The AFL has warned fans to be vigilant around buying grand final tickets after thousands of official barcodes were “illegally downloaded” in a digital security breach.
The league has been forced to cancel and reissue corporate tickets after learning of the hack on Tuesday, and Victoria Police is now investigating the matter.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said they were alerted some tickets may end up “in the wrong hands” and that the extent of the breach was “in the small four figures”.
“The grand final is a sellout, and if any tickets will be getting sold, if you’re looking to purchase tickets now, be really careful about that, because there is a chance that they won’t be authorised tickets,” he said.
Grand final hospitality experiences cost up to $5,995 per person, and patrons affected had bought access to premium offerings including the Crown grand final breakfast and an “intimate lunch” at high-end restaurant Nobu, which is described as “your ticket to the inner-sanctum”.
The AFL on Tuesday said a police investigation was under way over the “unauthorised access to the AFL Event Office tickets”, and Dillon said the matter has been dealt with swiftly.
“We alerted Victoria Police as soon as we became aware of it,” he said. “It was through a third party provider who looks after some of the corporate hospitality packages.”
The AFL is ramping up promotion ahead of the game on Saturday and the Footy Festival began today at Yarra Park, opposite the MCG. The grand final parade on Friday will take a new route to improve the spectator experience. The activities correspond with Victorian school holidays, however rain affected the turnout at Yarra Park on Wednesday.
Saturday’s game between Sydney and Brisbane is the first grand final featuring two interstate teams since 2006. Despite the absence of a Victorian side, the league is expecting the MCG to again reach capacity of 100,024. The ground has attracted six-figure crowds for its previous five grand finals.
Dillon said as the MCG considers its next phase of redevelopment around the Shane Warne Stand, “there would be potential for a slightly expanded capacity”. “We’ve got to work really closely with the MCC the Victorian government about what the right look and feel for that Shane Warne Stand would be,” the AFL boss said.
