Fixture Gather Round - SA announced as host for next 3 years 2024-2026

[Festerz]

16.04.23

GATHER ROUND SOUTH AUSTRALIA
AFL LOCKS IN SA FOR NEXT THREE SEASONS

The AFL in partnership with the SA Government is pleased to announce ‘Gather Round…. A Festival of Footy’ will be hosted in South Australia for the next three seasons.

The inaugural ‘Gather Round’ has been an overwhelming success, with all nine games sold out, more than 220,000 fans attending matches across the Adelaide Oval, Norwood Oval and Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills and tens of thousands of fans attending the footy festival on the banks of Torrens.

More than 60,000 fans purchased tickets from interstate.

Across 2024, 2025 and 2026, Gather Round …. A festival of footy will be hosted exclusively in South Australia, with Adelaide Oval to be the central venue, with the intent from both the AFL and the SA Government to take regional matches in 2024 to the Barossa / McClaren Vale region.

As part of the three-year term, both the AFL and SA Government have also committed to establishing a community football legacy fund, that will benefit local footy clubs in the state beyond the weekend of matches.

The AFL will lock in the fixture dates of the round in the coming weeks to give fans as much lead time as possible to book travel and accommodation.

Ticketing information will be release later in the year.

“South Australia really turned it on. Gather Round and all the activity across the state, the nine matches, the footy festival and the community football engagement has been some of the best days and events the AFL has ever delivered,” AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan said.

“It has been a success because everyone in football got behind the idea, clubs, players, corporate partners and most importantly our fans, to deliver an extraordinary few days,

“While the concept has real momentum, and we plan on taking it to other states around the country, we also feel in order for it to be as successful in the other states we need to continue to build out the concept in South Australia,

“The reality is we only had a few months to pull this together, and we hope by locking it in now we are giving everyone a longer runway to put together a bigger and even better event, and our fans certainty around booking travel and accommodation.

“The match at Mount Barker was a special afternoon on Saturday and an important part of recommitting to South Australia was to establish the community legacy fund, ensuring local footy clubs’ benefit from bringing the Gather Round to town.”

During the round the AFL has facilitated dozens of community club and school visits, held seminars for community club volunteers and delivered more than 10,000 footballs to regional community clubs.

Details on the Community legacy fund will be communicated at a later date.

“On behalf of the AFL I want to thank to Premier Malinauskas and his team in the SA Government who in partnership, delivered an unbelievable few days for footy and the state of South Australia.”

The AFL will also work with the AFLPA on the commitments to the players.

“The players have been strong partners in the Gather Round concept and have embraced wholeheartedly the round. We will now work with the AFLPA on the commitments to the players in the coming years.”

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said “The inaugural Gather Round has been a stunning success, in no small part thanks to the willingness of South Australians, and our interstate visitors, to show up.
“We know that this has delivered huge benefits for our state, and that is why I’m so pleased to see it return for the next three years.”

“With more time to plan, we know we can make Gather Round even bigger and better than what it has already become.”

“I want to thank Gillon McLachlan, the AFL, wider footballing community, public servants, councils and others who’ve all worked so hard to deliver such an amazing event in just a few months.”

“But most of all, I want to thank each and every person who showed up.”

“This agreement is because of you.”

-ends-

 

[Recon_29]

This is a funny article. Whilst I think gather round is great myself.

I agree on a few points:

• malinaskus has done a number on everybody.
• not one person would have been converted to the game, unlike the purpose of the concept.
• goyder being out of touch with literally everybody again.

Gather Round? More like Blather Round if you ask me

After being bombarded with missives about the charms of South Australia, we were supposed to rejoice and be grateful that they had the footy and we didn’t.

www.google.com

What an absolute whinge for the sake of whinging this article is.

 

[carloss]

Glenelg would work.

SANFL 28-06-2008
Glenelg V Sturt - crowd 11,827

Australian Football - Match Details: 2008 R13 Glenelg vs Sturt

australianfootball.com

 

[Wizard]

Would like to see how brave the SA government is and see if they try to outbid WA for the next WWE event. A big Adelaide Oval wrestling show would have an incredible atmosphere.

Would like to think that this has to be pretty high on the list given the SA 'superstar" at the very top of the roster at the moment.

 

[offtherails9]

Just returned from GR. The whole thing was a little more flat than I expected. The town was reasonable busy, but not quite buzzing.

