays – has been designated fully ticketed by Carlton, the home team.
But the Anzac Day eve clash, between Richmond and Melbourne, which has attracted more than 80,000 at peak levels of interest and has been built into a major-event game, will not be fully ticketed in round seven, Richmond confirmed.
The “Dreamtime at the ’G” game in round 11, celebrating the Indigenous contribution to the code and the AFL, is the only Richmond home game this year that is slated to be fully ticketed, according to the Tigers, who are in a long-term list rebuild.
Collingwood do not wish to fully ticket games at the MCG if possible this year, in recognition of the extra costs for members, according to an anonymous club source familiar with the club’s plans.
Bailey Smith in the thick of the action against Conor Nash and Lloyd Meek during last year’s Easter Monday clash between Hawthorn and Geelong.Getty Images
The Magpies would face pressure, however, to fully ticket Collingwood v Hawthorn on Thursday night, April 30, in round eight if club great Scott Pendlebury breaks the AFL’s games record, currently held by Brent Harvey, on that night – which would add tens of thousands to the likely turnout. But given Pendlebury is 38 and the club plan to periodically rest him this year, he might be rested for a game in the coming weeks and play his 433rd game against Geelong in round nine – a boon to the Cats if that eventuates, since it is their home game.
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Fans have complained about paying an additional $13 minimum – plus a charge for a reserved seat, if they are not seasonal reserve seat holders – at the MCG for games, such as the round one games that did not attract more than 75,000.
The clubs are increasingly conscious that members and fans are price sensitive at a time of inflationary pressures on household budgets and escalating fuel costs.
Essendon v Carlton on King’s Birthday eve is another event game that may or may not be fully ticketed. Essendon v Collingwood on Anzac Day is always fully ticketed due to the huge demand.
The decision on whether to fully ticket games is made following discussions with the MCC, who have information on the demand for particular games. The AFL is also more closely involved in discussions on the ticketing, in recognition of the risks of incensing members this year. But the clubs are also conscious that they need to avoid chaos at games that attract massive crowds, which might require full ticket sales beforehand.
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Jake Niall is a Walkley award-winning sports journalist and chief AFL writer for The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners