Consider the way Gus bats himself silly over Sunday arvo footy at Leichhardt. Humphreys knows he's got a great product here and given that lots of fans live a long way away, I can see how this would appeal. Ultimately it's a business and the club would prefer guaranteed revenue streams and this is a way to boost membership numbers.
I remember when they changed the lower concourse to allocated seating at Leichhardt. Usually me and a good mate would make a day of it, buy tickets online, get accommodation, get there early and sit somewhere close to the middle in the lower concourse, cheering on the lower grades with a handful of other people, drinking overpriced alcohol and eating fast food. Then before the main game started we had good seats and all the people who rocked up 10mins before the match got the seats they deserved.
One time we rocked up to do the same thing and security pointed out our seats which were right in the back corner of the lower concourse. It was ridiculous, we were the only blokes there and it just killed the vibe of the day altogether. I briefly considered membership to ensure I'd have decent seating in the lower concourse, but the costs involved were way beyond what I could afford and most of the year the seats at other matches would be sitting empty due to cost involved in getting there. So now I just watch it on TV.
