Adelaide pubs, restaurants brace for multimillion-dollar influx as 2023 AFL season commences

The city’s CBD traders know not to expect a normal weekend in town when big matches are on at Adelaide Oval.

Adelaide pubs and restaurants are readying for a “substantial” boost in trade of up to 60 per cent on weekends during the 2023 AFL season.

Peak industry bodies and local operators say the influx of football fans to the CBD on Adelaide Oval match days results in more money in the tills – with figures showing a multimillion-dollar annual benefit.

Data supplied by the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA) shows spending on ‘dining and entertainment’ in the CBD and North Adelaide increases by the millions on match days. The fourth highest day for spend in 2022 was the day of the Port Adelaide v Adelaide Crows Showdown, on August 20, at $10.4m. This compares with an average daily spend of $4.7m in August.

Dining and entertainment is defined as incorporating cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs, as well as cinemas, casinos and amusement parks.

Lauren Green and Tim Riemann from the Strathmore Hotel are excited about the return of AFL. Picture: Simon Cross

AEDA acting managing director Greg Ratsch said the redevelopment of Adelaide Oval, which was completed in 2014, has had a “major impact” on the city’s economy.

“Game days and major events bring thousands of people to the city who choose to eat, drink and shop,” Mr Ratsch said. “Importantly, they activate the city during the winter period when spending activity and hotel bookings are usually lower.”

Australian Hotels Association SA deputy chief executive Anna Moeller said while data specific to food and beverage spend alone is not collected – and difficult to gauge – anecdotal evidence suggests the economic benefit over the past near-decade would be “approaching tens of millions of dollars”.

The 2023 season represents the 10th year of AFL at the Oval.

“Matches that regularly generate in excess of 45,000 attendees have a direct flow on to pubs, restaurants, cafes, bars, and retail,” she said. “An AFL season generally sees a 36 per cent increase in hotel accommodation revenue on the night of AFL games compared to the off season.”

SkyCity Australia chief operating officer David Christian said popular SkyCity venues including The District, Sean’s Kitchen and Sol Rooftop “typically see a 30 per cent increase in expenditure on Thursday and Friday clashes, and on weekends a substantial 40-60 per cent increase depending on match time”.

“This of course positively flows on to employment opportunities through the rostering of additional hours and roles, and demand via procurement supporting local producers and suppliers,” he said.

Restaurateur Martin Palmer, who is behind city venues 2KW, Fishbank and Paloma Bar and Pantry, said he sees a 10-15 per cent increase – or up to $5000 – on game days.

“The ones with more bar operations see a better increase,” he said, adding that Thursday night games were particularly good for trade.

Martin Palmer, centre, with Ed Peter and Brett Matthews, owners of the Duxton Hotel Group. Picture: Matt Turner

“Peel St (Paloma Bar and Pantry) tends to do a lot better when there’s a Power game on as opposed to a Crows game, so there are some anomalies.

“Obviously it’s better when there’s a stronger Victorian club in town because they tend to have a better support base. And when … they’re in for a Friday night (game), you tend to find they hang around for the weekend and you get a flow-on effect. That’s harder to put a monetary number on, because it’s more about staff talking to them and saying, ‘oh, are you down for the footy’,”.

While the ‘23 season officially kicks off next weekend, regulars of Strathmore Hotel, on North Tce, are already booking tables for Crows and Power game days, general manager Tim Riemann said.

“People know us, they know our product, they know we can look after them and have them fed with couple of drinks and still have plenty of time to get to their game,” Mr Riemann said. “We’re lucky with our location; we’ve got public transport on our doorstep and we’re the first pub from the bridge.”

An Adelaide Oval spokesperson said approximately seven million fans had flocked to the CBD since the Oval began hosting AFL games in 2014.

“Our riverbank location means that tens of thousands pour from Adelaide Oval into city venues, restaurants and bars after every AFL game and major event, creating not just an economic benefit for local businesses but also a more vibrant, lively CBD,” they said.