This week I found out just how hard the Australian Rugby Union are making it for anyone who is not a rusted-on-the-hull rugby fan to see the Wallabies.
A while ago I was discussing sport generally with a few mates (as you do) when one of them brought up the fact that it was almost Wallabies season again.
Most of these guys like rugby but pay the closest attention during the Test rugby part of the year. I don’t think this fading in-and-out of interest in rugby would be an experience limited to my group of friends.
It seemed to me that now the Wallabies were in their consciousness a bit more it was a good time to check ticket prices, anticipating that a bunch of us would attend a Bledisloe game this year.
I logged on to Ticketek and checked how much we would need to get a decent view of the All Blacks game in Sydney. $159. It costs $159 to watch the Wallabies while sitting along the sections of the field between the 22m lines. That’s a gold class ticket. It’d want to be plated in gold too.
People who know me will testify to the fact that I can be quite persuasive when I want to be. However, there is not a group of us going to the Bledisloe Cup this year.
Last week I noticed via Twitter that The Roar’s rugby expert Paul Cully had been able to purchase a ticket to the Super Rugby final between the Chiefs and Sharks in Hamilton for only $35. That is in stark contrast to our $159 price point.
You could argue that the Wallabies are a higher level of the sport, and that would be true. But that point would be more than countered by being reminding that the Chiefs are hosting their first final, and there is no guarantee there will ever be another one, unlike the yearly Bledisloe Cup.
Add to that being in a final is a sign of success. The Wallabies are one from 11 and they still want to charge $159.
To be fair, I didn’t know exactly what part of the ground Cully’s ticket was for, but now I was interested as to the real difference in value here. So I investigated.
The Chiefs website listed the second best tickets as “Red Reserve $90”. My intuition and experience with ticketing in Australian rugby told me that this was probably a ticket in the sections along the sideline between the 22m lines – comparable to the $159 Wallabies ticket.
I couldn’t find a seating map, however, so I contacted TicketDirect to confirm my hunch. They replied to me the next day saying, “There were a range of prices between the 22s, with higher prices for the premium seats under cover and lower priced seats closer to the field. Prices ranged from mid-thirties up to $120 for the best seats in the house.”
So what I imagine were the typical expensive second tier/box tickets are $120 in the middle of the field, while uncovered ones down closer to the action were beginning in the mid 30s price range. A massive difference to what it costs for my mates to get an uncovered seat between the 22s to see the Wallabies.
This got me thinking (dangerous I know). What is the competition like? What are the other options for potential Wallabies supporters in Sydney?
I jumped on the web to see what some of my friends could be doing instead of getting more and more interested in rugby during the most accessible part of its calendar.
The Sydney Swans have tickets at ANZ for a great seat along the side of the field (not that this positioning is a crucial for AFL) against Collingwood for $74.
This is one of the bigger regular season matches for the Swans and the recent move to ANZ for these matches has actually been a big hit with a lot of casual AFL fans I know. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were people I know at this match, in this ticket range.
Looking to the NRL, a sports goer could pick up Sydney Roosters v Wests Tigers tickets along the sideline in premium reserve for $42. That’s shamefully cheaper than the Wallabies and no one is disinterested, fiddling with their phones whenever Benji Marshall is on a football field. I and a few of my buddies have been to a match just to see him play before.
I thought I’d get a little more creative just to see how absurd ticket pricing is for a Wallabies match these days. I thought about the biggest sport in the world and how much it would cost to see my national team.
The Socceroos have a World Cup Qualifier against Oman at the SFS, next March I believe, and a Category A sideline ticket to this important match in the scheme of the next four year world game cycle is $95.
Perhaps a more creative research angle but still further shame for the Wallabies price point, the Australian Netball team has a Test series coming up in Sydney at the Superdome. You can pick an A Reserve sideline ticket to this for $75.
The catch here is that you get to watch Australia v New Zealand and (!) South Africa v England. I mean, this is just getting ridiculous now.
To drive this point home even further you can get a ticket to one of the biggest phenomena in the world this year, period, for $99. That’s a One Direction floor ticket. Heck, the man in almost every song on FM radio these days, Pitbull, will let you into his floor section for less than a Wallabies ticket. So will pretend rockers Nickleback. All of these tickets are giving you more entertainment time for less money.
