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-

 

[The Terrible Thinker]

It will be interesting what happens from 2028 when we have a 19-team competition.

Currently Gather Round is the "23rd" match so everyone still gets 11 home, 11 away, and then the theoretically neutral Gather Round.

But it's impossible to have a 23-match season with 19 teams. It can't be done. It can only be a 24 match season or a 22 match season. Either way, someone loses a home game, if Gather Round is incorporated into either scenario. If Gather Round is incorporated into a 22 match season, it means some teams only have 10 home games. If it is incorporated into a 24-match season, some teams only get 11 home games instead of 12. In addition, 24 is probably too many games. 22, was for years seen as the maximum physical toll a team should endure and the AFL only went to 23 because they liked the idea of Gather Round. Also, one team wouldn't be able to participate in Gather Round.

So God knows what they're going to do. I'd personally shelve the concept, as I don't like it, and I think it adds nothing to the game (just my opinion), but it seems logistically unworkable in a 19-team competition anyway.

AFL probably playing the wait and see approach with the concept to see if it still has interest going forward. Then play the short straw game between GCS & GWS to have the bye because know one cares about them.

If they move it from SA after 2026 and it flops elsewhere, then they will probably bin it until a 20th team comes in.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

If it goes to Tassie in 2028 or later, when there are 19 teams, the logical solution so that all 19 teams play, is that Tassie play Wednesday night to open the round and again on Monday night to close it and that way you get 10 games and Tassie have the minimum 5 day break. They would have to have a bye the round before Gather round so they get a 10 or 11 break leading up to their Wednesday night game and then play the Sunday after Gather Round to have a 6 day break.

I'm not sure what happens if it stays in Adelaide or goes elsewhere, but to get all 19 teams to play a game, one of the home teams is going to have to play 2 games, ie Wednesday night and Monday night like the above scenario.

 

[The Tilt]

If it goes to Tassie in 2028 or later, when there are 19 teams, the logical solution so that all 19 teams play, is that Tassie play Wednesday night to open the round and again on Monday night to close it and that way you get 10 games and Tassie have the minimum 5 day break. They would have to have a bye the round before Gather round so they get a 10 or 11 break leading up to their Wednesday night game and then play the Sunday after Gather Round to have a 6 day break.

I'm not sure what happens if it stays in Adelaide or goes elsewhere, but to get all 19 teams to play a game, one of the home teams is going to have to play 2 games, ie Wednesday night and Monday night like the above scenario.

All 19 clubs won't need to play in a Gather round. One of them can just have a bye.

 

[LordLucifer]

Gather Round should be a short-lived phenomenon, there are just too many anomalies with running it even though it is probably a big money-spinner for local SA businesses.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

All 19 clubs won't need to play in a Gather round. One of them can just have a bye.

Defeats the purpose of it.

 

[Walshawk]

Defeats the purpose of it.

Nah. Nobody would notice if GWS were given a bye.

 

[Cuzz09]

Gather Round should be a short-lived phenomenon, there are just too many anomalies with running it even though it is probably a big money-spinner for local SA businesses.

But it has been fine really. just whingies

Sent from my SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[peetoo]

Gather Round should be a short-lived phenomenon, there are just too many anomalies with running it even though it is probably a big money-spinner for local SA businesses.

It’s the afl pickin juicy fixtures for themselves

Going forward, 24 rounds. 11 home games each, 2 directed by AFL either gather round or one off promotions.
Tassie being an obvious one

 

[RedmanWasHere]

It’s the afl pickin juicy fixtures for themselves

Going forward, 24 rounds. 11 home games each, 2 directed by AFL either gather round or one off promotions.
Tassie being an obvious one

A chance of players beating the Cassin-Lions games record in a season?

I'm down for that.

 

[Seattle Mariners]

I'd rather just keep Gather Round in Adelaide rather than move it to Tasmania.

 

[peetoo]

I'd rather just keep Gather Round in Adelaide rather than move it to Tasmania.

I reckon there might be a one off second one when the stadium launches. Maybe not all teams