AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has hinted at Gather Round remaining in Adelaide past the current contract, with Gerard Whateley believing that could be as long as “15-20 years”.
The second edition of Gather Round got underway on Thursday night with the Crows going down to Melbourne. But as Dillon – who is hosting his first Gather Round while in charge of the league – noted, 2024 already looks set to exceed last year’s inaugural effort.
Speaking at a business breakfast, Dillon suggested Adelaide Oval made Gather Round the spectacle it is.
“We’ve got three years … or this year plus another two and if the way it’s gone … the sequels not often better than the original but it looks like we’re going to improve on what happened last year,” he said, per The Advertiser.
“And if we can continue to improve and the fans come in from interstate, because that’s really important for South Australia.
“It’s a good investment that the South Australian Government’s making and we don’t take it for granted.
“But we know for South Australia continuing to invest they need to get the economic impact. So as long as we can continue to see that.
“The great thing I think about South Australia is to be able to base it around the Adelaide Oval, which is just such an iconic venue, so brilliantly situated.”
Adelaide has a contract to host Gather Round until 2026. Originally floated as a prospect to take the league to non-traditional footy states for a weekend, Gather Round instead went to South Australia, with the state putting on a spectacle for the 18 clubs last April.
There’s no official guarantee the AFL won’t revert to the original intention of taking Gather Round to a state such as New South Wales or Queensland. Whateley believes it will be in South Australia long past 2026.
“I think it will be here for 15-20 years before they even seriously think if anyone else wants to do it,” he said.
“It has all the right trimmings of the pilgrimage that happens to the Adelaide Test… this has the same dynamic and it’s the perfect city for it.
“The precinct, the bridge to the river, the CBD is right there, restaurants, all sorts of activations, rooftop bars, beer gardens have been built specifically for it, I love this city at times like this.”
South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas is eager to host games in the Barossa Valley in the coming years. Norwood and Mount Barker have again been chosen as the other venues alongside the Adelaide Oval in 2024.