AFL

'A bloody good job': Gather Round set to stay in SA

Apr 13, 2026

Eagle Hamish Davis and Geelong's Mark O'Connor fly before a record Norwood Oval crowd. -AAP Image

The AFL's Gather Round is set to stay in South Australia after another successful edition, with Geelong coach Chris Scott lauding a record crowd for his team's game.

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It would be a brave move for the AFL to shift the showcase round after the fourth year again featured strong crowd and TV rating numbers.

Considerable rhetoric has surrounded the Gather Round over the past few days, from SA Premier Peter Malinauskas and other interested parties including Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham.

Negotiations between the league and SA wlll now ramp up, with Tasmania's impending entry into the competition complicating what Gather Round might look like.

As fuel price hikes added to cost of living stress, concerns had arisen that not as many interstate fans would attend this time.

Those fears were emphatically allayed.

Despite intermittent wet weather, the round drew its largest cumulative attendance, with 270,018 eclipsing 2025's total of 269,506.

And it included a record 9,434 fans attending suburban Norwood on Sunday to watch Geelong's win over West Coast.

"It's a bit of an honour for the Cats to be part of that," said Scott, whose team played at the Parade for the first time.

"I would have said this if we'd lost ... we just had a great experience over here.

"I'm not necessarily supporting that fact that Adelaide keep it forever, but what I will acknowledge is gee, they do a bloody good job of it.

"It's just brilliant to see so many Geelong supporters out here in Norwood. The suburban feel, it was nice."

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said hotel occupancy in Adelaide was up on last year and the TV ratings for Friday night's Collingwood-Fremantle clash were the highest this season.

"When you turn our matches into events, our fans come and they watch," he said.

"There was always a bit of uncertainty. So to just see it play out the way it has, it just shows how resilient our fans are and how much they love coming to the footy.

"It's been such a great vibe around the city."

Asked about the future of Gather Round, Dillon continued to play a straight bat.

"We're just continuing to have conversations. We'll get through the weekend, we'll get the economic data and then sit down with the premier," he said.

"He's said a couple of times, and we reiterate, we want to get the right deal, not a quick one.

"We're looking to have a medium-term deal as well, so we can invest in infrastructure and everything around the game.

"SA have put their best foot forward, as they have for the last three years, and the fans have embraced it. So we're excited to continue the conversations."