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-

 

[jdeezy]

Power and Dogs Saturday night is a bit of an odd one, you would assume like the Crows one it could fill the crowd on its own and doesn't need to be a double header.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

Power and Dogs Saturday night is a bit of an odd one, you would assume like the Crows one it could fill the crowd on its own and doesn't need to be a double header.

Should have been Port Adelaide vs. Collingwood instead IMO, just so Port can release those prison bars on them

 

[Recon_29]

Really don't understand why they've put a big drawing team against the Crows or included Port in a double header. This is just going to cause fans to get locked out. Flights and accommodation already booked now I may not even get a ticket? Disappointed we pulled the short straw, cant understand why they wouldn't put a smaller drawing club against both Crows & Port.

Really hope the AFL not the clubs control the ticketing for this so each clubs members get a fair share, similar to finals. If it is just gonna be a regular home game for the Crows I see a lot of Carlton fans missing out as it has arguably the biggest support of non SA clubs in SA + our travelling fans.

 

[Recon_29]

Power and Dogs Saturday night is a bit of an odd one, you would assume like the Crows one it could fill the crowd on its own and doesn't need to be a double header.

Yep very odd, Power can also fill it on its own (especially with tourists in town), they dont need to be in a double header. Strange fixturing.

 

[Walshawk]

Yep very odd, Power can also fill it on its own (especially with tourists in town), they dont need to be in a double header. Strange fixturing.

Yes but if the other game of the DH is Freo v GWS, then they need to hope Port fans will come early (or hang around) otherwise those clubs will be playing in front of nobody.

 

[JPetro83]

Anyone know why Norwood oval is being pumped up so much? Richmond Oval is much better.. and bigger

 

[JPetro83]

Late to the comments here but im guessing the Thursday and Fri night games will be crows and port..
Thurs night: Crows vs.....
Fri Night: Port vs........
Saturday will hopefully be a double header with 4 big Vic clubs
Would Love to see Geelong vs Richmond and Collingwood vs Carlton..

 

[Dirty Bird]

Anyone know why Norwood oval is being pumped up so much? Richmond Oval is much better.. and bigger

Location

The SA government wants to turn it into an event and shut the Parade and have a food and wine festival.

Where else can you do that?
Prospect (w/Prospect Rd)? - Would cause havoc with traffic
Unley (w/Unley Rd)? - Would cause havoc with traffic
Glenelg (w/Jetty Rd)? - Plausible. But player/media/coaches facilities worse than Norwood

 

[magpiemaniac44]

Late to the comments here but im guessing the Thursday and Fri night games will be crows and port..
Thurs night: Crows vs.....
Fri Night: Port vs........
Saturday will hopefully be a double header with 4 big Vic clubs
Would Love to see Geelong vs Richmond and Collingwood vs Carlton..

This is what I reckon the double headers will be

Saturday:
Collingwood v West Coast
Richmond v Sydney

Sunday:
Geelong v Essendon
Hawthorn v Melbourne

With possibly a St Kilda v GWS, and Gold Coast v Freo match moved to Norwood and somewhere else.

Geelong and Hawthorn have to play Sunday, and Sunday would get a good crowd with 4 medium-high drawing Vic teams. Saturday should get a decent crowd as well with Collingwood and Richmond having big pull power, more neutrals would also come along on a Saturday night especially to a Richmond v Sydney game as it should be close.

 

[Recon_29]

Late to the comments here but im guessing the Thursday and Fri night games will be crows and port..
Thurs night: Crows vs.....
Fri Night: Port vs........
Saturday will hopefully be a double header with 4 big Vic clubs
Would Love to see Geelong vs Richmond and Collingwood vs Carlton..

From the news snippet last night it and some rumours floating around this is what we know so far:

Thursday Night
Crows vs Blues @ AO

Friday Night
TBA @ AO

Saturday
Lions vs North @ Mt Barker

TBA @ Norwood

TBA @ AO Double Header Game 1
Port vs TBA @ AO Double header Game 2

Sunday
TBA @ Norwood

TBA @ AO Double Header Game 1
Pies v Saints* @ AO Double Header Game 2

*just a rumour

 

[POSA98]

Anyone know why Norwood oval is being pumped up so much? Richmond Oval is much better.. and bigger

Bigger ground capacity and closer proximity to CBD

 

[OxfordCambridge]

Location

The SA government wants to turn it into an event and shut the Parade and have a food and wine festival.

Where else can you do that?
Prospect (w/Prospect Rd)? - Would cause havoc with traffic
Unley (w/Unley Rd)? - Would cause havoc with traffic
Glenelg (w/Jetty Rd)? - Plausible. But player/media/coaches facilities worse than Norw

 

[footyfan1978]

Late to the comments here but im guessing the Thursday and Fri night games will be crows and port..
Thurs night: Crows vs.....
Fri Night: Port vs........
Saturday will hopefully be a double header with 4 big Vic clubs
Would Love to see Geelong vs Richmond and Collingwood vs Carlton..

Why would Carlton and Collingwood play in a stadium that well below capacity for what they normally goin to need for the two sets of supporters?

 

[Recon_29]

So apparently the name will be "Gather Round... A Festival of Footy."
Still no fixture though.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

So apparently the name will be "Gather Round... A Festival of Footy."

 

[Seattle Mariners]

So apparently the name will be "Gather Round... A Festival of Footy."

Should've just left it at Magic Round.

 

[1990crow]

Did they ask the Port Adelaide guernsey designer (11 year old girl) to come up with that one.

Geesh.

 

[Walshawk]

Gather Round. How embarrassing. Carnival Round would have been better.

 

[Walshawk]

Why would Carlton and Collingwood play in a stadium that well below capacity for what they normally goin to need for the two sets of supporters?

Er... because it is in Adelaide.

 

[1990crow]

Gather Round. How embarrassing. Carnival Round would have been better.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

Not a big fan of the concept generally, but am curious to see how it pans out, plus happy for all the passionate SA based Carlton fans who get an added bonus of getting to see the Baggers live.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

 

[Jetafl]

Government money, literally being played in SA because they outbid NSW

You have just nailed the definition of government money

 

[Black Panther]

Gather Round

Gill didn't take up my suggestion of calling it "Reach-Around" then

 

[OxfordCambridge]

Bigger ground capacity and closer proximity to CBD

Norwood Oval is a lot closer to CBD Entertainment areas, and has a good entertainment precinct surrounding it on the Parade. Could also use Glenelg Oval (Jetty Rd), or Unley Oval (King William Road). Richmond Oval is a decent oval but is in the middle of semi-industrial no-man's land. For mine the games need to be at suburban grounds that have entertainment precincts or are close the the CBD. Otherwise there is no "festival"or vibe. Mt Barker or Nuriootpa are great for the towns but have basically bugger all there for travelling fans who will then also have to organise transport/accommodation there and miss out on other games they could have gone to in the city.​