Hawks Pies games had about 15k each of Pies/Hawks/neutrals and the atmosphere was nothing like a normal game. It was quiet (until the last 15 mins anyway). I was on the hill and it was full of 20 year olds chatting and half watching the game.

GR needs to be rotated, not expanded.

Three and a half stars, Margaret.

The hill is a terrible place to actually watch football. I was there all day on Saturday (had a mate from interstate who wanted to experience it) and you can’t see **** all. It’s a good place to stand around and drink piss having a laugh but it’s shit for footy.

In the western stand Sunday night the atmosphere was similar to the MCG in the last quarter honestly, it was bloody loud

 

[JimmyBC]

What an absolute whinge for the sake of whinging this article is.

Greg Blatherbaum

 

[mattpolo8]

The hill is a terrible place to actually watch football. I was there all day on Saturday (had a mate from interstate who wanted to experience it) and you can’t see * all. It’s a good place to stand around and drink piss having a laugh but it’s s**t for footy.

In the western stand Sunday night the atmosphere was similar to the MCG in the last quarter honestly, it was bloody loud

We did all 5 AO games and sat in our seats for half and the hill for the other half of them all. Found you had to pick your spot on the hill otherwise yeah, you wouldn't see a thing. Each time we found spots where you had good viewing.

 

[Papa G]

Greg Blatherbaum

Dude looks like he's permanently syphoning petrol.

 

[Papa G]

Dude looks like he's permanently syphoning petrol.

 

[Cuzz09]

We did all 5 AO games and sat in our seats for half and the hill for the other half of them all. Found you had to pick your spot on the hill otherwise yeah, you wouldn't see a thing. Each time we found spots where you had good viewing.

Yeah the hills pretty shit unless you're ab alco or under 25 young bloke

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[PAFC66]

Yeah the hills pretty s**t unless you're ab alco or under 25 young bloke

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Agree.
When I was over for the Collingwood game it was like pigs in shit on the hill. Everyone was no more than 22 years old not even watching the game
The view is weird to, you're too far back. Perfect for cricket though.

 

[Freomaniac]

I’m with you. Unley is a joke.

Always thought Woodville was underrated, love the grass areas. Obviously no chance of hosting. Prospect is okay. Glenelg seems like the other obvious choice.

Woodville oval is good location wise.

Woodville train station connects with Outer harbour and grange lines. So instead of one train heading to the city every half hour, it's a train from Woodville to city every 15 Minutes.

 

[mattpolo8]

Yeah the hills pretty s**t unless you're ab alco or under 25 young bloke

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Well me and my mate are over 30, and we were drinking with a whole group that were also over 30. So yes, whilst i can agree there were a tonne of 16-24yo olds there, no one said you had to interact with them. Make your own fun. Which is what we did. And we had a ball.

 

[Cuzz09]

Not AFL bit saw a soccer game on the hill and it's HORRIBLE for the round ball.

So far away

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[BulldogMuscle]

As a Melbournian who traveled over to SA for Gather' Round, enjoyed a ton of local restaurants and 6 games of Football, I must say that SA does feel like the natural home of Gather Round and It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend away.

Thanks for the good holiday Adelaide, looking forward to next year already.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Reading the last 10 pages or so, I'd like to point out the following games will never be played in Gather Round, given it will be played in early April when the weather is still good, school holidays etc. Can't see it ever played over the Easter long weekend either.

1 Big 4 Vic club vs another Big 4 Vic club - that is saved for the MCG and AFL executives crowds KPI bonuses
2 Geelong v Hawthorn - given they are slotted in to Easter Monday and that should be within a week or two of Gather Round
3 Brisbane v Collingwood - whilst they are both playing well this is a Holy Thursday game.
4 Showdown
5 Derby
6 Bridge Clash
7 Q Clash
8 A game at the Barossa and Mount Barker on the same day. Defeats the short travel afterwards to an AO game criteria.

Also given Brisbane v North has happened 2 years in a row, this game shouldn't be played again for a decade.

 

[Taper]

Woodville oval is good location wise.

Woodville train station connects with Outer harbour and grange lines. So instead of one train heading to the city every half hour, it's a train from Woodville to city every 15 Minutes.