I’ll admit that I’m in a working class part of Sydney. Maybe the people running the ARU aren’t interested in my friends attending Wallabies matches anymore, but that’s not a good thing.
They’ve priced all of my friends out of supporting their country. And I’d almost bet a week’s pay that they won’t sell out the ground to justify such a high price point. They haven’t in the past.
This isn’t all to say that the Wallabies have to be the cheapest ticket in town. There is a bit of prestige to a Wallabies match for sure. I think the best aim would be to keep most tickets under the $100 mark.
The ARU would find that more people can justify the expense and hopefully we will begin to sell out matches at the biggest ground in Sydney again.
There are a number of reasons why the Wallabies are important to the Australian rugby community.
They are definitely one of the most recognised sports brands in our market – that has been building since the Wallabies became much more competitive in the late 70s and built right up to the 2003 World Cup.
It is also the most important part of the rugby calendar for generating new followers because rugby is finally on free-to-air TV. People my age don’t really get to follow the Waratahs that closely if they don’t have Foxtel.
Most people don’t even associate the Waratahs with their long history, but view them as an elitist team that was created for pay TV in the 90s when rugby went professional (some of them think rugby league State of Origin is older!) Along come the Wallabies and all of my mates enjoy rugby again, because it’s accessible.
For the first time since the World Cup last year people without Foxtel can follow rugby more closely. It’s a shame pricing prevents them from the most important experience in fandom – attendance.
Maybe everyone will just see The Dark Knight Rises in the Gold Lounge of Event Cinemas for $35.90.
Tui
Guest
I agree pricing in Australia is ridiculous. I am only going because of the $45 nose bleeds they have released. Next cheapest is $90 bronze tickets. Would rather watch a it a pub than spend $90 on crap seats at a crap stadium especially compared to Suncorp and even Eden Park.
mitzter
Guest
Look I don't mind if its supply and demand and they can sell them at that price, I just don't like empty seats when tickets are expensive. I'm particularly talking about Super Rugby here - heaps of empty seats yet are charging over $40 for the crappy seats. If they charged $10 I'm sure they would get over 4 times the number
Gary Russell-Sharam
Guest
Elisha I'm like you I think the price is excessive and I agree it would be great if the price would be kept under $100.00 for a ticket. Even then though you won't get me to go. I'm over the hurly burly of sitting in the stands watching a match without commentary from a talking head like on TV. The exception to a talking head at the match is usually some Kiwi who is cock a hoop with his countries performance (justifiable so) yelling without restraint using profanity that would curl a warfies ears, right next to me and my family. I would rather get a couple of mates around and sit in front of my 40" colour TV and watch it from the comfort of my lounge room. Admittedly I'm a tad older than when I used stand on the hill at Ballymore and get drowned in beer from some oaf behind me that forgot to put his can down before waving madly when the ABs scored a try. I graduated to the club bar at an early age and used to watch with quite a few very observant ex players. Our exclamations of "Jolly Good Try Old Chap" and good tackle were much more refined than F......ing great try, Kill them F......ers that one used to hear with regularity. Even sitting in the family seats at Suncorp a 3-4 years ago at times you could be unlucky to sit within earshot of some people that voiced their appreciation using language that might be thought to be not really that nice. So I now sit in my lounge surrounded be like minded people that appreciate a good game of rugby and the cost is quite reasonable (my monthly sub to Fox Sport). Do you think I'm old and past it? Probably I am, but it's not bad really it's quite comfortable, now if I could only get rid of Kernsey and Clarke yabbering on it would be really good. Also I don't believe the full sign either I'm sure if you had access to the real figures they just might be a little short in fully paid up fans
johnson
Guest
honestly though, we all want bigger super 15 squads, more development in younger players, A second tier competition to rival the Currie cup and the NPC (Air New Zealand Cup) so our younger players can more effectively feed our Super 15 sides and become Wallabies. We need depth in Australian Rugby and we want our older more experienced players to stay on and teach the new breed. All this costs money. We want the Super 15 on free to air telly. This to will cost money. The ARU needs to make money when it can. We cant have our cake and eat it too. If the ARU can sell seats at this price, and they will, I say good. I like money in the ARU coffers. I see your point though, but the big picture is the ARU needs to make money when it can. Australian rugby can't function on rugby tragics love
peterlala
Guest
Elisha, thanks. Interesting insight into success and value.
