Pies forfeit prime reserved seating on level two of MCG Ponsford StandThe battle between Victorian clubs for seats at the MCG has come to an end, with Pies fans forced to relocate out of their preferred seating for some big clashes.
Jay Clark
HeraldSun
9 August 2023Collingwood has been forced to forfeit prime reserved seating on level two of the MCG’s Ponsford Stand as part of a revised agreement with the stadium.
Magpies’ members will lose all of their access to level two for away games against Richmond and Hawthorn and will be offered new seats on levels one and four as replacements.
Collingwood stressed it was happy with the overall deal as the overall number of away game reserved seats remained the same.
It is understood about 2000 fans will be moved from level two for away games against Hawthorn and Richmond and about 1300 fans will be affected for the away games against Carlton, Essendon and Melbourne.
MCG chief executive Stuart Fox said the new arrangement was a fairer agreement for all of the stadium’s tenant clubs.
“As we’ve worked through negotiating new tenancy agreements with the MCG’s home clubs, our collective and primary focus has always been about getting the best possible outcome for the Club, its members and fans,” Fox said.
“The MCG is the spiritual home of football and also the home ground for six proud Victorian teams. We approached negotiations with that in mind as we aimed to achieve fairness and equity for all home clubs.
“It’s never an easy task to balance the competing and at times conflicting needs of multiple clubs whilst also respecting a long standing 30-year agreement such as Collingwood’s.
“The AFL industry has grown exponentially over those years and with that so has the demands on us as a stadium to deliver the best seating models, function spaces as well as commercial returns for each home club.
“We’ve been able to resolve and ultimately return some of that premium inventory to the other clubs for their home games where Collingwood is the away team at the MCG.
“With a shared understanding of the complexities at hand, I’m pleased we’ve been able to deliver improved commercial arrangements for each of our home clubs and they should be commended for how negotiations have been worked through”.
https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/pies-lose-control-of-ponsford-stand-area-in-updated-seating-allocation/news-story/2bb1b267d1133f618a6f7babc8861261