19 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

I’m not a sucker. I wanna watch my team live and if that means attending Gather Round then that’s what I have to do. 

The suckers are the people who book flights and accommodation the minute the dates are announced. Virgin might be charging $990 return today but guaranteed it’ll drop soon enough.

No your not. Your'e a legend, sort of.

I was referring to ANY virgin customers paying top dollar. Living in Vic I would drive very time if I had a hankering to attend.  Been to plenty of Adelaide oval games  watching Dees win in last few years, all on $100 flights.

Price gouging is an art form in Australia, and the AFL is complicit in this for gather round IMO

Seriously 

I am yet to see any Benefit for Gather Round. Everyone goes to Adelaide for a week, so what?

Of Course the AFL Suits stay in 5 Star Rooms, and eat beautiful meals washed down with expensive bottles of anything they desire. 
But what is the benefit to the competition?

It is just another AFL sanctioned disruption. 
 

I really wish the Clubs would just say “no”

It doesn’t serve a purpose….

It is the ultimate Junket…

Edited July 3, 20241 yr by Sir Why You Little

24 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Seriously 

I am yet to see any Benefit for Gather Round. Everyone goes to Adelaide for a week, so what?

Of Course the AFL Suits stay in 5 Star Rooms, and eat beautiful meals washed down with expensive bottles of anything they desire. 
But what is the benefit to the competition?

It is just another AFL sanctioned disruption. 
 

I really wish the Clubs would just say “no”

It doesn’t serve a purpose….

It is the ultimate Junket…

Clubs won't say no for as long as the AFL gives them the 750K payment.

It's actually a lot of fun IF you are able to/willing to spend a lot, we went out to the wineries for lunches every day this year before heading into to Adelaide Oval. It does price a lot of people out.

I'm hoping we get one of the Norwood games next year just for something a bit different.

 

54 minutes ago, FearTheBeard said:

Clubs won't say no for as long as the AFL gives them the 750K payment.

It's actually a lot of fun IF you are able to/willing to spend a lot, we went out to the wineries for lunches every day this year before heading into to Adelaide Oval. It does price a lot of people out.

I'm hoping we get one of the Norwood games next year just for something a bit different.

 

So it’s a lot of fun for the Rich Folks, that’s it…?

Not really a compelling argument is it. 
 

An AFL Junket…

6 hours ago, Scoop Junior said:

Yes, I get the AFL needs to make money for the benefit of executive bonuses.

Fixed your post

2 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

So it’s a lot of fun for the Rich Folks, that’s it…?

Not really a compelling argument is it. 
 

An AFL Junket…

Or people like me who saved up for it...

But yes, your point is valid and i'm pretty sure I did say that a lot of people are priced out by it.

8 hours ago, Scoop Junior said:

Agree. I was fortunate enough to attend both the Port Adelaide and Adelaide games this year but it's unrealistic to expect people (and especially families) to be able to head over and pay exorbitant prices for flights and accomodation every year.

It's just another example of the AFL monetising the passion of fans and using them. The game is nothing without the fans but the AFL do no more than pay lip service to the interests of fans. They've now already started the Opening Round concept, which is just a mini-Gather Round in NSW/QLD and yet another round of footy taken away from fans. There has already been talk of another Gather Round in Perth.

It's infuriating to hear those going for free (AFL, media, etc.) laud the concept. Who wouldn't want a free weekend away watching lots of footy? Maybe ask the fan who has spent $5,000 on flights and accomodation for the "privilege" of taking their family to the footy if they are in love with the concept.

Yes, I get the AFL needs to make money for the benefit of the game. But it's a question of balance and how far do you go to make money at the expense of fans.  There's always the ability to make more money but the line has to be drawn somewhere. Having a whole round of footy in another state is totally unnecessary for me.

The real money maker are the TV deals and major sponsorships. Ticket sales, flights, accommodation and all other travel expenses are just crumbs and most of that money goes to the specific suppliers in those industries.

Out of interest I just had a look at the Qantas website and you can get an economy fare for $282.

i went to the GR this year and whilst I enjoyed seeing the Dees win, I wasn’t that impressed with the Adelaide Oval as such. Expected much more.

We stayed with friends in the Adelaide Hills so that was great but don’t think I would bother again. 

2 hours ago, FearTheBeard said:

Or people like me who saved up for it...

But yes, your point is valid and i'm pretty sure I did say that a lot of people are priced out by it.

If you can afford it, good luck to you. 

But it is actually “taking the game away from the people”. 
But when i look and listen to the new AFL CEO it makes sense in a way. 
They Have no feel for the game, you only have to go through the rule changes given to us, in the last 30 years, to realise that. 
And of course all the Media love it, 5 Star Rooms, so they can feel important 

On 02/07/2024 at 17:39, Dee Dee said:

Melbourne to Adelaide along the great ocean road over 3 or 4 days, then back via Ballarat. I’ve done it a couple of times - beats flying IMHO, especially if taken at a leisurely pace. And the scenery “WOW”!

We used to take the kids regularly via the Ocean Road. More recently I’ve taken the train a few times which is pretty chill and they just keep feeding you all day. 

The Gather Round is a pathetic pointless money grabbing nonsense that I hate

That’s all I have to say about that

couldn’t find the thread for this years gather round if we even have one yet, but we are actually at a decent facility this time round not one on par with div 3 amateur league footy 😁

30 minutes ago, 2029_brownlow_medalist said:

couldn’t find the thread for this years gather round if we even have one yet, but we are actually at a decent facility this time round not one on par with div 3 amateur league footy 😁

Damn my flight gets in at 11 😭

The AFL is on a fast track to alienating its biggest fanbase: Melbourne. The city.

The only one in the media to go against the narrative was Luke Hodge, who on the radio was the only of the three hosts to say he didn't understand the point of the Opening Round. They were talking about how good the energy was around the SCG, but Hodge countered and said if you were in the Sydney CBD that night you wouldn't have known there was a game on. Whereas when Richmond play Carlton there is an energy in Melbourne. It's unmatched.

The AFL had completely sucked the energy out of the start of the season. If they really wanted to hype up energy at the start of the season they'd go back to Richmond and Carlton opening, and then send Collingwood to Sydney, Hawthorn to Adelaide or Brisbane and have Freo and West Coast play in Perth. it's not rocket science but the AFL insists on trying to build the game in NSW and QLD with artificial BS. There is a reason why Gather Round works so well and that's because it's a festival of footy. Round 1 used to have a festival vibe but it's gone now.