Gather Round reveal

THE AFL has locked in the fixture for its inaugural “Gather Round … A Festival of Footy”, kicking it off with a crunch clash between Adelaide and Carlton.

The Crows and Blues will open the football extravaganza at Adelaide Oval on April 13, a Thursday night, while powerhouse Richmond will take on last season’s runner-up Sydney there 24 hours later. The venue will then stage two weekend double-headers.

The city ground will be the centrepiece for the new event, which will feature all 18 clubs playing in South Australia across four days from April 13-16.

Norwood Oval will hold two matches, while Hills town Mount Barker will have one.

Saturday’s double-header at Adelaide Oval is among the round’s highlights.

Victorian clubs Essendon and Melbourne battle during the afternoon, before Port Adelaide faces 2021 preliminary final nemesis the Western Bulldogs that night.

AFL fixture boss Travis Auld described the football festival as an unbelievable opportunity for the competition.

“Our clubs, our players and coaches are excited to come together and put on a great show,” Auld said.

“South Australians love their footy, and with no SANFL or metropolitan community matches that weekend, we are hoping they also come and experience what will be a great four days of celebration, fun and a true festival of footy.”

The league awarded SA the hosting rights for its extra round last month after a strong push from Premier Peter Malinauskas helped it stave off New South Wales.

Malinauskas had hoped the regional game would be in the Barossa Valley, north of Adelaide, to showcase the state, but AFL officials could not find a suitable venue there.

Mount Barker, on the doorstep of the Hills wine region, will host a game between premiership contender Brisbane and North Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday’s double-header at Adelaide Oval will feature Geelong-West Coast then Collingwood-St Kilda to close the round.

Malinauskas said excitement was already building in SA for “the biggest round of footy in our state’s history”.

“With the release of the fixture, fans can start booking their tickets, visitors can begin booking their accommodation and planning their trip to South Australia,” Malinauskas said. “The economic benefit to our tourism and hospitality sectors is going to be exceptional.”

The AFL’s airline partner, Virgin Australia, has added an extra 13,000 seats specifically for the round, which will go on sale on Friday, December 9.

The AFL fixture for the first 15 rounds, as well as match-ups and venues for the remaining home-and-away games, will be released later this week.