Fans will gather round for SA event
THE AFL says South Australia has done everything possible to prove it is capable of hosting Gather Round in coming years as ticket sales surge for the new Round 5 initiative.
The AFL has now sold 150,000 tickets for the nine games across the round in Adelaide, with 50,000 of them being sold to visitors from interstate.
That number is critical because it will provide return on investment for the South Australian Government, which has invested well over $10m in the initiative.
SA beat Sydney for the rights to host Gather Round.
While money will eventually decide the 2024 host – if the league goes ahead with the concept again – AFL executive Travis Auld said the state could not have done more so far.
“We have just done the one year (agreement) so we can have a conversation on the back of that with clubs, players, broadcasters and fans so if the appetite is there we are prepared to look at it again but it appears so far the state has embraced it,” he said.
“A number of the games are already sold out. The demand so far has exceeded expectations and a large number of tickets have been sold outside South Australia.
“I am not sure we expected that number of people to buy tickets outside South Australia.
“The fans are travelling to see their teams play but then it feels like they will stay behind to enjoy that broader weekend.”
Of the state’s 10,255 hotel rooms, 80 per cent have already been sold for the Saturday of Gather Round, with Auld saying many fans were driving into the state instead of flying.