Why are the other tenant clubs unhappy?

The other clubs have been frustrated for years as their membership and attendances grew with Richmond, Hawthorn and Melbourne sharing seven of the flags won from 2013-2021 while Collingwood were dormant for a few of those years. The deal restricted their capacity to service their members with Richmond and Hawthorn having to move their members for those games only to see the seats they vacated left vacant during the match. Collingwood also had the same dressing rooms, whether it was a home or away game. “We understand the circumstances that this deal was struck years ago with Collingwood when they left Victoria Park and their tenancy at the MCG has seen them make a significant contribution towards the stand and allowed the MCG to invest in it,” Gale told SEN 1116 on Thursday. “But we’ve been a huge contributor to the whole MCG economy. We’ve been there since 1965, Melbourne even longer, and we’ve brought millions of people through the turnstiles into the stadium. We think that if you have 11 home games you should have the same rights, access and benefits for all of them and, right now, with our important, valued reserved seat members - there are thousands of them who have to vacate their seats and find another seat somewhere, if they can, when we play Collingwood as the home team. At its most fundamental, we just don’t think it is fair.”

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Will fans be left disappointed?

If the deal is changed, some of Collingwood’s members including Legends and Club 5 members, could see their ability to lock in reserved seats for all MCG games limited but the Magpies have told members they are determined to reach an agreement that works. A new deal should be a win for several thousand members at those other clubs who have lost their reserved seats for Collingwood games. Gale said Tigers fans won’t be short-changed this year as the Magpies will be the home team for their game but hope it has changed for next season.

Can Collingwood lose?

Their members might be affected but the result might not be negative as the MCC understand how important the Magpies tenancy is so will be doing all they can to ensure their deal remains strong. Whether they are home or away, the “Collingwood” chants will still be booming around the MCG when the Magpies are firing.