Held in South Australia, the AFL’s inaugural Gather Round was heralded “some of the best days and events the AFL has ever delivered” as it brought together fans from all over the country to enjoy a non-stop weekend of football madness. (Image: Jessica Dempster)
By Jessica Dempster | @dempsterjess_, Harry Mead | @theHarryMead and Jack Trehearne | @JackTrehearne
Last weekend, the AFL hosted its inaugural Gather Round, where all 18 teams travelled to South Australia to compete in a nine-game football bonanza. Matches were held across three stadiums: Adelaide Oval, Coopers Stadium (Norwood), and the Summit Sport and Recreation Park (Mount Barker).
The event was a resounding success with all nine games selling out and more than 220,000 people attending the matches, including 60,000 travelling from interstate. Acknowledging the South Australian public’s tremendous response, AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan announced that the Gather Round will be held exclusively in SA for the next three years.
“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,” 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.”
McLachlan added that by locking in the arrangement for the Gather Round to be held in Adelaide now, it will allow teams, fans, and media to plan ahead of time.
“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,” he said.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas also praised the event, hailing the willingness of South Australians and 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,” Malinauskas said.
“With more time to plan, we know we can make Gather Round even bigger and better than what it has already become.”
The event was especially notable for AFL fans who either support interstate teams or live rurally. Ashleigh Buck, a 21-year-old Geelong fan, attended the clash between Geelong and West Coast on Sunday.
“I hadn’t seen my boys in person since I was 11,” Buck said.
Ten years later, Ashleigh was “ecstatic” to take her seat at Adelaide Oval, decked out from head to toe in Geelong apparel, and make up for a decade’s worth of cheering as the Cats came out on top over the Eagles by a 47-point margin.
Ashleigh said Sunday was her first time ever seeing an AFL match at Adelaide Oval, and the experience did not disappoint.
“If I had to describe my experience at the Gather Round on Sunday, I’d use the word ‘humble’,” she said.
“The stadium was packed full of people wearing merchandise of basically every AFL team in the league.
“Everyone seemed really happy and just keen to attend a match and watch good footy, regardless of who was playing.”
Kelsie Moyle-Reed, a 22-year-old from Naracoorte, attended the Friday night game between Sydney and Richmond.
Moyle-Reed did not attend the matches at Mount Barker or Norwood, but said the Gather Round had a “country feel” to it with inclusions of those grounds.
“I think it was great to include a few smaller grounds which felt like a country footy, but getting to see the quality of AFL matches,” she said.
“I think, overall game wise, it was very similar to a normal round, but the organisers included lots of extras, such as the set up at Elder Park, to really increase the atmosphere and make it more than just going to a game of football and leaving.”
Finally, Brock Grayson, another Geelong fan, described the experience as “unreal”, praising the convenience and centrality of the event, along with its accompanying entertainment.
“Having everything set up in the one city makes life so easy. I ducked over to the Footy Festival across the bridge as well, and that was really nice, also,” Grayson said.
“I was a bit unsure about how the dynamic of Gather Round would work, but they’ve done really well. It’s like the Fringe meets a Saturday arvo out at the footy. I’ve loved it.”
Premier Peter Malinauskas lauded the Gather Round, and affirmed South Australia’s ability to live up to the hype in the upcoming years.
“Gather Round is about bringing people together,” he said.
“Footy does that unlike anything else, which is why this is an event that I think is going to have a bright future.”
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