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

Festerz

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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-
 
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OxfordCambridge

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The burbs, what grounds ?
Would hopefully be Norwood Oval, Unley Oval or Glenelg Oval. All iconic SANFL grounds located close to entertainment precincts and easy access to the city.

The others are nice grounds but lack local entertainment vibe. A game in the Barossa could be ok, but it dilutes the footy carnival in the city idea, and would make things interesting after sampling some of the local reds, bienenstick and metwurst.
 

Recon_29

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Oct 8, 2009
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People wanting this to be a flop are in for a bit of a shock I think. Hotels seem to be already booking up quickly, personally know several people who have already booked to fly in with only dates announced. Tickets might be a nightmare. Hopefully club members get first dibs.
 
Can't see how they are going to schedule who plays who.

Who gets to have their otherwise interstate clash played on neutral grounds instead and is say for example Brisbane going to be happy playing Geelong at the Adelaide Oval instead of the Gabba because 7 teams are going to be giving up a potential home clash against someone and have it played in Adelaide.

And 7 teams are going to as happy as pigs in s**t having a potential away trip to someone's home ground played on neutral grounds. No one is playing 3 times in the year so 7 teams are giving up potential home games against someone and going neutral.

One things for sure, 16 sets of fans are going to be pissed off, either with who they play or who another teams gets to play in Adelaide.
No one is losing a game ffs.

"Home" and "Away" are for administrative reasons only.
 

JimmyBC

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Would hopefully be Norwood Oval, Unley Oval or Glenelg Oval. All iconic SANFL grounds located close to entertainment precincts and easy access to the city.

The others are nice grounds but lack local entertainment vibe. A game in the Barossa could be ok, but it dilutes the footy carnival in the city idea, and would make things interesting after sampling some of the local reds, bienenstick and metwurst.
One side of Unley Oval is completely unusable for spectators. Glenelg is another little undersized turd box.

I get Norwood Oval for it's location the other two are pointless. much better sinking a bit of money into a country venue.
 

OxfordCambridge

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Who can afford to spend money on the basis of a one of event, even spend the taxpayers dollar.
It's "one off". Don't business and government do it all the time? Olympics etc. And who knows, it may become regular if people do it right.
 
This quote from Dan Andrews a while back sums it all up for me.

“Well look, I don’t want to be offensive to South Australians, but why would you want to go there?”
Next minute: Lines at the border with everyone from Victoria trying to get into South Australia.
 
So that gets the North / Gold Coast match up ? Seems fair.
I thought that was going to be a 10am kickoff at Park 12 (University Oval) before the main event across the road at Adelaide Oval?
 
Send Collingwood to Alberton to play Gold Coast

Only way Port fans will ever see a team run around in the black and white at Alberton in the AFL.
 

OxfordCambridge

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One side of Unley Oval is completely unusable for spectators. Glenelg is another little undersized turd box.

I get Norwood Oval for it's location the other two are pointless. much better sinking a bit of money into a country venue.
They are both good little grounds perfect for the smaller team clashes and will be lucky to be much over 7k.

The idea is for a footy carnival with entertainment facilities available close by for fans. Interstate fans probably not so keen to fly over, hire car to little town with tiny capacity oval and facilities with little entertainment afterwards - then drive back/stay night in local pub.
 
Oct 5, 2009
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The only thing Norwood Oval has going for it is location, it's a pathetically crappy little oval dimensions wise with ancient facilities & a brick wall on one side too close to the boundary.. oh and the surface is rubbish too.
im stunned the afl play the aflw there. thought the brick wall would've scared them off. seen many a player shoved into there. and yes it's a shithole anyways
 
Chuffed it’s in SA will definitely go over for the weekend.
Good move by sa government and AFL.
AFL get a guaranteed 20+ mil to sure things up and SA with a bit of foresight potentially bring 50+mil to stimulate their economy and advertise the state.
Hope the anchors are in the Barossa !
You wont be

They'd send the Chardy sipping West Coast up there.
And they wont waste a Derby there.
 
Oct 5, 2009
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i reckon if there's 3 games in the suburbs it'll be richmond, glenelg and norwood. in terms of any games out further i dont think it matters, many of the grounds out there are fantastic. i went out to loxton for westies/port and that was an absolute blast.
 
last post 1 minute ago by Dirty Bird. this will be about Port.

I was right.
I mean - Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Of my 20 posts in this thread previously before that, only 1 even had port mentioned, and it was a proposed fixture I made up.
 
Apr 2, 2014
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i reckon if there's 3 games in the suburbs it'll be richmond, glenelg and norwood. in terms of any games out further i dont think it matters, many of the grounds out there are fantastic. i went out to loxton for westies/port and that was an absolute blast.
Richmond & Elizabeth Ovals?

Or Noarlunga Oval for car tooting goodness!
 
Aug 14, 2011
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People wanting this to be a flop are in for a bit of a shock I think. Hotels seem to be already booking up quickly, personally know several people who have already booked to fly in with only dates announced. Tickets might be a nightmare. Hopefully club members get first dibs.

You predicting sell outs ?
 
Oct 5, 2009
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Richmond & Elizabeth Ovals?

Or Noarlunga Oval for car tooting goodness!
i considered noarlunga cos the afl loves a gimmick and it is a genuinely nice ground before you freeze your dick off, but i doubt the afl will want either lizbef or the south pole with how far away they are in relativity to everyone else
 
i considered noarlunga cos the afl loves a gimmick and it is a genuinely nice ground before you freeze your dick off, but i doubt the afl will want either lizbef or the south pole with how far away they are in relativity to everyone else
Don’t know about Elizabeth but at least with Noarlunga stadium, theres a train line that connects to the city so if a game was played in the afternoon there, people can rush on the train afterwards to the city to watch both AO night matches if they wanted to.
 
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