South Australia is set to host the AFL's Gather Round for the third time in 2025, with the event expected to again generate significant economic benefits for the state.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon made the announcement in Adelaide this morning, revealing that the festival of football will take place from Thursday, April 10 to Sunday, April 13, coinciding with the start of school holidays.
Dillon said the 2024 Gather Round had been even more successful than 2023's.
"This year we achieved something that doesn't often happen where the sequel was better than the original across all the metrics," he said.
It generated an impressive $91.6 million in revenue, marking a 10 percent increase from the previous year.
Anna Moeller from the Hotels' Association said it was ideal that next year's round would coincide with interstate school holidays.
"The timing is gold," she said.
"The timing with interstate school holidays will really fan this out into the regions."
The Barossa Valley will make its debut as a host location in 2025, with the Lyndoch Recreation Park undergoing a $40 million transformation to become a premier sporting facility in time for the event.
But there is uncertainty surrounding the inclusion of Mount Barker as a host venue.
"If we went to two games in the Barossa, it'd be unlikely to be Mount Barker," Dillon said.
Adelaide Oval will remain the centrepiece of the event, with plans for at least one double-header.
The fixture and ticketing details will be finalised in the coming months.
The announcement of the dates has already had an impact on travel and accommodation prices, with return flights from Melbourne exceeding $1000 and a one-bedroom apartment in the city experiencing a nightly rate increase of over $100.
