Cats’ ticket price hike is all for the good, says Fans Association

THE price increase for reserved seating and social club membership at GMHBA Stadium next year has been given the tick of approval by the AFL Fans Association.

Geelong advised affected members on Thursday evening that there would be additional charges for reserved seating and social club tickets from 2019.

But AFLFA president Gerry Eeman said he was sympathetic towards the Cats and praised the manner of their communication to members.

“Obviously no one ever likes prices going up, but it is whether they are reasonable,” Eeman said.

“What I like about what they did is that they didn’t just jack up the prices with no explanation, so I appreciate that they took the time to set out their reasoning. One of those reasons was moving away from gaming, which is something that most footy fans want, so I think they handled it well.”

On average, roughly 8000 members will be paying an extra $8 to attend a Geelong home game at GMHBA Stadium, which will deliver the club close to an additional $300,000 per season.

It is understood that some of the factors considered in reaching the decision to increase seating prices were a rise in rent, charged by the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust, and the club’s desire to clear its debt within the next three years.

Eeman said it was still relatively affordable to attend matches at GMHBA Stadium, especially compared with other AFL venues, and added that he was yet to receive any negative feedback on the issue from Geelong members.

“It is still reasonably affordable to go to the footy at Geelong, and we recognise it is still a ground that is more price conscious than others.

“It is hard to ever be happy about a price increase but I think you have got to be reasonable when you consider that.

“(Feedback from Geelong members) might eventuate over the next couple of days, but I haven’t heard anything yet.”