Sunday football "will be free for children under 15" in the Australian Football League's "latest move to embrace its fans," according to Timna Jacks of THE AGE. In a bid to "claw back crowds" after numbers this year dropped by an average of 4,000 per game, the AFL and clubs pledged in early November to devise a "back to basics" ticketing model for MCG and Etihad Stadium matches, "and to make Sundays a family-friendly day." In other moves, general admission tickets "will be available for every game apart from the Essendon-Collingwood Anzac Day blockbuster at the MCG," which will remain a "fully reserved game," and there will be a "price freeze on all general admission tickets" -- A$25 ($20.45) for adults, A$17 for concession and A$5 for kids. Variable pricing will stay, "but the model will be simplified, with complicated match classifications removed." Clubs will now decide the prices of next season's tickets, "with the AFL signing off on the prices early next year." AFL Clubs & Operations GM Travis Auld said, "Clubs know their supporters better than anyone, so it makes sense for them to take an active role in setting ticket prices" (THE AGE, 12/18).
