Even before arriving in South Australia for Gather Round, you felt intoxicated by the footy fever in the air.
Footy scarfs of all colours were rife at both Melbourne and Adelaide Airport – and even a few jumpers. The majority of groups you walked past were already talking about their teams’ prospects for the round ahead and their general excitement for Gather Round.
Adelaide Airport sure wasn’t shy about the footy carnival its city was proudly hosting.
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Gather Round banners with AFL stars were splashed all over the joint, while you couldn’t miss the giant footy at the baggage claim area. A fake mini footy field in the centre of the baggage carousel was a nice touch.
“I don’t want to go too hard too early, I’m worried I’ll fatigue,” one man said to his friend at the Adelaide Airport taxi dock.
The Adelaide CBD was absolutely pumping with a rainbow of all 18 clubs’ colours among crowds of fans in a truly rare sight you just wouldn’t see in any other part of the world for any sporting code.
The vibes were high, with everyone in good spirits and clearly thrilled to be part of it – like footy’s Christmas Day spread across a long weekend. The sunny, low 20 degrees days certainly helped.
The Playford Hotel was where it was all happening, with footy players and AFL royalty alike spread about – from a casual conversation between Leigh Matthews and Nathan Buckley in the foyer, to Marcus Bontempelli chatting to a player manager on a couch.
It also felt like you couldn’t wander the streets of the CBD for more than two minutes without spotting other AFL players, coaches and administrators.
At one stage, Tom Liberatore and Caleb Daniel popped out of a 7-Eleven store, while Collingwood president Jeff Browne casually strolled through a group of Adelaideans.
Hindley Street – host of happening bars and cafes – and Rundle Mall – a popular shopping strip – were packed with life and footy fans everywhere. That included (another) giant footy in the centre of Rundle Mall, people crowding around a screen watching a live game and other footy activities.
The walk to Adelaide Oval was as much of an experience as anything including another hotspot of activities for supporters at nearby tents.
The closer you got to the arena you could begin to hear music blasting on the outside speakers. If Wolfmother’s ‘Joker and the Thief’ doesn’t get you amped for a game of footy, nothing will.
The bangers didn’t end there, with songs playing after every goal inside Adelaide Oval to create a party-like atmosphere most probably aren’t used to at the footy.
In another rare sight, a Mexican wave went around the stadium during the Western Bulldogs-Geelong game on Saturday night – it must’ve done over 10 laps and was even reinitiated after a goal momentarily paused it.
“You don’t see that too often at the footy,” one reporter highlighted in the press box.
You’ve got to hand it to them, the City of Churches sure know how to put on a show.
“This is just a fantastic spot to have the whole AFL world in the CBD of Adelaide – you can’t take more than five steps without saying g’day to someone,” dual premiership Kangaroo David King told foxfooty.com.au.
“It’s got a real feel about it and everyone’s excited. It’s like going to the Royal Show when you’re 12 years of age.
“For a footy nerd and footy nuffy, this is heaven. Good footy conversations and you get people when they’re not as stressed as normal.
“That’s why I love the idea of Gather Round. All the fans walking through the streets here or sitting in bars are basically mixing with AFL players – there’s nowhere else in the world that would do this.
“I think it’s wonderful.”
The overwhelming feeling from people you spoke to was that last year was great, but this year was more organised and better executed after the city had more time to prepare to host the footy extravaganza.
Like with anything these days, talk of what’s next and the future of Gather Round fast became a talking point.
We’re already set to see changes next year, with a game to be played in the Barossa Valley region amid a $40 million redevelopment of a community facility. That’ll no doubt give some punters a good excuse to get down to a few wineries they mightn’t have been able to attend otherwise.
And there’s already talk that there’s set to be multiple Gather Rounds spread across different states within the season when Tasmania enters the AFL in 2028.
But is the AFL killing the golden goose?
While it’s reasonable that other Australian cities deserve to eventually hosting Gather Round – as good a job as Adelaide has done and where it’ll remain until at least 2026 – there’s a view that expanding it across the country in one season is a greedy commercial play that will erase the magic that is.
It’s literally called Gather Round because it brings footy people from all walks of the country to the one spot – not a year-long road trip. And while Collingwood, for instance, gets to annually play in big games like Anzac Day, this is an event for all clubs and fans to share.
Plus, a key part of the success of it being in Adelaide is because of how footy-obsessed the city is. You can picture Perth also being able to pull it off for that reason.
But would the northern states be capable of creating the same buzzing atmosphere given their primary sporting code is rugby league? The AFL would certainly hope so, though it might require some negotiating with the NRL.
As exciting as the bright lights of the CBD and Adelaide Oval are, there’s also something romantic about matches being held in suburban grounds like Norwood and Adelaide Hills that ooze footy culture and trademarks of our great game.
What will be will be. The idea of creating more specialty rounds is definitely something that should be on the cards in great innovation for the AFL.
For now, Adelaide has certainly nailed the Gather Round concept. Do yourself a favour and get a golden ticket to next year’s showpiece.
Source Agencies
