Tickets to Melbourne’s historic first NFL match on Australian soil are set to sell out in a matter of hours of going on sale.
Eager fans snapped up seats to September’s MCG showdown between the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers when general admission seats went on sale from 10am Wednesday.
It means a crowd of more than 100,000 will pack the ’G on September 11, booting AFL finals off the hallowed turf as Aussie sporting history is made in Melbourne yet again.
The match is set to be an economic touchdown for Victoria, with hotels, pubs and restaurants packed for the regular season showdown that will be beamed live into US and global audiences.
The rush for tickets has also sparked calls for fans who missed out on a seat to beware of scalpers trying to sell illegal or fake passes to the match.
Victoria has a contract for NFL matches at the MCG for this year and next but the state government would not say if it was in talks to extend the deal, with NFL boss Roger Goodell and high ranking league officials in Melbourne this week.
“Roger Goodell and senior NFL executives are extraordinary leaders and we are proud of our partnership with the NFL that is delivering the first regular season game in Australia,’’ the government said in a statement to the Herald Sun.
“The NFL reaches an enormous audience — almost 19m people tuning in every week.
“That is a huge opportunity to showcase Victoria.
“It will also be a huge boost for local businesses, keeping restaurants, cafes and hotels pumping.’’
More than 151,000 fans had joined a waiting list for tickets to the match.
More than 25,000 of those were from the US, about 5000 were from New Zealand and thousands more from interstate.
Many MCC members, who could access tickets in a pre-sale, were dismayed when they logged on only to find that the allocation of standing room tickets and the cheapest seats had been quickly exhausted, leaving only the exorbitantly priced seats left.
By 10.30am Wednesday, there were about 100,000 people in the Ticketmaster queue online.
By 11.25am, lucky fans snapped up standard seats high in the Southern Stand for $190 each — plus a $10.95 “handling fee’’.
Restricted view seats sold for at least $260 a pop.
Ten minutes later the cheapest seats were $450.
“VIP” tickets to the match, which will kick off at 10.35am, sold for $1750-$2800.
At noon, the cheapest seats available were $560.
Free activities and fan sites linked to the match, outside the MCG and surrounding precinct, are expected to be announced in coming months for those who missed out on tickets.
The government will roll out the red carpet to NFL executives when they arrive for a tour of the MCG this Friday and Saturday, showing them the sights and spruiking Victoria’s event and tourism credentials.
But other Aussie states will also have their sights set on luring NFL matches when Victoria’s two year deal expires.
Despite the clamour for tickets, the choice to play a regular season game in Melbourne has drawn the ire of those involved.
Coach of the San Francisco 49ers Kyle Shanahan when asked about the trip, sarcastically said that he was “so fired up” to travel “19 hours” for a game.
Mr Shanahan also said that although it was “cool” to play overseas, that there was “not much benefit” for the teams.
Originally published as NFL Melbourne tickets on sale: San Francisco 49ers v Los Angeles Rams at the MCG