More ticket trouble for AFL fans

Ticketek has again incurred the wrath of AFL fans after up to 2000 fans were left queuing outside the MCG while the season-opener between Richmond and Carlton was under way.

The technical glitch on Thursday night meant they were unable to access pre-purchased tickets via their mobile phones.

And AFL patrons weren’t alone, as hundreds of Socceroos fans faced a similar problem at the Adelaide Oval before Australia’s World Cup qualifying match against Tajikistan.

The setbacks come after the ticketing company was lashed by AFL chief Gillon McLachlan for successive system crashes that caused ticket sales delays earlier in March.

“If your mobile ticket hasn’t loaded, please refresh and it will reload. Many thanks for your patience,” the company informed AFL patrons on Thursday night.

“We are looking into this now. If you are the credit card holder, please go to the box office to retrieve your tickets.”

However, the Melbourne Cricket Club, which manages the stadium, is keen to encourage fans to arrive at the ground with pre-printed tickets to avoid delays to entry.

“The problem related to Ticketek’s mobile ticket system,” an MCC spokesperson told the league’s website.

“People did have to wait and go and get a printed ticket, which is not what we want.”

The latest debacle will do little to endear the ticketing agency to the AFL, which took a dim view of the website crashes earlier in March.

“While we are thrilled with the high demand for tickets, the number of AFL members who were either denied or delayed by errors in the Ticketek system is unacceptable,” McLachlan said.

“The AFL and the MCG cannot tolerate having our fans impacted this way. I will be working closely with the MCC as the ticketing system must be greatly improved.”

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