McDonald Jones Stadium will be a full house for Saturday’s A-League grand final between Newcastle Jets and Melbourne Victory – and the city’s business and tourism leaders say it’ll be a shot in the arm for the region’s economy.
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The final allocation of tickets were gone minutes into the general public sale on Monday afternoon, after members snapped up 20,000 spots during Sunday’s pre-sale.
Earlier on Monday, a second pre-sale also sold-out within minutes.
“The demand for the fixture has been overwhelming,” a Football Federation Australia spokesman told the Newcastle Herald.
Jets coach Ernie Merrick said it was fantastic to have the Hunter Region behind the team.
"It will be a full house and having a full house of predominantly Novocastrians and Hunter fans will be terrific for us and very important for the outcome of this game,” he said.
While some who missed out on tickets took to social media to criticise FFA over how the release was handled – given some tickets appeared online for about 10 times the original price soon after the match sold-out – business and tourism leaders say the excitement around the game will lead to a massive boost for the city’s economy.
As of Monday morning, most accommodation in the city was full for Saturday night and there were only a few available seats on flights between Melbourne and Williamtown for the weekend.
Newcastle Airport CEO Peter Cock told the Herald that two extra inbound and one outbound flight would be put on across the weekend because of “massive demand”.
“This historic event is another great opportunity for us to showcase the region and demonstrate the capacity of our region to host major events. Bring on a huge weekend,” he said.
Newcastle Tourism Industry Group general manager Gus Maher said the city would reap significant benefits this weekend and described the event as a major win.
“Every week, sporting teams small and large pour into our city, giving a continuous boost to our visitor economy, whether they are staying in hotels or with friends and relatives,” he said.
“Major events such as Saturday’s grand final magnify the benefits tremendously and the flow-on effects through the airport, hotels, transportation, cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars is immeasurable – certainly in the millions of dollars.”
Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes said the fixture was a chance to showcase the region.
“The game will attract tens of thousands of people and a good percentage of these will come from outside the region, so it’s great news for local businesses who are likely to benefit from the subsequent injection into the local economy,” he said.
But the news had a sour taste for some who were unable to get tickets during the pre-sales or general public sale.
Hundreds of people lined up at McDonald Jones Stadium ahead of Monday’s general public release, but many missed out.
Read more: Jets to host A-League grand final
At an inner city Ticketmaster outlet, the first person in line didn’t even get their hands on tickets.
Some people took a swipe at FFA on social media in the aftermath, criticising the 10 ticket limit for members the day before the general public sale, which had a four ticket limit. It didn’t make things easier for those who missed out when tickets began to appear for sale online – including on Ticketmaster’s re-sale website – barely an hour after the match sold out.
One ticket – for a single seat in Row E of Bay Six – was listed for $1277.78.
Cooranbong man Joshua Bru said he and his three-year-old son Karter had been to almost every home Jets home game this year.
He said his dad, Alain, had bought a family membership for the past five years so the three of them – along with Joshua’s brother Michael – could watch the Jets go around each week.
Read more: Coaching history adds spice to grand final
But despite trying since the first pre-sale started on Sunday morning, Alain didn’t get tickets.
“It's heartbreaking. Not for me, but for my dad who just spends money every year to support a team and spend time with his boys,” Joshua said. “For him to miss out and feel like he couldn't get his sons and grandson a ticket when that’s the aim of every season is disappointing and heartbreaking for him. The first question he asked me was: ‘I have the same seats every year, why do they not just offer me those seats first?’”
An FFA spokesperson said demand for the fixture had been “overwhelming”.
“The tickets made available during the pre-sale period for club members for Saturday’s grand final was in line with previous grand final fixtures run by FFA,” he said.
“The allocation of 10 tickets per member was maintained after discussions with Newcastle Jets management and is implemented to ensure that people can sit with their families and friends at the match and reduce their transactional costs.”
With the Newcastle Knights set to take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs in an NRL match at Turton Road on Friday night, McDonald Jones Stadium manager Brett Campbell’s crew will have a tight turnaround of about 24 hours before the A-League decider.
Mr Campbell said the stadium’s team would work “tirelessly” between full-time on Friday and kick-off on Saturday to make sure the venue was ready for the A-League decider.
“McDonald Jones Stadium has been fortunate to host major events including International Rugby League Test Matches, The British Lions and the AFC Asian Cup Semi Final, but a home grand final is certainly close to the top of the list,” he said.
Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the city was “buzzing”.
“Every time I talk to the Jets players and support staff they tell me how important the Newcastle crowd is to their success,” she said.
“With a sold-out stadium and overwhelming support from the people of Newcastle, I know Saturday’s game is going to be a special moment in our city’s sporting history.”
NSW sports minister Stuart Ayres said it was “fitting that one of the strongest support bases for football in the state will make history as the first region to host the A-League grand final outside of a capital city”.
“No matter the outcome, the Jets are one of the great success stories of this state - to go from wooden spooners to grand finalists in one season is truly remarkable.”
The Jets will hold an open training session at Ray Watt Oval from 10am on Wednesday, where fans will also get a chance to meet players and get pictures and autographs.
Nick Bielby
Nick Bielby is a crime reporter who has worked as a journalist since 2011. Having joined the Newcastle Herald in 2017, he won a Walkley Award in 2019 with Donna Page for their investigation 'Dirty Deeds', which exposed the decades of illegal dumping of toxic material in and around a Hunter waterway.
Nick Bielby is a crime reporter who has worked as a journalist since 2011. Having joined the Newcastle Herald in 2017, he won a Walkley Award in 2019 with Donna Page for their investigation 'Dirty Deeds', which exposed the decades of illegal dumping of toxic material in and around a Hunter waterway.
