Onkaparinga Council to vote on partnering with South Adelaide Football Club on Gather Round bid
A local council is set to vote on a proposal to bring the festival of football to another part of Adelaide.
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A proposal to host AFL Gather Round in Adelaide’s south will go to a local council vote on Tuesday night after the region missed out on the festivities this year.
South Adelaide Football Club is driving the proposal to bring the AFL event to Magain Stadium in Noarlunga Downs and earlier met with Onkaparinga councillors to discuss the proposal.
The club has already written to Premier Peter Malinauskas to advocate for the club’s inclusion in the event but SAFC chief executive Neill Sharpe said council’s support would enhance their bid.
Elected members on Tuesday night will vote on whether to partner with South Adelaide Football Club to apply for, host, and secure Gather Round in the south.
Councillor Marion Themeliotis, who put up the motion, said the move would help showcase the south.
“Time and time again, the south is overlooked,” she said.
“We are a very unique council ... I can imagine people coming, having Gather Round at South Adelaide and they’re heading off to Christies for dinner or going to McLaren Vale and having a wine tour.
“There’s so much to do in the south and I really want to the opportunity to showcase it and I think the only way our council can do it is getting in partnership with South Adelaide and then getting a really strong seat at that table with the state government.”
Mr Sharpe said the idea has been discussed previously been among SANFL clubs but interest grew after they missed out on festival content this year.
“We didn’t have any AFL content down here during Gather Round, we’re the only SANFL club to not have any content,” he said.
“The Gather Round has been in the east, it’s been in the centre of Adelaide, it’s been out in the north now in the Barossa, it sort of makes sense for the south to get an opportunity to host a game.”
It comes after AFL fans overwhelmingly voted for the league’s Gather Round to stay in South Australia as the Premier vowed: “I’ll be damned if I let some other bastards steal it”.
Speaking at the Norwood Parade on Sunday, Peter Malinauskas said he had held “informal” talks with AFL chief executive officer Andrew Dillon to lock in a deal past 2026.
More than $24 million would be needed to bring Magain Stadium to up to festival standard, which includes $16.25 million of upgrades already included in the club’s masterplan for new player facilities and other features.
Ms Themeliotis said, if the bid was successful, she wanted council to make “some form of contribution”.
She added that Tuesday’s motion could strengthen the relationship between council and the club beyond Gather Round.
“Council already utilises South Adelaide for citizenship ceremonies ... we do have a small contribution ($30,000) to them already and I just want to grow that and I feel like there’s opportunity at South Adelaide, potentially for some of our local clubs that are looking for turfed areas,” she said.
A council spokesperson said council will “always welcome additional investment in the south – including investment by the state government in its South Adelaide facility – so hosting Gather Round in Onkaparinga is certainly something we’d get behind”.
The Advertiser has contacted the Premier’s office for comment.
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Originally published as Onkaparinga Council to vote on partnering with South Adelaide Football Club on Gather Round bid
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