This was published 9 years ago
AFL apologises to crowd locked out of Princes Park for historic women's match
Updated ,first published
The AFL has apologised to more than a thousand fans locked out of Princes Park for the historic first game of the new AFLW competition.
AFL chief Gillon McLachlan went outside the stadium at the quarter-time break to personally apologise to those left outside the at-capacity stadium.
McLachlan said the league wanted to let them in to stand in the aisles, but Victoria Police had advised it would not be safe.
"We just didn't realise so many people were going turn up," McLachlan later said.
There were reportedly already people standing between seats in the Legends' stand because they could not find a seat anywhere.
An estimated 24,500 supporters managed to make it inside.
Crowds were so large that people reported experiencing problems with mobile phone services in and around the ground, and were unable to send or receive text messages.
Friday night's massive turnout has sparked questions about whether the AFL underestimated interest in the match, and why it did not hold the match at a larger stadium, such as Etihad Stadium.
Some of the barrackers who were locked out reportedly heckled and jeered McLachlan as he spoke.
The stadium has a capacity of more than 20,000 people and was full by the time the siren sounded for the opening of the landmark match between two heavyweights of the old VFL - Carlton and Collingwood.
Traffic was heavy around the park as fans headed into the stadium, with reports of a queue of cars for two kilometres down Royal Parade.
One Twitter user posted that people had attempted to pull down part of a wall to get into the locked out stadium.
Carlton supporter Rob Jones, of Moonee Ponds, said his five-year-old daughter, Maria, was one of many young fans in tears at being left outside.
He said she had been looking forward to watching the game for weeks and being a part of history.
"There are kids bawling their eyes out," Mr Jones. "It's really sad to have inconsolable kids for something which is an occasion to celebrate.
He said the game was mismanaged and it should have been obvious with all the publicity that a larger stadium was needed.
