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-

 

[Slime Roy]

Hard to say.

I umpire Adelaide Footy League games, and when there's a gf there, they might get 3k, and I'd be parking 2-3 blocks away.
My parents still live there, and if I visit when there's a norwood game there (5k for Friday night) you might be parking 3-5 blocks away.

But for this, you'd be looking at 8k. If the same amount drive, you might actually be better off taking the bus from town, as you'd probably be parking closer to the city than Norwood Oval having to park in Kent Town rather than Norwood.

I was more meaning the Fullarton Rd end of Kent Town (under a km walk up the Parade or Beulah)

 

[Festerz]

Apparently the Port/Hawks clash wasn't one of the 6 matches to sell out on Day 1.

And neither did the Crows/Geelong clash. But both were sold out by mid day on day 2. Was only the games at the smaller venues that sold out on Day 1.

Gather Round games selling out in record time

As ans queue up early to snap up tickets

www.nine.com.au

How the feck any of the games sold out by Day2 given Ticketek on line clusterfeck is a mystery to me.

 

[Slime Roy]

And neither did the Crows/Geelong clash. But both were sold out by mid day on day 2. Was only the games at the smaller venues that sold out on Day 1.

Gather Round games selling out in record time

As ans queue up early to snap up tickets

www.nine.com.au

How the feck any of the games sold out by Day2 given Ticketek on line clusterfeck is a mystery to me.

At the time of posting it was widely reported that the Port/Hawks still had tickets available & the Crows/Cats being one of the first to sell out.
Could be because of the fixturing but also, you know..maybe not.

 

[Festerz]

At the time of posting it was widely reported that the Port/Hawks still had tickets available & the Crows/Cats being one of the first to sell out.

Who widely reported this? Got a link?

Keen to know as it was demonstrably BS as the Nine report highlights video of Crows fans lining up to get tickets on Day 2 at the Entertainment Centre, frustrated at the failings of Ticketek online sales.

 

[Giant YoYo]

How the feck any of the games sold out by Day2 given Ticketek on line clusterfeck is a mystery to me.

I got tickets to all the games at Adelaide Oval and Norwood.

Not sure what the go is but the website was fine for me second day.

I won't make any of the Barossa games due to the scheduling but I'm happy I got the AO and Norwood game tickets.

 

[Festerz]

Not sure what the go is but the website was fine for me second day.

Yep. By Day 2 the ticket gremlins had all been solved.

Hope you enjoy the weekend. I'll be out of the country so will miss it all but from what I hear the events around that Barossa game will be worth getting to if you possibly can. The Norwood Parade Fair is always well organised and will probably tire you out anyways.

 

[Giant YoYo]

Yep. By Day 2 the ticket gremlins had all been solved.

Hope you enjoy the weekend. I'll be out of the country so will miss it all but from what I hear the events around that Barossa game will be worth getting to if you possibly can. The Norwood Parade Fair is always well organised and will probably tire you out anyways.

Thank you.

hope so also.

Will be my first time in Adelaide but I'm moreso looking forward to being around footy fans.

Absolutely my kind of people and an absolute delight for those of us from this part of the world

I reckon it'll be amazing. Keen as.

 

[Festerz]

I hope so also.

Will be my first time in Adelaide but I'm moreso looking forward to being around footy fans.

Absolutely my kind of people and an absolute delight for those of us from this part of the world

I reckon it'll be amazing. Keen as.

What a great post.

Hope the AFL, the teams and my city give you everything you hope for.

You will get a feedback form as part of your welcome package. As I said in a previous post, am overseas during Gather Round but happy to help out in any follow up after the event if things didn't go as planned.

 

[Giant YoYo]

What a great post.

Hope the AFL, the teams and my city give you everything you hope for.

Footy culture and history, I'm there for it

Cheers for being so welcoming mate

 

[GROTTO]

Footy culture and history, I'm there for it

Cheers for being so welcoming mate

Feel free to post on the Crows board for info in particular this thread below in relation to Gather Round.

Opinion - Non-Crows AFL 11

In hate it when conspiracy theorists state their speculations as fact and then use it to paint so-and-so as the devil, sowing hatred and discontent to further their agenda, what ever it is. No wonder social media gets such a bad wrap. Now if you had any actual evidence for your accusations I'll...

www.bigfooty.com

As a local, we do enjoy having supporters from all over Australia for this round. At the end of day its the supporters that make Gather Round a huge success that it has been.

Controversial hot take here but I think Gather Round should be made permanent in South Australia.

 

[Clems Knee]

Controversial hot take here but I think Gather Round should be made permanent in South Australia.

It’s a central location for all of Australia, so why not, as long as the advantages to the SA teams are balanced with fixturing advantages to the other non-VIC teams.
This year the extra home game for WA teams and the round 0 home games for the northern teams seem to serve that purpose. I wonder what advantage the Tassie Devils will be given?
VIC teams already have fixturing advantages so need no more manipulation.

The biggest difficulty seems to be in getting tickets which points to the success of the weekend. Maybe in coming years I’ll be able to get tickets.

 

[GROTTO]

It’s a central location for all of Australia, so why not, as long as the advantages to the SA teams are balanced with fixturing advantages to the other non-VIC teams.
This year the extra home game for WA teams and the round 0 home games for the northern teams seem to serve that purpose. I wonder what advantage the Tassie Devils will be given?
VIC teams already have fixturing advantages so need no more manipulation.

The biggest difficulty seems to be in getting tickets which points to the success of the weekend. Maybe in coming years I’ll be able to get tickets.

No difference to really North selling home games to WA in relation to getting extra home game, Im not against that either. Similarly with the Eastern States getting Opening Round.

Sure its an advantage, but as you mentioned Vic teams already have fixture advantages. None bigger than home GF.

Tassie Devils first need to focus on just being a part of the AFL, as time plays out, it will become clear and evident what they need to assist them.

Maybe they get "Closing Round" in R24 where all the final round games are played in Tassie, which Im sure will eventually become a thing. The week off before the Finals would help facilitate this.