ETIHAD Stadium has encouraged fans to pre-purchase tickets and arrive for matches ahead of time to avoid delays such as those experienced at Melbourne's clash against St Kilda in round six.

A large portion of supporters arrived shortly before Saturday's match, which started at 1.45pm, and many purchased tickets on the day, according to Etihad Stadium management.

The Stadium, which experienced no problems with a much larger crowd the night before, was fully staffed and had all ticket windows open, meaning delays could not have been avoided.

"We always urge people to pre-purchase where they can," Etihad Stadium spokesman Bill Lane said. 

"We were hit by late arrivals, and the later they arrive and the bigger the mass of people arriving late, it's inevitable there will be some delays.

"We get feedback and we did not receive a single complaint about the Friday night game.

"People pre-purchased or arrived early or were members and were able to scan in."

Saturday's match was the Demons' only home game at Etihad Stadium for the season, drawing a crowd of 27,260.