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-

 

[kickazz]

It was certainly presented as an extra round where no teams were advantaged.

Unless everyone flew up to Darwin or something I don't know how you'd achieve that.

 

[footyfan1978]

Unless everyone flew up to Darwin or something I don't know how you'd achieve that.

It was easy.
Crows v Port this round and Carlton v Western Bulldogs. Then it actually would achieve the result that it should of.

 

[CrowToon]

Ummm to all the salty Vics out there just remember that when you sell a bunch of corporates some tickets and some fans the rest the ground all of a sudden becomes neutral.

The entire point of the whole competition relies on this fallacy being swallowed up so if the thought of playing away for 4 Premiership points grinds your gears you should be able to gain an insight into the plight of interstate clubs.

Of course you will perform all sorts of mental gymnastics to whinge about how this is all very different but the Earth remains round despite the scepticism of some.

 

[kickazz]

It was easy.
Crows v Port this round and Carlton v Western Bulldogs. Then it actually would achieve the result that it should of.

That still advantages the South Australian teams as they don't have to travel

 

[Diehard Saint]

I'm not sensitive about it at all, I just find the commentary around it amusing. I wasn't referring to just you, I was referring to posters on this forum, social media, radio etc.

The oval will be fine unless it absolutely shits down with rain

No prob, sorry if I was a little touchy.
The question is asked in Ross Lyons presser, which he answered pretty well and quite amusingly if you can find it.

Looking forward to it anyway - I like the concept.

 

[footyfan1978]

That still advantages the South Australian teams as they don't have to travel

There is no advantage over each other so we would then have whole round of the 9 matches with no teams with any home ground advantage which I thought was part of the selling point of the extra round in the season with no teams getting an extra home game. They would have achieved this but have fell short by 2 matches in the round. Makes no sense to me why they did not hold up that part of the selling point.

 

[Drummond]

Absolutely mind blowing that Victorians are complaining about any unfairness at all. Virtually every single week of every single year non-Victorian sides are disadvantaged and yet here we are. Mind blowing.

 

[kickazz]

There is no advantage over each other so we would then have whole round of the 9 matches with no teams with any home ground advantage which I thought was part of the selling point of the extra round in the season with no teams getting an extra home game. They would have achieved this but have fell short by 2 matches in the round. Makes no sense to me why they did not hold up that part of the selling point.

It would be fairer that way but I don't think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks on balance.

 

[The_Wookie]

The AFL has declared its new-look Gather Round has already topped the Magic Round concept that it stole from the NRL as the league leaves open the possibility Adelaide will host the football festival next year.
The league now expects to sell out seven of its nine games across the South Australian event as spectators flood in from interstate and even abroad.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan hailed the success of an event that has sold over 190,000 tickets but said the league was keen to nail the execution of the weekend before considering its future.

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www.codesports.com.au

 

[jdeezy]

There is no advantage over each other so we would then have whole round of the 9 matches with no teams with any home ground advantage which I thought was part of the selling point of the extra round in the season with no teams getting an extra home game. They would have achieved this but have fell short by 2 matches in the round. Makes no sense to me why they did not hold up that part of the selling point.

Is this the third Showdown of the year then? Does each SA team still get 11 home games including a Showdown? Or does that game, which I'm always told by Victorians is our marquee game which is why all the Victorian teams get all the marquee spots, thrown in the bin?

Again, Carlton have 17 games at one of their two home venues this year. Plus the grand final, should they make it. Worry about all that shit before you worry about drawing two shit teams in Adelaide.

 

[Mr north man]

Good to see the AFL pinch an idea off the NRL so with that I hope it’s a winner for the South Australians that will attend the games.
But for next year move it around so in 2024 let Queensland host it as will last time they can host it there as the GABBA will be pulled down after the Ashes for the Olympics then the following states can host it like in
2025-Tasmania
2026-NSW
2027-WA
2029-Victoria
2030-SA
If it’s shared by everyone it works don’t be like NRL that lets Queensland host it every year.

 

[HTPunter]

I can’t believe the commentary around this week.

It to me proves that AFL media is saturated because every 2nd moron has come up with an “issue” to fill an article space. Just making up shit to get a headline because it’s so competitive.

Talk of moving games for bigger crowds? Just ridiculous.

The whole premise wasn’t to boost crowd numbers.

“Oh Collingwood and Saints fans would love to go to the game”

1) they still can
2) Pies fans can catch one of the 14 remaining Vic games for the season they’ve got, including home game blockbusters against Carlton, Essendon & Geelong, while Saints fans can catch one of 12 (after having 4 out of 4 in Victoria already this year).

