$$$ Gather Round

[Willmoy1947 4,140]

15 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Aside from the fact that the two Adelaide sides get an extra home game and therefore an unfair advantage I think it's logistically the best place to hold it each year. It's easy to get to from Victoria both by road and air and a relatively short flight from WA.

As for the few GC and GWS supporters that would make the trip their presence is negligible anyway so Andrew Demetriou's plastic implants can play each other every year in Coober Pedy. 

The only issue on the horizon is when Tasmania enter the competition one team won't have anyone to play that week. 

Wobbles?

[leave it to deever 17,517]

On 05/04/2024 at 16:16, Diamond_Jim said:

Does it generate that much?

Everywhere within 60kms of Adelaide books out for the Adelaide Test Match. Average daily crowd is around 35k. Assume tourists make up 20% and you come up with 7k tourists.

Judging from this forum which contains ardent supporters few made the trip. The reality is that for each club less than 1k can attend.

Perhaps a game at Renmark and Port Lincoln would open things up. Renmark has the nearby towns of Mildura and Berri each off which offer additional accommodation options.

There was a lot written on the benefit of event tourism around the Taylor Swift concert. The bottom line was that unless you attract international tourists there is no net national benefit. Taking that to State level you need to attract interstate visitors. The reasoning is that if the money had not been spent by locals on the event most of it would still have been spent locally on something else

On the assumption you are getting 10k interstate tourists the Govt of SA is paying $2000 per visitor.

Event figures have always been rubbery but politicians love them.

WA will pay a fortune post 2026 is my guess

 

I think WA is a tough call.

Most Gather round visitors are from Melbourne. The flight costs would be a big call to Perth.

[Demonland 73,140]

 

[Deefiant 441]

31 minutes ago, Demonland said:

 

In terms of the unfairness of the competition I feel like this is one of the lessor things we should care about considering the vicbias benefits we enjoy. 

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,878]

3 hours ago, Deefiant said:

In terms of the unfairness of the competition I feel like this is one of the lessor things we should care about considering the vicbias benefits we enjoy. 

So asides from the GF being always at the MCG, I feel this is such a faux argument.  Yes the Vic teams travel less, but they don't have anything like the home ground advantage of the interstate teams for the most part, because so many games against the other Vic teams just end up being neutral, without a real home ground advantage.

Leigh Mathew's is close spot on.  Our draw this year got somewhat harder by having to play another away game (and playing it off a 5 day break at that).  The only saving grace was that being consecutive, we could do the mini-hub thing and that Adelaide aren't in good form.

The only thing I'd change from what Leigh is saying, is that it doesn't make so much sense to have both Adelaide teams play each other as that would likely reduce overall match attendance, by likely having just the one sell out at Adelaide oval between the home state sides rather thàn two.  Solution ìn my mind is just to drop the number of actual playing Rds in the season back to what is was before, so there are equal home and away for all teams, so the Adelaide one's still end up with as many as anyone else by seasons end.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,878]

On 05/04/2024 at 17:24, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

So, a wine-win situation.

This Barrosa game has to be a MFC game.

Package deals will include a picnic blanket and  Charcuterie board, as well as a shuttle from your hotel in a Range Rover.

[Supermercado 2,802]

If we get the same payoff at a random ground and Adelaide Oval, I want to play somewhere unique next year. Preferably not at 5.10pm Friday, but if that's what it takes I'll adapt. 

[layzie 33,991]

I find it funny how it's meant to be a gathering of teams round yet every team that plays early in the weekend nicks off back to Melbourne as soon as their game is done 😝

[Dee*ceiving 1,690]

Several years of gather rounds in SA feels like a good way for the AFL to pave a pathway for a 3rd team in SA.

I think reports were that revenue for last years gather round topped $80m. 

Might not be until the early 2030s but it seems to me a 20th team is inevitable. The only other place you could put it would be WA but they are further away and won't have had the billion $ cash injection SA will achieve from 8 - 10 years of gather rounds. 

NSW & QLD markets are full and I can't see the NT working considering their economy, popluation and mid year weather. The NTFL season runs October to March 

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,939]

Highly recommend going over if you enjoy seeing a couple of neutral games in addition to the Melbourne game. The city has a great vibe and everyone’s in a happy mood and having a ball (except for a couple of Collingwood ferals who were picking verbal fights with Hawks supporters outside the AO post game)

I would suggest seeing the Saturday Adelaide Oval double header as the break between games is quite short.

Norwood and Mt Barker have the novelty factor about them as it’s hard to fathom they’re actually playing genuine games at these venues. But I hope we never play at Norwood as the viewing is sub par.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,909]

On 05/04/2024 at 16:16, Diamond_Jim said:

Does it generate that much?