Spikhaza
Guest
This comment is rubbish, all 3 tests for Lions 2009 where sold out months in advance.
peterlala
Guest
Gold.
Elisha Pearce
Guest
Thanks heaps Nick. Appreciate it. There's money to be had elsewhere isn't there? Maximise every other money stream, I don't really care. But this is a sport, so the people you're doing it for are the fans. End of.
Elisha Pearce
Guest
That would seem to be the smarter option. Get the place packed, game after game. If it's sold out for 5 years then maybe incrementally increase a bit. But surely building the atmosphere and brand of the Wallabies is important. John O'Neill probably has a lot of mates at Macquarie Bank though. They might be able to afford the good tickets.
chris
Guest
The high prices for the last Lions test in South Africa resulted in 2 test's not selling out and apart from one of the test's all games had loads' of empty seats which should not be the case in South Africa. But let's face it going to international's and top level club games are not what they used to be with apart from high ticket's/parking buying food and drink and worst of all the over the top security steward's rent a cop (and I noticed one of the commentator's mentioned that at the S15 final) and they nanny state attitude put's alot of people off going but it doesn't stop there for me it's also the rules/the constant change of the jerseys with there awful colour's(NRL being number 1) and there round neck tight fitting's etc etc. The NFL and College Football and maybe even the AFL don't have that problem (for jersey's). Thank's rant over.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
$150 to watch the Qantas Wallabies play the Castrol Edge Rugby Championship opener at ANZ stadium ? Who would have though the ARU & wallabies loved their money! Nice article Elisha by the way.
Irene Watt
Roar Rookie
Looks like they aren't getting the numbers for Saturday's Bledisloe. Silver tickets are now being sold for $45 which is a massive 60% discount!! Not sure how long the sale is for but it's disappointing to see that they are heavily discounting instead of setting reasonable prices to start with. http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?pp=QMYTK&sh=WALLNEWZ12&M=4b8e5f0d-cb91-4364-a430-01b53db9b965
Jimmy D
Guest
Got my tickets few weeks back $89 seats are behind the goal posts but Im looking forward to it nonetheless just for the atmosphere...and to see the World Champions win! Flying in from Perth so going to make a weekend of it with the missus... Can't wait... No moths in my wallet.... justin2 shout you a beer or two if the Wallabies win!
Sorry R1350
The only tickets I could get for the SA vs Nz match was behind the posts. at 40 OZ $ per ticket. Problem is I have to buy 3, so to pay R1250 or 120 OZ $ for sitting behind the posts isn't worth while I think.
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
What are the prices for the bok / arg tests
Atawhai Drive
Roar Guru
I'm reluctantly coming to accept that I may never see another rugby Test as a spectator in the stands. This year, lured by the return of Test rugby to Moore Park, and the prospect of a daylight Test, I shelled out for the third Australia-Wales clash. The first two Tests had been drab, at best, but with the series decided I was hoping for an open and exciting match. That never happened. The weekend took about $500 out of the family budget _ two tickets (the seats turned out to be on the opposite side of the ground from the ones I had ordered online), hotel, meals out, petrol and consoling red wine. All that for a dire game of rugby. This Saturday, I'll watch Balmain play UNSW at Blackmore Oval, a wonderful little ground in a lost corner of Leichhardt. Then I'll drive home and turn on the TV to see how the Wallabies fare against the All Blacks. I have a fair idea which match will deliver the most spectator satisfaction. Next year I'll try to get to the Lions-Combined Country match, depending on ticket prices. But $300 a pop to watch the Wallabies-Lions Tests? Almost $4 a minute? No rugby match is worth that much.
Justin2
Guest
Most Kiwis open their wallets and have to wait for the moths to fly out before seeing what cash is in there ;)
Invictus
Guest
The advice was non-partisan. I would be classed as a rugby tragic and $159 for a ticket is too much for me. So it isn't just casual or fringe fans who are being priced out of the market.
Elisha Pearce
Guest
A decibel reader in Sydney test matches would suggest that if there are 70,000 people there then it would be max 10,000 fans.