Hundreds of Australian footy fans from Melbourne and Sydney have formed a chorus of opposition to the late transfer of the Melbourne Storm's home NRL rugby league match against St George Illawarra Dragons to Napier.
Immediately angering Storm fans annoyed by the loss of the July 25 game from a 12-match home schedule, in a city dominated by Aussie rules football, the switch has also angered Dragons fans who had booked flights to Melbourne to take in a double-header, which opens with a July 25 football match between global giants Real Madrid and English club Manchester City.
It is the third of three big football matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) that week - the Storm management decided to move the match for financial reasons, worried they could get even less than the club's home match average crowd of 14,000, not even half the average for the dozens of AFL games in the city.
Frustration was vented on Facebook, where a Dragons fan using the name Justin Mining wrote: "What a disgrace. Many St George supporters had already booked non-refundable flights and accommodation to Melbourne after the draw was released, knowing that there was the Man City game also on that weekend and flights/hotels would be all booked up. What a pathetic act to now shift the game costing supporters hundreds of dollars, let alone letting down your own supporters/members to chase a few extra dollars.
"From this point on, I would encourage any visiting supporters to give the trip a miss and stay at home instead of going to a game scheduled down there, as who knows where it will end up. Storm - ruining league for years."
In settling a deal with the Napier City Council, the Melbourne Storm have agreed to refund members a 12th of their membership as compensation. The refunds range up to about $120 per member.
Storm representatives are due in Napier in the next fortnight to continue planning for the big game the council hopes will attract at least 16,000.
Tickets go on sale through Ticketek today, with embankment and seat-only prices from $10 to $55, and lounge and hospitality packages up to $195 a head, most with concessions for groups of 10 or more.