AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) has been overwhelmed by the demand for the Sir Doug Nicholls Round tickets between the Gold Coast SUNS and Carlton at TIO Stadium next Friday 21 August.
Tickets went on sale to the public at 1:00pm ACST today via www.NTix.com.au and by the time patrons finished their purchases and trying different numbers of tickets (due to the nature of the COVID seating plan) they were all snapped up by 1:40pm.
The NTix website performed well under the increased load, queuing people as they got in the ‘virtual line’ and allowing access depending on previous transactions.
Within the first few seconds of ticketing going online, 1,341 were queued for transaction.
With a reduced capacity of just under 5,500 patrons due to COVID-19 regulations, AFLNT CEO Stuart Totham said he wasn't surprised by how quickly the game sold out.
"Since announcing the SUNS versus Carlton fixture only a week ago, the number of queries and interest we've had has been amazing.
"And today has shown us that Darwin people know a good show when they're presented one!
"While the majority of the tickets to the game were available for purchase today, we know many people missed out but unfortunately, we can't have the 12,500 people like we usually would.
"Due to social distancing protocols and COVID cleaning requirements, the allocation of tickets for matches at TIO Stadium are limited.
"In the interests of everyone’s safety, the stadium must adhere to a reduced capacity," he said.
AFLNT is working on some other alternatives for people who want to be part of the extended atmosphere for next weekend's games, which we will announce next week.
Tickets for the Dreamtime in Darwin game between Essendon and Richmond also go sale at 1pm Friday via www.NTix.com.au.
It is important for patrons to note that AFLNT does not have tickets for sale at the gate on game day, so for the health and safety of everyone please do not attend looking to buy a ticket.
Please also be wary of unauthorized on-sellers; there is no official reseller associated with our AFL games in the NT.