The AFL's 2025 Gather Round dates have been locked in, with the 'festival of footy' descending on South Australia once again from Thursday, April 10 through to Sunday, April 13.
The Barossa Valley - listed as a potential host of an AFL match in previous editions - will, for the first time, hold a game at the Lyndoch Recreation Park facilities, which are being upgraded.
Next year's instalment of Gather Round will coincide with the end of the first week of school holidays in Victoria and Queensland and the first weekend of school holidays in South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales, all of which will be before Easter.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said announcing the dates as early as possible will assist in planning for travel and accommodation in advance.
“This year's Gather Round was an incredible success, it was always going to hard to top the original, but the sequel delivered one of the best footy experiences of all time,” Dillon said.
“The timing of the 2025 event and the April school holidays will give fans and families the best opportunity to be able to visit South Australia. It has been a proven strategy over the first two years, especially considering the interstate visitors make up 33% of match attendees.
“Our planning has already begun, and I'm excited to be able to announce more details later in the year, making 2025 Gather Round our best yet.”
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said the state is excited to continue growing the concept, which has been welcomed by the AFL community.
“We know that Gather Round was an extraordinary success in 2024, and built on the strong foundations we set with the inaugural event in 2023," Malinsauskas said.
“A $91.6 million economic contribution is a significant return, as are the almost 200,000 visitor nights.
“That represents tens of thousands of interstate visitors filling our hotels, and spending money in our cafes and bars.
“But it's not just the direct benefit. Gather Round matches and events like the Norwood Food & Wine Festival provide an opportunity for our state to tell its story.
“We look forward to making the 2025 event bigger and better again – with the Barossa Valley set to feature for the first time.”
There are talks of the AFL reviving an International Rules game during next year's Gather Round, which will showcase the strong AFLW Irish cohort that consists of over 30 players.
An April game would be during the off-season of the women's competition, making it a logistical nightmare for the Irish players, given some return to their home country to feature in the GAA's (Gaelic Athletic Association) women's national football league.
However, it is understood that there is strong support for a representative game, with a State of Origin game between Victoria and an Allies/Dream Team side floated, according to News Corp.
MORE TO COME.