Game Day Gather Round 2023

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Betts are off said:
Yeah no, screw that. I see no benefit in a Gather round Showdown.

In fact if I was a Vic club i'd be gunning to play an Adelaide team during the Gather-round. Marquee timeslot at a packed AO in a Novelty round, that's maximum exposure your club!
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I've seen the suggestion we play a gather round showdown or play a home game outside of Adelaide later in the year to make it fair. Just won't happen, wouldn't that mean we have to sell 10 game memberships instead of 11, just won't happen.

I don't think the Gather Round was ever about blockbuster games anyway the way it was fixtured, you're just going to luck into some based on clubs moving up and down the ladder.
 
Dirty Bird said:
And they'd probably be able to say 'well, we had to travel in Gather round instead of it being neutral, so we only want 4 other interstate games'

Could be a win for the club (Less travel, better exposure)

I think next year Adelaide vs Melbourne on Thursday Night, Port Adelaide vs Richmond on Friday Night.
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Yeah, i'd like to see those games, but I would assume Port will get the opening round next year.
 
AFC3000 said:
I've seen the suggestion we play a gather round showdown or play a home game outside of Adelaide later in the year to make it fair. Just won't happen, wouldn't that mean we have to sell 10 game memberships instead of 11, just won't happen.

I don't think the Gather Round was ever about blockbuster games anyway the way it was fixtured, you're just going to luck into some based on clubs moving up and down the ladder.
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The Gather round isn't about blockbusters. But the 3 night slots at Adelaide Oval are all going to be the biggest games from a rating's. Particularly opening night!

Would love to have seen the stats on interstate viewership of our game against Carlton. Bet it was as high or higher then any game we've played in 4 years
 

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OK if you're a camel I guess...



But while footy fans were able to enjoy a pre-match beverage with ease, it became a lot harder when they got into Norwood Oval.

With less bars than what was usually operational for a SANFL game lines for drinks quickly snaked around the iconic hill at Norwood Oval.

Punters were left thirsty, impatient and annoyed.

“I’ve been thirsty since quarter time,” Jordan Meseldzija said as he waited in line for a drink as the halftime siren sounded.

“We’ve been waiting a fair while to get a drink.”

Cade Parsons of Salisbury East said he nearly had to wait for two quarters for a drink.

“It has been bloody too long,” he said.

“We pretty much missed the first quarter waiting in line for a drink.

“The only good thing is that we are watching the footy.”
 
Clearly there must be a game in Coober Pedy next year. If not, may as well pack it in. I mean who would attend gather round to go to the best stadium in Australia and enjoy all the city has to offer? There's opals to be found and dugouts to be enjoyed there yonder.
 
Grooster24 said:
These games should all be double up games, not the only time the two teams meet for the year. It's meant to be an extra round, so logic means it should be a double up game. It will also remove all this BS about fans complaining about missing certain games.
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This is what makes the most sense. So you can be sure the AFL won't do it.
 
Grooster24 said:
These games should all be double up games, not the only time the two teams meet for the year. It's meant to be an extra round, so logic means it should be a double up game. It will also remove all this BS about fans complaining about missing certain games.
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Make them all the 3rd derby (or the first of 3) .. imagine the crowds then.
 
A Showdown in gather round would be dumb as ****.

A) There's no way we play 3 Showdowns in a season, so 1 club would lose their Showdown. And you just know it won't be the beggars from Alberton.
B) Crows and Port need separate games to drive attendances.
C) The only people complaining are VicMedia shills
 
Well, like some others my attitude to Gather Round has gone from "cool idea" to "this is great!". Some random thoughts:

- It will move away from SA after 2026. It is / will be a very valuable commodity for the AFL as they seek to extend their reach across Australia, they can't afford to leave it in SA. Even if the crowd numbers aren't as high, they'll want to have a "Festival of Footy" in NSW / Qld for a start. And frankly that's fair enough.

- Seems like Norwood is on its own as the metro stadium. I don't think any other ground can offer the same features including nearby bar / dining strip etc?

- They'll have the "regional" game somewhere other than Mt Barker next year, this will surely be rotated. I don't know if they have a good enough ground down there, but it seems to me McLaren Vale would be the best bet in terms of proximity to the city?

- Double header ticketing and crowds are a challenge. I don't know how the ticketing was arranged, but I guess in an ideal world and to maximise the crowd at each game you'd be selling tickets to the 2 games individually, plus a discounted ticket for both games. But that would be a logistical nightmare. Youd need to clear the stadium and re-fill it between games, and for that you'd need IMO 3 hours at a minimum. So sure, people could go for a meal break between games, but where are 10,00+ people going to go for a meal, in reasonable proximity to AO, in less than 3 hours? I'm not sure it can happen.

- And further to that, I wonder if, weather aside, Port might have a case for saying they were hard done by, being the second game on Saturday. Maybe it could/should be the Crows and Port games as standalone on the Thurs and Friday nights?
 
Livid, Tom Elliot on 3AW just now, made the comment that all gather round did was make supporters from the heartland of AFL, Victoria, travel interstate to watch their team play. Honestly the b..ching and moaning from some members of the media over in Vic has been ridiculous. I never realised how insecure they are, it is embarrassing!!
 