Just stop creating issues out of thin air. The fixture is blatantly a fixture, not some fair 34 round H&A calendar, get over it.

 

[HTPunter]

Good to see the AFL pinch an idea off the NRL so with that I hope it’s a winner for the South Australians that will attend the games.
But for next year move it around so in 2024 let Queensland host it as will last time they can host it there as the GABBA will be pulled down after the Ashes for the Olympics then the following states can host it like in
2025-Tasmania
2026-NSW
2027-WA
2029-Victoria
2030-SA
If it’s shared by everyone it works don’t be like NRL that lets Queensland host it every year.

This I have no issue with.

Take Tassie out of it though, probably give them 2 games the week of Victoria (which already gets weekly gather rounds).

But yes WA & NSW & QLD/NT combined could also get one.

Just builds hype for those states, it’s not about the other states.

 

[Bjo187]

Yep QLD could have 5 games in Brisbane, 4 games on the gold coast. Do it mid year when it's cold down south, heaps of people travel to QLD then anyway.

Actually does anybody know what the other viable weekends even are, for future gather round's?

Personally I think the Easter weekend would be best, but it clashes with 3 annual fixtures, so they wouldn't want to take that away from those clubs.

Walshawk do you see any other possibilities? I know you are good with fixturing.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

The Adelaide teams should’ve played at Norwood Oval against GC/GWS

 

[Orange Agent]

Players and coaches whinged about the MCG surface in rd1. Luckily for the AFL the biggest whingers are all scheduled at Adelaide Oval. I'm hoping we don't see a serious injury because they decided one off games at suburban grounds is a good idea.

 

[HTPunter]

I can’t believe the commentary around this week.

It to me proves that AFL media is saturated because every 2nd moron has come up with an “issue” to fill an article space. Just making up s**t to get a headline because it’s so competitive.

Talk of moving games for bigger crowds? Just ridiculous.

The whole premise wasn’t to boost crowd numbers.

“Oh Collingwood and Saints fans would love to go to the game”

1) they still can
2) Pies fans can catch one of the 14 remaining Vic games for the season they’ve got, including home game blockbusters against Carlton, Essendon & Geelong, while Saints fans can catch one of 12 (after having 4 out of 4 in Victoria already this year).

Just stop creating issues out of thin air. The fixture is blatantly a fixture, not some fair 34 round H&A calendar, get over it.

Add to this the issues that people have whinged about that are really non issues
Another is having to name a sub on game day because coaches then have to answer questions about players being dropped, and rather than answering “oh he will be the sub” they think it’s a huge tactical move that they have to cover up (hint: it’s not).

 

[HTPunter]

The Adelaide teams should’ve played at Norwood Oval against GC/GWS

They play 4 less games at Adelaide Oval than Carlton do at MCG & Marvel. I reckon you’ll cope.

 

[BigFrizz36]

The AFL has declared its new-look Gather Round has already topped the Magic Round concept that it stole from the NRL as the league leaves open the possibility Adelaide will host the football festival next year.
The league now expects to sell out seven of its nine games across the South Australian event as spectators flood in from interstate and even abroad.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan hailed the success of an event that has sold over 190,000 tickets but said the league was keen to nail the execution of the weekend before considering its future.

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www.codesports.com.au

Pretty sure that the NRL stole the concept from rugby league in the U.K.

Everything is lifted from somewhere.

Think that it's a great concept. Have no concerns with us opening against the crows as I think it's great for our sponsors and our brand to be seen in a stand alone Thursday night game. I also think rhat we should be able to handle the crows.

 

[footyfan1978]

Is this the third Showdown of the year then?

Two is plenty.

 

[footyfan1978]

Pretty sure that the NRL stole the concept from rugby league in the U.K.

Everything is lifted from somewhere.

So nobody ever comes up with an original idea?

 

[footyfan1978]

The Adelaide teams should’ve played at Norwood Oval against GC/GWS

Nah, play each other or play someone way off in Barossa Valley so they themselves are away in their own state on a ground they do not play on.

 

[footyfan1978]

It would be fairer that way

Exactly.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

They play 4 less games at Adelaide Oval than Carlton do at MCG & Marvel. I reckon you’ll cope.

This debate has been done to death. My idea was reasonable when considering everything.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

Nah, play each other or play someone way off in Barossa Valley so they themselves are away in their own state on a ground they do not play on.

The ones don’t play on Norwood Oval.