How come no one has suggested playing a Gather Round match at Alberton Oval?
Would be far better than Unley or Glenelg.

 

[Freomaniac]

How come no one has suggested playing a Gather Round match at Alberton Oval?
Would be far better than Unley or Glenelg.

Woodville oval is on the same train line as Alberton oval. Both grounds are on the Outer Harbour line.

Alberton oval is ok. But are you willing to wait up to half an our per train? Also... It's a good half hour to the city as well.

Thebarton oval would be a nice oval to play a game. It's on Bowden just outside the Adelaide CBD. Trams stop there too.

 

[jdeezy]

Woodville oval is on the same train line as Alberton oval. Both grounds are on the Outer Harbour line.

Alberton oval is ok. But are you willing to wait up to half an our per train? Also... It's a good half hour to the city as well.

Thebarton oval would be a nice oval to play a game. It's on Bowden just outside the Adelaide CBD. Trams stop there too.

Reasonable walk from Thebarton to get to that tram line though.

Glenelg seems to me to be the obvious other suburban ground to use if you needed another. Directly on the tram line but a smaller walk to the tram then Thebby but you've also potentially got the ability to put something happening in Jetty Rd like they did for the parade.

I'm not sure they're ever going to need more than two extra suburban grounds anyway.

 

[JimmyBC]

The best SANFL ovals & I'm talking field dimensions are Alberton, Noarlunga, Richmond & Elizabeth which are not really in the promote the city/state zones.

 

[Big_Birdy]

The best SANFL ovals & I'm talking field dimensions are Alberton, Noarlunga, Richmond & Elizabeth which are not really in the promote the city/state zones.

Isn’t Elizabeth the biggest footy Oval in Oz? Seem to remember that stat being bandied about a while back

 

[JimmyBC]

Isn’t Elizabeth the biggest footy Oval in Oz? Seem to remember that stat being bandied about a while back

I'm not sure but yea it is a big ground, fun times down there when the p155 kicks in lol

 

[jdeezy]

Actually, thinking about, maybe in 5 or so years time a ripping venue for the early Friday game could be Karen Rolton Oval on the edge of the city. They've just announced they are planning to revamp Hindley Street into more of a walking street, which you would hope ends up bringing new life into the area and a bunch of restaurants and bars move back in (like they currently have in the sidealleys off it in Peel and Leigh Street). If that's the case then you could close off Hindley to cars completely that night and put a street party on there which people could walk through on the way to Adelaide Oval or the Festival section over by the Torrens. But you've also got North Terrace next to it where you could shuttle trams back and forth between the two pretty constantly and move people there. Being in the city it would be super easy for tourists staying there but would also make it easier for locals working in the city to make it there after work.

Capacity is apparently 5000 at the moment so you'd need temporary seating but that 4:40 Friday game is never going to be massive drawing clubs for broadcast reasons anyway and the Parade only fits 15,000 I think so it's not that massive of a gulf anyway.

I reckon it would be a winner.

 

[Freomaniac]

Reasonable walk from Thebarton to get to that tram line though.

Glenelg seems to me to be the obvious other suburban ground to use if you needed another. Directly on the tram line but a smaller walk to the tram then Thebby but you've also potentially got the ability to put something happening in Jetty Rd like they did for the parade.

I'm not sure they're ever going to need more than two extra suburban grounds anyway.

I could Add Prospect oval too. Not too far by bus.

 

[JimmyBC]

Be funny if Gather Round got to Thebarton before the Crows do lol

 

[Nelso]

Woodville oval is on the same train line as Alberton oval. Both grounds are on the Outer Harbour line.

Alberton oval is ok. But are you willing to wait up to half an our per train? Also... It's a good half hour to the city as well.

Thebarton oval would be a nice oval to play a game. It's on Bowden just outside the Adelaide CBD. Trams stop there too.

The whole point of Gather Round is to entice tourists from interstate to sample the best locations in regards to hospitality in Adelaide and surrounding suburbs and prime spots, e.g Mt Barker and the Barossa.

Both Woodville and Alberton offer nothing that would keep visitors in those suburbs before and after the game.

Thebarton has nothing to offer either.

The facts are is that the SA Government are chipping in coin each year for Gather Round and they want a significant return for their investment.

The only other SANFL grounds which could work are Glenelg and Prospect Ovals due to the proximity of restraurants and shopping precincts.