The AFL will trial ticketing data collection during Round 5, in a bid to fasttrack Victorian venues returning to 100 percent capacity.
When purchasing tickets online, fans will now be required to enter the name and contact number of each person attending the venue. Through the first four rounds of the season, fans only needed to enter the details of one person in the attending group.
The aim is to assist the Victorian Government in obtaining the contact details of all fans attending matches to best assist with COVID-19 contact tracing, should an outbreak occur at a venue.
The trial will be conducted for the Carlton vs. Port Adelaide game at the MCG, as well as the Western Bulldogs vs. Gold Coast clash at Marvel Stadium.
"We empathise that fans have had to change the way they may ordinarily purchase tickets and attend matches as we continue to navigate the pandemic and modify our behaviours," said AFL Executive General Manager Commercial and Customer Kylie Rogers. "Encouragingly the data shows fans have quickly adopted the digital ticketing process, and we thank them for embracing the required change.
"The trial this week will assist us in getting back to 100 percent capacity as soon as possible and eventually seeing members get back to their beloved reserved seats in stadium."
The AFL estimates that adding contact details during the ticketing purchase process should only add a maximum of minute to the total transaction time.