Ticket Prices Soar as Finals Fever Hits WA

By Samantha Rogers Hailed as the biggest weekend in WA football history, fans are paying big money for tickets to this weekend’s preliminary finals’ tickets but are being warned to be wary of scams and rip-offs. Friday night sees Fremantle host premiership holders Hawthorn as West Coast play North Melbourne Saturday, who last week became the first 8th placed team to make a preliminary final. With the potential of the first Western derby Grand Final looming, supporters are desperate to be a part of history. With both 43,000 capacity games effectively sell-outs, fans are forking out upwards of $150 for seats to the games. The Department of Consumer Protection’s Alina Cavanagh warns popular events like AFL finals increase the risk of inflated and illegal tickets. “Unauthorised sellers who obtain large quantities of tickets exploit the one-off nature of these events and make it harder for everyone else to attend, “When market forces of supply and demand tip in favour of the supplier it does give rise to ticket scalping or on-selling,” Ms Cavanagh said. She says sold-out events in particular have people willing to pay well above market price for tickets and as a result prices soar. Even though the inflated prices have been criticised by football fans and writers alike, Premier Colin Barnett insists there is no real issue. “The AFL I think has done a good job in reducing scalping. “You’re always going to get people maybe selling off a ticket, but I think professional scalpers are gone,” Mr Barnett told AFL.com.au. While some restricted viewing seats are available at face value for the Fremantle vs. Hawthorn game, the West Coast vs. North Melbourne is sold-out.