After bringing Gather Round to South Australia, State Premier Peter Malinauskas has long had his eyes on playing a game in the wine region of Barossa.
And next year, Malinauskas will get his wish.
On Monday, it was confirmed that the host venue, Lyndoch, in SA's Barossa Valley, will host an AFL Gather Round game in 2025, with a redevelopment locked in for the local oval.
Gather Round and the Barossa Valley.
See you in 2025! pic.twitter.com/Dhnshb4DLw
— Peter Malinauskas (@PMalinauskasMP) April 8, 2024
According to reports fromย ABC, the Barossa Council and the state government will contribute $20 million each to the Lyndoch Recreation Park redevelopment, with support from the Barossa District Football and Netball Club.
The upgrade will include a new multipurpose building with a 300-seat event space, netball courts, athletic track and clubrooms.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said the Lyndoch game would be seen on television screens across the country.
"Where we are standing now will be brand new facilities where the broadcast will come from and they will have views of an absolutely spectacular vista, not just of vineyards, but also the Barossa Valley ranges in the background," Mr Malinauskas said.
With the Barossa acknowledged as one of the five most-recognised wine regions in the world, the wine and food experience as well as proximity to the CBD the region was a logical choice to be part of the 2025 @AFL Gather Round. pic.twitter.com/7WvvMTXGC2
— Peter Malinauskas (@PMalinauskasMP) April 8, 2024
"The power of Gather Round extends far beyond the event itself. It's also the capacity to project South Australia to the rest of the country when the eyes of the nation are on us."
The SA Premier also didn't confirm whether Mount Barker would host an AFL game in 2025 after featuring in two over the weekend.
Barossa Council Mayor Bim Lange said that it was a great "opportunity to build our brand".
"Sport is all about a team and the team coming together and supporting one another and this has truly been a team effort," Mr Lange said.
"We look forward to not only Gather Round, but we look forward to community events.
"We're very proud to host festivals and all sorts of other cultural events and this facility will give us the opportunity to build on our brand."
SANFL CEO Darren Chandler said the announcement by the State Government and the AFL was a tremendous reward for the Barossa Council which had delivered significant investment to upgrade all sporting facilities in the region in recent years.
โAs a result of this investment, the region has already hosted significant events such as the AFL National Inclusion Carnival in 2022 and the Think! Road Safety SA Country Championships and Hostplus SANFL League match in 2023,โ Mr Chandler said.
โNow to turn their attention to hosting Gather Round next year is a huge reward.
โWe congratulate the Council, the Barossa Light and Gawler Football Association and all local clubs in the region.
โAn important legacy of Gather Round is to improve football facilities right across the State.
โThis redevelopment at Lyndoch will provide state-of-the-art facilities and two brand new AFL-standard ovals to cater for the growing number of young male and female footballers in the region.โ