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Dirty Bird said:
Their fans are stupid

They argue that they dont get true home advantage as the crowd aspect makes it a neutral game.

However, with everyone having equal access to tickets, AO got a crowd split similar to what you'd get at one of these so called neutral Carlton vs St Kilda games........

So it's an extra home game Adelaide vs Carlton, but it's a neutral game for Carlton vs St Kilda? Right...........
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And they conveniently forget that the whole not having to get on a flight and spend a night away from family is an advantage..
 
Mutineer said:
OK if you're a camel I guess...



But while footy fans were able to enjoy a pre-match beverage with ease, it became a lot harder when they got into Norwood Oval.

With less bars than what was usually operational for a SANFL game lines for drinks quickly snaked around the iconic hill at Norwood Oval.

Punters were left thirsty, impatient and annoyed.

“I’ve been thirsty since quarter time,” Jordan Meseldzija said as he waited in line for a drink as the halftime siren sounded.

“We’ve been waiting a fair while to get a drink.”

Cade Parsons of Salisbury East said he nearly had to wait for two quarters for a drink.

“It has been bloody too long,” he said.

“We pretty much missed the first quarter waiting in line for a drink.

“The only good thing is that we are watching the footy.”
Click to expand...
Surprise who would have thought posted this
 
Crow-eater said:
A Showdown in gather round would be dumb as *.

A) There's no way we play 3 Showdowns in a season, so 1 club would lose their Showdown. And you just know it won't be the beggars from Alberton.
B) Crows and Port need separate games to drive attendances.
C) The only people complaining are VicMedia shills
Click to expand...
There's also a couple of West Coast numpties as well (Haven't seen a Freo fan complain though)
 
arrowman said:
Well, like some others my attitude to Gather Round has gone from "cool idea" to "this is great!". Some random thoughts:

- It will move away from SA after 2026. It is / will be a very valuable commodity for the AFL as they seek to extend their reach across Australia, they can't afford to leave it in SA. Even if the crowd numbers aren't as high, they'll want to have a "Festival of Footy" in NSW / Qld for a start. And frankly that's fair enough.

- Seems like Norwood is on its own as the metro stadium. I don't think any other ground can offer the same features including nearby bar / dining strip etc?

- They'll have the "regional" game somewhere other than Mt Barker next year, this will surely be rotated. I don't know if they have a good enough ground down there, but it seems to me McLaren Vale would be the best bet in terms of proximity to the city?

- Double header ticketing and crowds are a challenge. I don't know how the ticketing was arranged, but I guess in an ideal world and to maximise the crowd at each game you'd be selling tickets to the 2 games individually, plus a discounted ticket for both games. But that would be a logistical nightmare. Youd need to clear the stadium and re-fill it between games, and for that you'd need IMO 3 hours at a minimum. So sure, people could go for a meal break between games, but where are 10,00+ people going to go for a meal, in reasonable proximity to AO, in less than 3 hours? I'm not sure it can happen.

- And further to that, I wonder if, weather aside, Port might have a case for saying they were hard done by, being the second game on Saturday. Maybe it could/should be the Crows and Port games as standalone on the Thurs and Friday nights?
Click to expand...
-If the Feds dont give Tassie the money for their stadium, I wouldn't be opposed to April school holidays to be rotated between Adelaide/Perth and then create one in the winter school holidays to be rotated between SEQ/Sydney (Fans would go to SEQ due to weather. and Sydney can only host it then) - However, if Tassie do get a side. Adding 2 Gather rounds, ontop of the bye for Tassie, drags the season out to 26 weeks. Im not sure the ground availability is there unless they ditch the pre finals bye.

-Prospect Oval's 550m from the dining strip on Prospect Road, plus has good public transport (via buses) on Main North Road.
Glenelg Oval's 350m from the dining strip on Jetty Road, plus has good public transport (via tram) there as well.
And Unley Oval's 350m from the dining strip on Unley Road, (I'm unsure on how good public transport is there though)
Yes, Norwood Oval is on the Parade, but it's still 250m from where the dining really starts.

Any of those 4 are good options.

But Unley has major drawbacks (Ground size, where do you force the crowd into. Unless it's Gold Coast vs Greater Western Sydney, it'll lock out travelling fans, so could be a disaster. (It'll sellout either way via locals. But at least let travelling fans in. So make it Gold Coast vs GWS)

Prospect and Glenelg don't have major drawbacks. Infact, Prospect might be ideal as it actually has space around the ground to set up food vans. Dont really have the room to do that at Norwood (besides Southern end).

-I agree with the regional. They'll have 1 game, but it'll be close. Suggestions of going to Riverina, Mt Gambier, Yorke Peninsula etc. is sheer idiocy. About a 70km radius is as far as I'd go. But maybe each of the 4 years (this year + 3 more) go somewhere new. Aim for the 4 being Mt Barker, Tanunda, Victor Harbor, McLaren Vale.

