South Australia Secures Strategic AFL Gather Round Extension to 2029 in Major Economic Coup

The South Australian Government has secured the hosting rights for the AFL’s Gather Round for an additional three years, ensuring the event remains in the state until 2029.

To maximise tourism yield, the new agreement introduces structural changes to increase visitor length of stay. A free Friday night player parade will be integrated into the Adelaide CBD, supported by state-funded free public transport, alongside a guaranteed blockbuster fixture.

Commenting on the hosting rights extension, AFL CEO, Andrew Dillon emphasised the event’s unique market positioning.

“Gather Round has captured the imagination of footy fans and delivered an event like nothing else in Australian sport,” he said.

For SA Premier, Peter Malinauskas, the three-year extension hits a “sweet spot” to pressure stakeholders to continually innovate.

“Gather Round is about much more than football – it brings people together, showcases our restaurants and wine regions on a national stage and pours tens of millions of dollars into our economy every year. Gather Round belongs in South Australia.” Malinauskas said.

South Australian Tourism Commission Chair and Port Adelaide football club president, David Koch, revealed that negotiating player logistics for the parade caused administrative delays with the AFL Players’ Association.

“There’s a lot of negotiations with the players’ association and things like that to get them there early, but, as we all know, we have a pretty persuasive premier, and he went to pitch for it, and I think that’s why it’s taken a little while.”

“That’s to keep interstate visitors in South Australia a bit longer, particular when it’s on the edge of school holidays in Victoria and South Australia and NSW,” Mr Koch said.

In addition, Koch is pushing for further schedule expansion to capture peak interstate school holiday traffic.

Regional Metrics and Future Growth

While councils like the City of Onkaparinga lobby to bring matches to the McLaren Vale wine region, the State Government is taking a strictly data-driven approach to future venue selection.

“We keep our options open for alternative venues, but make no mistake, we are going to be rather stringent as a government in our requirements about it meeting certain metrics, mainly the projection of the state to the rest of the country.” Malinauskas added.

Though calls persist to integrate the AFLW competition into the schedule, the league is focusing on broader football programming.

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