We’ve received considerable feedback about the member experience in the Western Stand at Adelaide Oval home games in 2015 - particularly that open-choice seating was difficult to secure.
Our members are at the heart of everything we do, and we want you to feel at home when you come to a Port Adelaide game – so we’re putting some changes in place to make sure your experience is improved.
There are a number of factors which contribute to Western Stand access and we’re here to let you know how we’re planning on tackling these going forward.
Number of Memberships that access the Western Stand
Capacity in the Western Stand is approximately 16,000 seats and standing room places. As part of the arrangement between the AFL Clubs and the stadium, the SMA can have 8,000 Adelaide Oval Football Memberships (22-game packages) and the club is permitted to allocate up to 8,000 Essential Power memberships.
This season, all 8,000 AOFM memberships were sold and the club capped its Essential Power memberships at 7,200 in order to limit capacity issues.
In the 2016 season, the club expects all 8,000 AOFM memberships to be sold again as they will replace any unrenewed members with people on their wait list.
In order to assist with managing capacity more effectively, the club will restrict the number of Essential Power memberships that are offered to replace the members who do not renew in 2016. This will mean the number of members with access into the Western Stand in 2016 will be less.
We will also provide existing 2015 Essential Power members the opportunity to transfer into available reserved seating in other parts of the Stadium. For existing 2015 members who wish to change their membership to the Riverbank or Eastern Stands, or Northern Terrace, a Seat Change Request process will be available. Any Essential Power or Reserved Seat member can apply for a seat change request, and will be offered the chance to move into any reserved seating that has become available due to non-renewal. Details on this process will be outlined on your 2016 renewal form.
Number of Guest Passes available for each match
On average, there was less than 1,000 guest passes sold for each home game. The number of guest passes made available for sale each game is based on the expected attendance rate of members. Ie, if a high member show rate is expected, the number of guest passes may be restricted to a few hundred. If a lower member show rate is expected, the number of guest passes may be several thousand (albeit these do not usually sell out).
We now have two complete seasons of attendance data for our home games at Adelaide Oval which means we are in a much better position to make informed decisions related to expected attendance for each game and therefore manage capacity more effectively.
At the conclusion of the first season at Adelaide Oval, strong member feedback was for an increase in the number of reserved seats available in the Western Stand. Based on this and in consultation with the stadium, the number of reserved seats was increased by just over 1000 in total. In reviewing the operation of the Western Stand in 2015, this change did not have the desired effect and even though there are more members with season reserved seats, it has obviously reduced the number of open-choice seats that are available for the majority of members who have unreserved access.
For this reason, there will be no additional reserved seating made available in the Western Stand for 2016 as the club does not wish to compound the issue further.
Our objective is to better balance the number of seasonal reserved seats with the number of daily (single-game) reserved seats within the existing reserved seating boundaries.
The other major concern for us in 2015 was when members chose to upgrade to a seasonal reserved seat but then did not attend all games. This seat is effectively becomes off-limits for all unreserved members which reduces capacity and causes frustration as quite clearly people can see a seat that isn’t being utilized. This was less common in the Essential Power reserved bays, but was definitely a major issue in the AOFM reserved bays (sections 303-305) where attendance rates were clearly lower. The club is currently working with the stadium to increase AOFM member attendance rates or encourage these members to convert to daily reserved seating if they will not be attending the majority of games.
The benefit of having daily reserved seating is that members can pick and choose which games they will require a reserved seat, and which games they will easily
be able to secure open-choice seating. So, any given seat will potentially be used used by 11 different members across the season, rather than being restricted to one member and not get used if that member can’t attend every game.
Prices for daily reserved seating will remain a more affordable option for members who only wish to reserve their seats for selected games at $20 for Level 2 or $15 for Level 3 daily reserved seating in 2016.
Members wanting to secure a season reserved seat
For existing Essential Power members whose first priority is to secure a season reserved seat, the club recommends they submit a Seat Change Request to transfer their membership to the Riverbank or Eastern Stands, or Northern Terrace. Any Essential Power or Reserved Seat member can apply for a seat change request, and will be offered the chance to move into any reserved seating that becomes available due to non-renewal. Details on this process will be outlined on your 2016 renewal form. Essential Power members will be given priority ahead of the reserved seat wait list to secure any available seasonal reserved seats.
A reminder that members can use the Virtual Adelaide Oval tool on www.weareportadelaide.com.au from November to explore reserved seating options in the other stands, with an approximate view from each seating bay available.
Round 16 Showdown
I would also like to provide some explanation of the Round16 Showdown where open-choice seating in the Western Stand was under the most pressure and resulted in an overflow into general admission areas for some members.
There was a unique set of circumstances surrounding that game with the tragic passing of Phil Walsh which resulted in an unprecedented member attendance rate – significantly higher than even the first match at Adelaide Oval in 2014.
The number of members who attended (or passed their tickets onto others) because so many people wanted to be a part of that important day in SA football, meant that the initial predictions on member attendance rate (made before tickets went on sale a month before the match) were lower than eventuated on the day.
Even with less daily tickets and guest passes sold for this game than other blockbusters in 2015, the record member attendance rate resulted in difficulties for members securing open choice seating. The club does not expect this level of member attendance rate will occur in the future. To the many members who were affected negatively at this game we sincerely apologize and we are working to ensure this does not happen again.
The management of seating inventory in the Western Stand is complex because we are managing two groups of members (Port Adelaide and Adelaide Oval) and everyone has their individual preferences, season reserved or open choice seating. Our objective is to find the right balance and provide everyone with a solution to their ticketing and seating requirements for Port Adelaide games at Adelaide Oval. If you are unsure of the options that are available to you or currently you cannot secure your preference, please don’t hesitate to contact our Member Services team on 1300 467 232 or membership@pafc.com.au and we are always happy to discuss the options or the best course of action for your needs.
See you in 2016!
Cheers,
 |
Matthew Richardson
General Manager - Marketing and Consumer Business