-Double headers are a challenge. I'd look the other way, break from normal standards. Allow clubs to do their training elsewhere. ie. Adelaide Oval 2. You see it in community footy. EG. If you're at Goodwood Oval, you go the 150m to the Hockey Ground. Flinders Park would go to the oval out back. Or even at the SANFL, you rock up to Prospect Oval during the 3rd qtr of the ressies and the league players are out warming up in the memorial gardens. Warmup elsewhere, and you can congest those games in tight.

-And you'd be right. Port would feel hard done by. But I feel now, the AFL was skeptical as to whether it'd work. And decided to cover all bases and test everything this year to know what to do going forward. If they go a 6/3 split, you know Thursday/Friday night going forward will be the 2 local teams. And even though Port might beg to kick off the round. It might actually be in their interests to do Friday (Some people might just do the weekend, and Friday is more accessible for those that want to listen to the singalong) But I guess if they go a 5/4 split, it gives you flexibility if one team's stinking up the joint and you dont want to force them into primetime (Doesnt stop the AFL doing so with North though on GF)
 
Dirty Bird said:
-If the Feds dont give Tassie the money for their stadium, I wouldn't be opposed to April school holidays to be rotated between Adelaide/Perth and then create one in the winter school holidays to be rotated between SEQ/Sydney (Fans would go to SEQ due to weather. and Sydney can only host it then) - However, if Tassie do get a side. Adding 2 Gather rounds, ontop of the bye for Tassie, drags the season out to 26 weeks. Im not sure the ground availability is there unless they ditch the pre finals bye.

-Prospect Oval's 550m from the dining strip on Prospect Road, plus has good public transport (via buses) on Main North Road.
Glenelg Oval's 350m from the dining strip on Jetty Road, plus has good public transport (via tram) there as well.
And Unley Oval's 350m from the dining strip on Unley Road, (I'm unsure on how good public transport is there though)
Yes, Norwood Oval is on the Parade, but it's still 250m from where the dining really starts.

Any of those 4 are good options.

But Unley has major drawbacks (Ground size, where do you force the crowd into. Unless it's Gold Coast vs Greater Western Sydney, it'll lock out travelling fans, so could be a disaster. (It'll sellout either way via locals. But at least let travelling fans in. So make it Gold Coast vs GWS)

Prospect and Glenelg don't have major drawbacks. Infact, Prospect might be ideal as it actually has space around the ground to set up food vans. Dont really have the room to do that at Norwood (besides Southern end).

-I agree with the regional. They'll have 1 game, but it'll be close. Suggestions of going to Riverina, Mt Gambier, Yorke Peninsula etc. is sheer idiocy. About a 70km radius is as far as I'd go. But maybe each of the 4 years (this year + 3 more) go somewhere new. Aim for the 4 being Mt Barker, Tanunda, Victor Harbor, McLaren Vale.

-Double headers are a challenge. I'd look the other way, break from normal standards. Allow clubs to do their training elsewhere. ie. Adelaide Oval 2. You see it in community footy. EG. If you're at Goodwood Oval, you go the 150m to the Hockey Ground. Flinders Park would go to the oval out back. Or even at the SANFL, you rock up to Prospect Oval during the 3rd qtr of the ressies and the league players are out warming up in the memorial gardens. Warmup elsewhere, and you can congest those games in tight.

-And you'd be right. Port would feel hard done by. But I feel now, the AFL was skeptical as to whether it'd work. And decided to cover all bases and test everything this year to know what to do going forward. If they go a 6/3 split, you know Thursday/Friday night going forward will be the 2 local teams. And even though Port might beg to kick off the round. It might actually be in their interests to do Friday (Some people might just do the weekend, and Friday is more accessible for those that want to listen to the singalong) But I guess if they go a 5/4 split, it gives you flexibility if one team's stinking up the joint and you dont want to force them into primetime (Doesnt stop the AFL doing so with North though on GF)
Click to expand...
2018 ANZAC Day game Sturt v Port at Unley had about 8000 there
 
chazwazza said:
2018 ANZAC Day game Sturt v Port at Unley had about 8000 there
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Pros: The Sturt fans song for SPP

Cons: Port fans turning their back on Womens footy, walking out and not attending the 2nd part of the double header.
 
I really think the media in particular are forgetting what was unique to gather round. I think the double header was great.

Games have to be easy to get to and you need to be ablr to see as many teams as possible. The idea of clearing the stadium and going back in would ruin the experience.
 
AFC3000 said:
Love everyone pointing out how unfair it is we get gather round and the unfair advantage of a neutral game at AO.

But apparently the MCG is fine and neutral for the grand final, no advantage.

Or how no one questions Geelong getting a ton of true home games in Geelong and then a heap at the neutral MCG, I think they leave Victoria 4 times.

Or no one questions any of the blockbuster games being locked in permanently.

Ideally gather round would work in Perth too (not sure about people getting there) and we'd each take turns as a reward for actually being football states.

But if not I have no issue that it's a bit unfair for us to have it. Not much is fair in the AFL.
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I'm expecting a big prime time match against a team like Collingwood or Geelong. A good way to kick off Gather round.
 
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