AFL locks in Friday night Showdown in 2026 as Peter Malinauskas continues push for South Australia to retain Gather Round
The prayers of South Australian football fans have been answered in 2026 with the Showdown given a Friday night berth by the AFL. But, there’s a catch.
South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas says his government is prepared to continue to spend big on footy facilities across the state if it ensures an extension of the Gather Round contract past 2026.
And in good signs for the state, AFL boss Andrew Dillon says “incumbency” is important as the 2025 edition delivered an economic return of $113.9 million for SA.
The fixture for the 2026 Gather Round was unveiled on Wednesday, with Adelaide taking on Carlton in the Thursday night opener and Port Adelaide closing it out against St Kilda.
Collingwood will take on Fremantle on Friday night at Adelaide Oval, as the SA Government makes a big play to lure footy fans from out west to the state.
Barossa Park will host North Melbourne and Brisbane on the Saturday and then GWS and Richmond on the Sunday, Essendon and Melbourne and then Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs clash at Adelaide Oval on the Saturday and Norwood again gets two games with Sydney and Gold Coast the Saturday clash and then Geelong and West Coast taking on each other on thew Sunday.
Mr Malinauskas said Gather Round was now “probably the best weekend of the year outside of the grand final” for footy fans and the government was prepared to show the AFL that its money was where its mouth was to keep it in the state.
“There will be a Gather Round in 2027, we just hope it is in South Australia,” he said.
“And I don’t mind saying in a way that I haven’t said before. One of the things that led to the extension of Gather Round was our demonstration as a government that we were willing to invest not just in Gather Round itself but in footy in the state.
“We developed a partnership with the AFL to unlock more investment in community facilities that could be used in another 51 weeks of the year.
“And the Barossa is a really good example of that, that is a model that has worked.
“It’s good for the Barossa community, not just footy, but cricket and also netball because we made an investment next door as well.
“So we see that as a model that’s working and we have made clear to the AFL that should South Australia get an extension of the contract we’re open minded to what other venues might be like in the future.”
Barossa Park at Lyndoch gets AFL content for the second year in a row, with Mount Barker missing out after hosting games in the first two Gather Rounds.
Mr Malinauskas said the door was not closed on Mount Barker for future editions should it remain in the state, while other suburbs could also be looked at in future years.
Mr Dillon said talks had been “very fruitful”
“We don’t know Gather Round other than in South Australia and it has been a massive success,” he said.
“Incumbency is really important and the AFL really values its partners.
“But that said it has to work for the people of South Australia, it has to work for the AFL and our clubs.
“But talks have been very fruitful.”
Originally published as AFL locks in Friday night Showdown in 2026 as Peter Malinauskas continues push for South Australia to retain Gather Round
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