Strategy What should the AFL do with gather round?

[Aussie in exile]

As an aside, I heard Caroline Wilson saying yesterday that Chris Scott was asked to apologise to the AFL after he said the Wild Card Round is “just a cash grab”.

 

[SC_Power]

Build a 100,000 seat stadium.

Well then

Get yourself a decent city that can host a Gather Round.

 

[Aussie in exile]

Well then

Get yourself a decent city that can host a Gather Round.

I can't see any city anywhere building a 100,000 stadium for a once a year event, and who's going to pay for it?
If the AFL, NRL, Aussie union, soccer australia or cricket want a 100,000 stadium they should use their money to build it and not us taxpayers money.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

The AFL fell on something quite valuable in gather round. Sure they copied the NRL, but most things are copied from somewhere.

SA was the right place to start it, being central to every state, enough quality grounds to play it at, a state that embraced it and a government who financially backed it.
Like all major events, Adelaide does it better than most.

So for the future, now that its up and running and liked by the majority of the AFL community, what should the AFL do with it?
Keep it in SA, where its working and backed?
Move it around Australia every year? Or, even put it in the emerging markets to try and grow the game?

While im from SA, I dont automatically think it should stay here. Its all about what's best for the game and round.
For instance I think SA should move the Tour Down Under to a different state every second year. Let each state bid for it, and then bring it back to SA the next. Imagine the TDU riding across the Sydney Harbour Bridge? It would breath new life into it, bring more money and sponsors in, promote the rest of Australia to an overseas audience, and let other riding enthusiasts in each state experience it.

So what's in the best interest of the round moving forward?

Do it in South Australia AND in Perth AND in Queensland AND in Sydney.

4 Gather Rounds would be great.

 

[Aussie in exile]

Do it in South Australia AND in Perth AND in Queensland AND in Sydney.

4 Gather Rounds would be great.

That would water down the product, and make it less attractive

 

[Wojcinski]

Needs to be hosted in a state with at least one AFL level facility, so basically Victoria or WA

 

[SC_Power]

I can't see any city anywhere building a 100,000 stadium for a once a year event, and who's going to pay for it?
If the AFL, NRL, Aussie union, soccer australia or cricket want a 100,000 stadium they should use their money to build it and not us taxpayers money.

Melbourne can’t even maintain a 100,000 seat stadium without government funds and guaranteed 30 year contracts.

 

[Aussie in exile]

Melbourne can’t even maintain a 100,000 seat stadium without government funds and guaranteed 30 year contracts.

Exactly so the AFL and the Cricket should be charged more to maintain the stadium, as they are the prime users of it.

 

[Dirty Bird]

The whinging about the Adelaide teams getting an extra game is amusing.

The SA teams get ONE extra due to Gather Rd (And even then, it's sold in a way that gives the away team more access than a Non-vic team at the Grand Final - I wish this year they gave us Port Adelaide vs Collingwood. With Collingwoods support, and Port fans expecting to be shit. It legitimately could've had Collingwood outnumbering Port. We had the opportunity to show the country it is neutral. Just because you're all minnows compared to Collingwood isn't our fault)
The WA teams get ONE extra due to NM needing money
The Vic teams get a shit tonne extra especially clubs like Hawthorn which have 'make up games' for their members ontop of those they sell, and get pro hawks crowds there as well.
Sure, the NSW/Qld teams dont. But they get other legs up with the Northern academies.

I just roll my eyes at the bitching. It's just a bunch of karens around here.

In regards to Gather Rd?

WA wont work due to distance.
Vic wont work due to non-vic fans giving it the middle finger because it would be too pro-vic
QLD and TAS wont work due to facilities being too spread out
ACT and NT wont work due to not enough facilities full stop

That leaves SA and NSW as the only viable options.

I honestly do believe NSW would be amazing if done right.
But
Whether they can pull it off is one question.
And whether the NRL will sabotage it in the process is another.

It might leave SA as the only viable option.

 

[BrodeeKF]

Maybe have both S.A Teams play each other?

Having a Showdown open Gather Round would be pretty cool but it'll never happen.
The Showdown would obviously be a sell out but the rest of the games generally aren't (especially the Adelaide Oval ones). Therefore they'll make sure to have both SA teams play separately to ensure two Adelaide Oval sellouts (unless Port have to bring back the tarps)

 

[Permission Capable]

Where's the 'get rid of it' option? Season is already too stretched and and starts too early. Twenty two games was fine. Don't need another game for this needless bull shit.

 

[JHF1870]

Do it in South Australia AND in Perth AND in Queensland AND in Sydney.

4 Gather Rounds would be great.

SA should keep Gather Round for the long term.