Everywhere within 60kms of Adelaide books out for the Adelaide Test Match. Average daily crowd is around 35k. Assume tourists make up 20% and you come up with 7k tourists.

Judging from this forum which contains ardent supporters few made the trip. The reality is that for each club less than 1k can attend.

Perhaps a game at Renmark and Port Lincoln would open things up. Renmark has the nearby towns of Mildura and Berri each off which offer additional accommodation options.

There was a lot written on the benefit of event tourism around the Taylor Swift concert. The bottom line was that unless you attract international tourists there is no net national benefit. Taking that to State level you need to attract interstate visitors. The reasoning is that if the money had not been spent by locals on the event most of it would still have been spent locally on something else

On the assumption you are getting 10k interstate tourists the Govt of SA is paying $2000 per visitor.

Event figures have always been rubbery but politicians love them.

WA will pay a fortune post 2026 is my guess

 

I think the economics is a bit more complex. Firstly, the SA Government benefits from their own people choosing to stay in Adelaide for school holidays because of Gather Round, rather than spending their dollars outside SA. Secondly, I assume Gather Round is a hook for other events such as conventions, conferences and business meetings that wouldn't otherwise occur in Adelaide.  

I was dubious about the Gather Round concept last year, but am now fully on board. My bigger problems is that the footy calendar has become too spread out with games all over the week rather than with consistent scheduling. With Easter, Gather Round and Thursday night football (and ANZAC Day and eve to come), there is too much football on non-traditional days and particularly inconsistent timeslots.  

[whatwhat say what 22,942]

bingo https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/gather-round-more-like-blather-round-if-you-ask-me-20240408-p5fi89.html

 

[Dingo 1,126]

17 hours ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

This Barrosa game has to be a MFC game.

Package deals will include a picnic blanket and  Charcuterie board, as well as a shuttle from your hotel in a Range Rover.

What about the $800 bottle of Grainge?

[Dingo 1,126]

8 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I think the economics is a bit more complex. Firstly, the SA Government benefits from their own people choosing to stay in Adelaide for school holidays because of Gather Round, rather than spending their dollars outside SA. Secondly, I assume Gather Round is a hook for other events such as conventions, conferences and business meetings that wouldn't otherwise occur in Adelaide.  

I was dubious about the Gather Round concept last year, but am now fully on board. My bigger problems is that the footy calendar has become too spread out with games all over the week rather than with consistent scheduling. With Easter, Gather Round and Thursday night football (and ANZAC Day and eve to come), there is too much football on non-traditional days and particularly inconsistent timeslots.  

How can you have conventions and conferences if you struggle to find accommodation because the AFL has booked all the prime hotels?

[PaulRB 6,411]

I loved the gather round, and would welcome 2 more per-season, if they decide to go that way. I spent the Gather round with 10 old Mates at a beach house on the coast, hanging out, drinking, laughing, surfing and watching footy… was lots of fun.

 

Edited April 8 by PaulRB

[homsar 431]

Can’t understand why anyone would not like gather round. It is [censored] great. We also play Adelaide oval well and travel well. Heaps of close games. Perfect sized city for that kind of event. It’s just fun and the majority of haters are boring old blokes. 
 

And we won. Twice. 

[Fat Tony 5,262]

My two biggest beefs with gather round are 1) that the South Australian teams get an extra home game every year; and 2) there are too many matchups big Victorian teams against each other.

Both these things could be solved through better fixturing.

 

[No. 31 1,309]

On 05/04/2024 at 17:41, Sideshow Bob said:

The Penfold cup.

Winners have a grange shower in the song instead of gatorade....

They also have sponsorship arrangements with both Carlton and Melbourne.

Blues v Dees in the Barossa. 

Oh, I like that concept. Losing side shouts the other Bin 389s after the game 🍷😁

Hmmm, can I convince Mrs No. 31 to head to the Barossa next year in April for a family weekend getaway 🤔😃

[The heart beats true 18,145]

13 hours ago, whatwhat say what said:

bingo https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/gather-round-more-like-blather-round-if-you-ask-me-20240408-p5fi89.html

 

I just read this too, and he absolutely nails the AFL on both their demands for Tasmania, and how the average footy fan has been marketed the lose of something.

It’s great when a journalist actually does their job. So refreshing in the current environment.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,909]

13 hours ago, Dingo said:

How can you have conventions and conferences if you struggle to find accommodation because the AFL has booked all the prime hotels?

You make a good point. I suspect that one of the reasons the AFL and SA Government came to a long-term agreement last year was to encourage investment in infrastructure, such as additional accommodation and conference facilities for Adelaide.  

[John Crow Batty 8,879]

Don’t mind the Gather Round concept but I would prefer it to be the first round of the season to minimise disruptions for clubs.