![\"Fans](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4516243726c05069b7b4bbc0f9164243036d86fd.jpg\")
Camera IconFans were stuck outside the Perth stadium as they faced issues with their digital tickets. Credit: Reddit<\/p>\nHundreds of footy fans were forced to watch the first moments of the AFL Origin blockbuster outside of Optus Stadium after a ticketing issue caused delays at gate entrances on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
More than 58,000 people descended on the stadium, ready to cheer on their home state as WA battled Victoria in the first State of Origin game in 27 years.<\/p>\n
However, a recent change to ticketing meant the usually smooth process to enter Optus Stadium was anything but easy.<\/p>\n
In January, Optus Stadium announced it would be rolling out a new enhanced digital ticketing system that involves near-field communication (NFC) technology and barcodes refreshing every 15 seconds.<\/p>\n
But attendees were left stuck outside the venue when their tickets would not scan.<\/p>\n
The issue resulted in staff opening turnstiles at the gates 20 minutes after the game commenced, allowing patrons to pile inside the venue without scanning tickets.<\/p>\n
Many punters took to social media to express their frustration at missing the bounce down, with one patron sharing a video showing a hoard of people crowded together outside the stadium.<\/p>\n
The clip, which has already amassed more than 44,000 views, shows the footy fan watching the opening quarter on her phone outside the venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen footy season is supposed to be back, but you\u2019re watching the first quarter outside the stadium because someone at Ticketmaster decided to switch the way to scan into the game,\u201d text accompanying the video read.<\/p>\n
The attendee wasn\u2019t alone, with hundreds of fans claiming they could not make it into the venue until 15 to 30 minutes after the game began.<\/p>\n
\u201c30 minute wait at gate and missed half of 1st quarter \u2014 people were rightfully pissed off, what a mess,\u201d one WA fan wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201c(There were) lines at every gate that stretched to the next gate, even as the game started,\u201d another shared.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just regular fans who struggled to enter \u2014 one high-profile former AFL star was also caught up in the chaos.<\/p>\n
Brendan Fevola, a former Carlton player who starred on the All-Australian team three times, got inside Optus Stadium \u201can hour late\u201d, with his wife sharing a TikTok of the struggle.<\/p>\n
The official Facebook page for Optus Stadium was quickly flooded with comments from disgruntled attendees disappointed over the delays.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a shame half the crowd missed the start (of the game) due to electronic failures at the gates,\u201d one attendee wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeciding to launch new ticketing on a day like (Saturday) was a really bad idea \u2014 Ticketmaster downloaded tickets to Apple wallets without barcodes,\u201d another shared.<\/p>\n
A third attendee wrote: \u201cWe arrived 50 minutes early and barely made the bounce, absolute chaos!\u201d<\/p>\n
One fan called out the WA stadium for only having \u201chalf the gates open\u201d despite queues exceeding \u201c200 to 300 metres\u201d, while another begged Optus to \u201csort out the ticketing issue ASAP\u201d.<\/p>\n
Some attendees also asked the stadium to issue partial refunds to fans who missed a chunk of the blockbuster\u2019s first quarter.<\/p>\n
Camera IconFans were stuck outside the Perth stadium as they faced issues with their digital tickets. Credit: Reddit<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for VenuesWest, the operators of Optus Stadium, told the West Australian that the hiccup was due to a late-arriving crowd and issues with the new system.<\/p>\n
\u201cOptus Stadium apologises to any fans impacted by delays at the gates Saturday afternoon,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe combination of a late arriving crowd and the recent introduction of an enhanced digital ticketing system, which reduces the risk of fraud, are contributing factors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhilst the system was operational, for some fans, additional time was required at gates as they adjusted to the new process. This caused delays for others in the queue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe acknowledge the inconvenience and disappointment of those fans who missed the start of the match and thank those impacted for their patience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision was made to lower turnstile arms at gates, for a period, to enable a smoother entry. The gates were largely clear of fans by 4.50pm.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fiasco comes only two weeks after Optus Stadium announced the new system.<\/p>\n
\u201cTicketmaster created this product to reduce the risk of ticket fraud and ensure fans have the best ticketing experience possible,\u201d Optus Stadium CEO Mike McKenna said of the new system in late January.<\/p>\n
Despite Mr McKenna\u2019s claims of the system aiming to reduce ticket fraud, one AFL Origin spectator claims staff caused further delays by accusing attendees of possessing fraudulent tickets due to the scanning errors.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaff accused multiple of us of having fake tickets even though we clearly had them in the Ticketmaster app,\u201d one attendee said of their game day experience.<\/p>\n
![\"Optus](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/78d75138d13d555e9222780b129e98b23c3a1137.jpg\")
Camera IconOptus Stadium said a late-arriving crowd was partly to blame for the delays (Pictured: Kysaiah Pickett, Shai Bolton, Callum Ah Chee, Bradley Hill and Lawson Humphries during the 2026 AFL Origin match). Credit: Daniel Carson\/AFL Photos\/AFL Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n
With the debacle occurring a short five weeks before the regular AFL fixtures recommence at the stadium, fans have expressed concerns over how the new system will affect the 2026 season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey better fix this before the next Freo match,\u201d one Dockers supporter shared online.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope this was just a learning curve,\u201d another footy fan added.<\/p>\n
A VenuesLive spokesperson said Optus Stadium was working with other organisations regarding the new ticket system to help prevent delays at future AFL games.<\/p>\n
\u201cVenuesLive are working with Ticketmaster, the AFL and the clubs on an education campaign ahead of the start of the AFL season including comprehensive pre-event communications and signage and additional support at entry gates,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Despite the ticketing mayhem, the first Origin match since 1999 was a roaring success for fans.<\/p>\n
More than 840,000 fans across Australia tuned into Channel 7 to watch the match, with Victoria taking home the trophy with a 24-point win.<\/p>\n
The West has contacted Ticketmaster for comment regarding the issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hundreds of footy fans were forced to watch the first moments of the AFL Origin blockbuster outside of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":483181,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,49082,64,63,55,639,46,588,85,45],"class_list":["post-483180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-afl-state-of-origin","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-perth","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-wa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/483181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=483180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=483180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}