Gather Round to stay in SA until 2026 after injecting $85m to SA

The AFL will confirm in the next few days that Gather Round will stay in SA with a possibility it could be for another three years.

The AFL is expected to confirm the Gather Round will remain in South Australia for at least next year and possibly until 2026.

The Advertiser understands it could also include a commitment from the AFL and the South Australian government to fund football facilities - foreshadowed on Friday at a business lunch by AFL boss Gilllon an McLachlan and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.

Sellout crowds and an expected $85m economic windfall for the South Australian economy has helped drive the decision with football industry leaders believed to have been widely impressed with the Gather Round in South Australia.

The AFL last night was tight-lipped about the decision, issuing a statement that “the AFL will make a decision in the next week on the future of Gather Round to give the successful 2024 applicant 12 months to prepare.”

Early estimates by the Adelaide Economic Development Agency show the economic impact of Gather Round is expected to be about $85.8m.

Gillon McLachlan, CEO of the AFL and the Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas stand with Aliir Aliir, Patrick Cripps of the Blues and Jordan Dawson of the Crows. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The government has not revealed how much it paid to host the round but speculation has put the figure around the $14m mark.

Adelaide Economic Development Agency acting managing director Greg Ratsch said the city’s Visitor Information Centre had seen a surge of customers from Western Australia – where school holidays end today – and Victoria.

The agency, established by Adelaide City Council in 2021, based its economic impact estimate on sales and visitor information as of last Thursday.

The event broke a state hotel occupancy record, which was only set last month during the Mad March arts festivals, with 91 per cent and 92 per cent hotel occupancy citywide for the Friday and Saturday nights – an average of 9640 rooms a night.

Mr Malinauskas said the state government would seek its own independent economic analysis of Gather Round next week.

“But on every metric available now, this major event has exceeded expectations,” Mr Malinauskas said.

Business SA chief executive Andrew Kay said the streets of Adelaide had been alive over the weekend.

“The influx of football supporters from around the country is plain to see,” Mr Kay said.

“They are pumping money into the local economy through our cafes, restaurants, hotels, wineries, breweries and retail sector.

“What is less obvious is the significant number of business people who have travelled over as individuals, with their club coterie groups, or as part of AFL Connect.”

AFL chief executive officer Gillon McLachlan and AFL chairman Richard Goyder at the match between the Brisbane Lions and the North Melbourne Kangaroos in the Adelaide Hills. Picture: Michael Willson

Tourism Industry Council South Australia chief executive officer Shaun de Bruyn said feedback from the industry had been “brilliant”.

“There’s obviously been absolutely wonderful economic activity for hard-hit businesses, Adelaide metro and regional. It’sbeen great for the state,” he said.

Mr de Bruyn said the impact of the Gather Round’s success was not only economic.

“I would argue the indirect impact is actually bigger … what we are seeing is that the vibe of our state, the passion andenthusiasm we all have, is being recognised at a national level,” he said.

“The rest of the country is finding out about us because of the way in which the government is leading the conversation aroundevents.”

The Tourism Industry Council’s quarterly survey of business confidence for the next three to 12 months is at a positive indexed level of 147 (compared to a neutral 100), its highest in about 10 years.

Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said more than 115,000 passengers would pass through Adelaide Airport during the weekend – the airport’s busiest four days since the Covid-19 pandemic began in early 2020.

The influx of football fans led to an extra 35 flights into Adelaide being added from the previous week, with 30 added by Virgin Australia.

These included 14 additional flights for Perth, nine from Melbourne, fourfrom Brisbane and three from Sydney.

By comparison, last year’s VALO Adelaide 500 generated a record $51.8m benefit to the SA economy.

The Adelaide Festival’s pre-pandemic economic benefit record was just under $77m in 2019, while the 2022 Adelaide Fringe generated almost $75m of activity.

Last year’s NRL Magic Round in Brisbane attracted 30,000 visitors and was estimated to generate $27.4m of economic activity for that city.