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-

 

[Underarm]

Do club members only get their game for free?

 

[Libbaaaa]

FU cheatFL

Geelong will have returned and be tucked up in their hobby farms before hawks floy out to Adelaide

Play each other Easter Monday after

Still get a full week off before playing, Brissy getting royally screwed.

 

[Millsie69]

Do club members only get their game for free?

Correct. But you will still get access to purchase tickets to other games prior to the general public.

 

[hawkman]

Those Saturday Adelaide Oval games aren't really attractive especially when it isn't a double header. Might only get 20-25k for both

 

[Whiskers]

No double header at AO on the Saturday is a strange one.
Carl V WC won't sell out, neither will Ess V Melb. Having them back to back would have made it much more enticing. Weird decision.

Yep this.
As someone who goes to gather round I can tell you they’ve stuffed up the unstuffable.
I would go to a b2b match and did last year, but I don’t think I’ll bother going to Carlton vs West Coast.
I’ll try going to the Barossa game now. If I don’t get a ticket for it I’ll just explore the area.

That Carlton game will have a woeful crowd. The Essendon v Melbourne game won’t be much either. The Carlton and eagles fans won’t hang out for it like they might if it was the 4pm game.

 

[Seattle Mariners]

Of course Carl v WC will sell out.

The game will sell out on paper but there will be a stack of empty seats.

 

[Recon_29]

No double header at AO on the Saturday is a strange one.
Carl V WC won't sell out, neither will Ess V Melb. Having them back to back would have made it much more enticing. Weird decision.

The way the first 2 years went I think both games will sell out for sure. Particularly being on the Saturday. Collingwood v Hawthorn and Sydney vs Richmond both sold out at Adelaide oval as stand alone games.

Carlton and Essendon have both been keen for stand alone AO games due to the amount of support they have in SA + travelling fans from the first 2 years.

This also removes the ticket handback mess. Maximising attendance.

Keen as for this.

 

[Millsie69]

When members get a free ticket to see their team and tickets aren't actually very expensive for each game, I think there'll still be 40k+ minimum for each AO game.

 

[Recon_29]

When members get a free ticket to see their team and tickets aren't actually very expensive for each game, I think there'll still be 40k+ minimum for each AO game.

Agreed. If that happens then it was the right move - an extra 30k or so people through the gates.

Tickets are hard to come by at Gather Round (went the first 2 years) so any extra seating spread across the games will help.

 

[Libbaaaa]

Those Saturday Adelaide Oval games aren't really attractive especially when it isn't a double header. Might only get 20-25k for both

Bit of a head scratcher isn't it, Port/Hawks a no brainer for the Saturday night game.

 

[Whiskers]

When members get a free ticket to see their team and tickets aren't actually very expensive for each game, I think there'll still be 40k+ minimum for each AO game.

40k for blues v eagles? Not even pies v hawks sold out last year on the Sunday.

A 12pm game on the Saturday involving an uncompetitive eagles that clashes with the 1st Barossa game is the perfect recipe for a terribly attended game.

 

[hawkman]

Bit of a head scratcher isn't it, Port/Hawks a no brainer for the Saturday night game.

With Saturday night no longer FTA, it is understandable why they didn't want to put it there and use it as the big finish to the round instead. They couldn't use Collingwood this time due to the Thursday game following

 

[Millsie69]

40k for blues v eagles? Not even pies v hawks sold out last year on the Sunday.

A 12pm game on the Saturday involving an uncompetitive eagles that clashes with the 1st Barossa game is the perfect recipe for a terribly attended game.

Think you're underestimating the support that Carlton have here in SA. Not to mention it being early in the season where their fans' expectations will be at their peak after beating the mighty Tigers in the weeks prior

 

[Cuzz09]

The game will sell out on paper but there will be a stack of empty seats.

this.

They will say every game is sold out in minutes but game day you will see gaps all over the crowd.

Would be surprised if they get more than 25k

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[Wizard]

FU cheatFL

Geelong will have returned and be tucked up in their hobby farms before hawks floy out to Adelaide

Play each other Easter Monday after

You guys are so hard done by.........

 

[DJ75]

The way the first 2 years went I think both games will sell out for sure. Particularly being on the Saturday. Collingwood v Hawthorn and Sydney vs Richmond both sold out at Adelaide oval as stand alone games.

Carlton and Essendon have both been keen for stand alone AO games due to the amount of support they have in SA + travelling fans from the first 2 years.

This also removes the ticket handback mess. Maximising attendance.

Keen as for this.

I would bet it 'sells out', but when you watch the game there is only about 30,000 there.
We will see I guess.

 

[ibd77]

No double header at AO on the Saturday is a strange one.
Carl V WC won't sell out, neither will Ess V Melb. Having them back to back would have made it much more enticing. Weird decision.

Testing the concept I guess.

We will go to both. Catch the train in, watch the early game. Enjoy the festivities post match at Elder Park. Go have dinner at The Little Hunter. Then off to the second AO game.

 

[DJ75]

Testing the concept I guess.

We will go to both. Catch the train in, watch the early game. Enjoy the festivities post match at Elder Park. Go have dinner at The Little Hunter. Then off to the second AO game.

That might be what they are hoping - more people in Elder park etc...

 

[rye]

good to see that the AFL has figured out the way to get people to gather round is for the saturday double header to feature 4 teams that will finish in the bottom 6.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

good to see that the AFL has figured out the way to get people to gather round is for the saturday double header to feature 4 teams that will finish in the bottom 6.

Saturday night is the dead timeslot now for footy.

 

[STPer18]

A real treat for SA having Geelong open the carnival.

 

[Cuzz09]

Saturday night is the dead timeslot now for footy.

It's never been high on my rankings

Sat 210pm is king

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[The_Wookie]

 

[Cuzz09]

What else is he gonna say lol

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[The Tilt]

The game will sell out on paper but there will be a stack of empty seats.

Isn't that the exact problem with double headers? i.e. Game 1 is technically a sell out but is half empty as many who have tickets are only interested in attending the second game.

I guess we'll see what happens, but I doubt that large numbers of people are going to purchase tickets for a game they don't intend to watch.