Southern Football League to host 2025 games during AFL Gather Round

One of SA’s top community footy competitions will play through AFL Gather Round, becoming the second local league so far to clash with the footy festival in 2025.

One of local SA footy’s top competitions will go ahead with games during AFL Gather Round next year, becoming the second league to clash so far.

The Southern Football League, which also hosted games during the AFL’s festival of footy in 2023, will play all its round two games on Saturday, April 12, which would prevent the competition’s players, staff and fans from attending at least three Gather Round clashes at Adelaide Oval, Barossa Park and Norwood Oval on the same day.

The SFL is one of two leagues so far set to play through the Gather Round weekend along with the Hills Football League, with many other local fixtures yet to be announced.

SFL president Craig Warman (right) said the competition had no choice but to play during 2025 Gather Round. Picture: Tom Huntley

President Craig Warman said the league did not have much room to move when planning its schedule.

“The simple fact of the matter is we have for years based our program to finish the week before the AFL grand final and with Anzac Day and Easter being so close this year we have no other option but to play (through Gather Round) to fit our season in,” he said.

“It’s fine for the AFL to bring Gather Round in and it’s great for the state but we’ve had to do this to finish our season at the right time.

Action from the 2022 SFL grand final between Reynella and Morphett Vale. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“Most people in Adelaide support the Crows and Port Adelaide and we get that some people might want to watch interstate sides on the Saturday but we don’t think it will impact our crowds or clubs too much.

“It didn’t last year and it won’t next year.”

Hills Football League chief Travis Lynn also believed his competition had no choice but to play through the footy festival next year.

He said players had not been in favour of the two-week bye implemented to work around Gather Round in previous seasons.

“If we were to start on April 5, the ovals might not be prepared properly (after cricket) and then the clubs would have two weeks off for Gather Round and Easter,” Lynn explained.

“The info we got back from the clubs last season was the two-week break early in the season was not well-received by the players.”