Have an opening round with both NSW and QLD teams playing a home game along with a handful of other games from interstate clubs (Port vs Saints, Adelaide vs Melbourne, Freo vs Footscray, West Coast vs North) that ordinarily feature low crowds in Melbourne.

Then have your big games in Melbourne. This gives the AFL what they want.

 

[420]

It has to move from SA or it will wither on the vine. There is only a select % of footy fans who are willing to travel interstate for games and once you've experienced a GR in Adelaide, would you really go back again for the same thing? I went in 25 and had a great time (Adelaide is beautiful) but I wouldn't book a second trip, I've seen what I wanted to see.

Should rotate between WA and SA on a 3-yr basis with NSW and QLD hosting a league-wide round 1 every year. I won't hear any beating about WA being 'too far' - if you're willing to get on a plane for 2-3hrs, you can survive 4, ditto if you're willing to drive the distance from the east to SA, you're crazy enough about footy to justify the trip to WA.

 

[JHF1870]

It has to move from SA or it will wither on the vine. There is only a select % of footy fans who are willing to travel interstate for games and once you've experienced a GR in Adelaide, would you really go back again for the same thing? I went in 25 and had a great time (Adelaide is beautiful) but I wouldn't book a second trip, I've seen what I wanted to see.

Should rotate between WA and SA on a 3-yr basis with NSW and QLD hosting a league-wide round 1 every year. I won't hear any beating about WA being 'too far' - if you're willing to get on a plane for 2-3hrs, you can survive 4, ditto if you're willing to drive the distance from the east to SA, you're crazy enough about footy to justify the trip to WA.

WA is not going to work. You cannot drive there. Nobody is going to get a week off work + the weekend to go and watch a game of footy.

Flights from Adelaide are already $750

 

[PerthBoy86]

Not a fan of it, it just feels like watching SANFL games. IF they must keep it I'd rather see it extended and more games at AO, or better yet let WA have a go.

 

[JHF1870]

There seems to be a lot more negativity here in this thread than the general consensus amongst the media/players, coaches and people who go to gather round.

 

[Dirty Bird]

WA is not going to work. You cannot drive there. Nobody is going to get a week off work + the weekend to go and watch a game of footy.

Flights from Adelaide are already $750

Exactly

Airlines have dynamic pricing.

The league will announce when gather rd is before the fixture. I'm unlikely to fly over and spend 4 days there. I'd do 2-3, by the time the exact games are out, demand has forced prices higher than I"m willing to spend.

I'd drive to Melbourne or Sydney but not Perth/Brisbane so I can wait for that.

But Perth is logistically nearly impossible.

 

[JHF1870]

Exactly

Airlines have dynamic pricing.

The league will announce when gather rd is before the fixture. I'm unlikely to fly over and spend 4 days there. I'd do 2-3, by the time the exact games are out, demand has forced prices higher than I"m willing to spend.

I'd drive to Melbourne or Sydney but not Perth/Brisbane so I can wait for that.

But Perth is logistically nearly impossible.

I thought about Sydney and I'd probably do that. Drive to Blue Mountains and hike for a week then go to the games by train. I just don't think NSW people will buy into it.

 

[believe_it]

I am genuinely confused as to why this gather round is supposed to be a good thing. Maybe for the South Australian tourist board it is.
Why is playing half the games at exposed windy suburban grounds to relatively small crowds improving the spectacle.
For me this has been the worst round for entertainment as a tv viewer.
Alfs answer to Glastonbury or Woodstock but with 100000 less people through the gates than last week. Totally expect to be gaslit by the afl saying what an amazing success it’s been. Shitter product is not success in my book.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

For me this has been the worst round for entertainment as a tv viewer.

Yeah, it has been pretty bad.

 

[TheUnicorn]

As a tv spectator its pretty boring. I'm sure it's great if you live there.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

As a tv spectator its pretty boring. I'm sure it's great if you live there.

Yeah if you live in SA it's great. For everybody else, meh.

It's like a lot of events where it is pumped up mercilessly by media people and we are told nonstop how brilliant it is.

Of course it is brilliant, they're there on a paid junket and not reaching into their pocket a single time while they're there.

I really have no issues with it however, just don't expect me to get too excited about it. On the venue, Vic doesn't need it. So it's SA, WA or Tassie. Qld or NSW would be a mistake because some of the games would draw about 15 people.

 

[dees arent rabble]

Gather round games were a flop.

 

[LordLucifer]

Who actually benefits out of it apart from the SA Govt, the local SA businesses & the two SA clubs ??

 

[Cmarsh]

Who actually benefits out of it apart from the SA Govt, the local SA businesses & the two SA clubs ??

Airlines and petrol stations.