AFL Gather Round keeps getting bigger and better
This year's AFL Gather Round was the biggest one ever, and South Australia has put itself in a strong position to maintain hosting rights
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Across the summit you’ll hear how:
AI agents becoming teammates in athlete support, analysis and decision-making
Gaming to grassroots: turning digital culture into real-world participation
The AI-powered athlete: building brands, reach and revenue beyond the field
AI governance in sport: protecting fairness, trust and athlete welfare
From data to fandom: hyper-personalised fan engagement at scale
Global AI playbooks: lessons from Ferrari and beyond
Access to this level of insight doesn’t come around often. Hearing directly from experts across sport and technology is what makes the AI in Sport Summit unique. Be in the room with the people building what comes next.
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With less than 4 weeks to go, now is the time to get your ticket and make sure you’re in the room to be part of the conversation.
NFL welcomed Qantas as its Official Airline Partner in Australia and New Zealand, and the Official Airline Partner of the 2026 NFL Melbourne Game - Qantas will operate charter flights for the Los Angeles Rams and San Fransisco 49ers when they play their regular season game at the MCG later this year
Australian Open welcomed BOSS as the tournament’s Official Lifestyle Outfitter from 2027 which will design and supply apparel for up to 4000 AO staff, officials, umpires, and ballkids
Commonwealth Games Australia inked a new deal with Melbourne coffee roaster ST. ALi which will set up a café in the forecourt of AUS HQ at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and deliver barista-made coffee to athletes, coaches and officials
Paralympics Australia and Bupa Optical launched a nationwide initiative to train optometrists to identify and refer people with vision impairments into Para-sport
AFL unveiled that Monster Energy expanded its partnership, joining as the Official AFLW Energy Drink Partner as part of a renewed multiyear agreement
Brisbane Lions and New Balance extended their partnership until 2030 - The ongoing partnership is delivered in conjunction with Belgravia Sports Apparel, New Balance’s Australasian elite teamwear partner
Western Bulldogs secured an expanded partnership with ASICS which will now provide official apparel for the Club’s AFLW and VFLW teams - this evolved agreement elevates the partnership to a true whole-of-club collaboration
Collingwood FC announced a 2-year extension of its partnership with Australia’s leading cyber security organisation CyberCX
West Coast Eagles inked a new partnership with Tony Barlow Menswear, which became the Club’s preferred supplier of men’s corporate uniforms
Sports Direct became the Official Sports Retailer of the Cronulla Sharks - its branding will adorn the corner posts at Ocean Protect Stadium for at least 2026 and 2027
Sydney Roosters announced JLab as the Club’s Official Audio Partner for the 2026 and 2027 NRL seasons - JLab branding will feature across the Club's digital channels and game-day activations at Allianz Stadium
Brisbane Broncos and Rio Tinto announced a landmark new sustainability partnership, ahead of its Queensland Derby clash with the North Queensland Cowboys - The partnership will see the creation and rollout of reusable drink bottles, made from Rio Tinto’s aluminium, across the Broncos’ football and business operations
URBNSURF announced a new partnership with Jeep Australia and Leapmotor Australia which will see vehicles featured prominently across its Melbourne and Sydney parks
Macarthur Bulls FC secured a new partnership with Oran Park Hotel which became the Official Club destination for away match gatherings for the 2026/27 season
NBL delivered another season of record growth across attendance, broadcast, digital and commercial performance
NFL announced plans to provide FREE Flag Football kits to every school in Australia - starting with Queensland and Victoria this year
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the League is taking a “long term” approach to its entry into Australia, hinting that September’s match in Melbourne will not be a one-off
lululemon released a golf collection with Brand Ambassador and PGA Australian golfer Min Woo Lee
On announced the addition of 5 x athletes to its ‘On Athletics Club Oceania’ Roster - Stewart McSweyn, Toby Gillen, Alex Stitt (AUS), Sam Tanner (NZL) and Sarah Tait (GBR) joined the Melbourne-based hub
LSKD set up its ‘1% Better Hub’ at the Brisbane Bullets’ high performance centre, transforming the facility and providing a training and recovery centre for some of the world’s best hybrid athletes during Hyrox Brisbane
Commonwealth Games Australia and AAMI unveiled ‘The Pursuit of Unstoppable’, a six-part Green2Gold2Great documentary series available on 7Plus and YouTube, to mark 100 days to go until Glasgow 2026
Sports Entertainment Network announced it is the Australian audio rights holder of the Indian Premier League, made possible by Henley Homes
Arsenal FC launched a new global partnership with Meta - Supporters will be able to access new and unique digital experiences across the official WhatsApp Channel and Facebook’s official page
AFL Gather Round keeps getting bigger and better
Three years in, AFL Gather Round is no longer an experiment, it’s a major sports event that’s entrenched in the AFL calendar, and the fabric of South Australia (SA).
It’s also one that continues to scale in size and attendance each year. In fact, AFL Gather Round 2026 was the biggest one ever:
By the numbers:
270,018 attended the 2026 AFL Gather Round (up from 269,506 last year)
6.4 million - Broadcast viewership across the nine Gather Round matches
112,141 fans visited the Macca’s Footy Festival
9,300 fans went through the gates of the new Next Door presented by Hard Rated
18,000 fans were engaged by AFL-themed activations at Rundle Mall
700 fans participated in the inaugural Run 4 Your Club - $7,000 was raised for the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation
150 guests from Government, Universities, Mental Health services, along with advocates, specialists and club representatives attended the inaugural AFL Health and Wellbeing conference
150 partners from across commercial, broadcast and licensing attended AFL Axiom
The fan experience was engineered to start at the border
From the moment fans entered SA, whether by road or air, their Gather Round experience began.
On the ground, fans entering regional towns, from Bordertown to Robe, were greeted with family-themed AFL-themed activations, photo moments and outdoor ad-campaigns.
In the air, clubs such as Sydney Swans activated their partnerships with Virgin Australia to treat fans to suprise and delight moments.
Adelaide Airport played host to a full AFL Gather Round takeover which included a giant inflatable Sherrin football, player cut-outs, entry archways, baggage carousel wraps, Sherrin mascots, brand ambassadors and disco dancers welcoming guests. Virgin Australia also gave fans a chance to hold the Premiership Cup.
A whole-of-state takeover
Multiple Gather Round-themed events and activations took place across the state. Some worth noticing:
AFL Axiom: A new conference event, attended by 150+ partners unpacking ‘The Future of Fandom’ - discussions centered around how to reach new audiences and bring more people into footy. The event featured futurist Michael McQueen and Ehrenberg-Bass Institute Professor Jenni Romaniuk
Welcome dinner at Penfolds Magill Estate: An exclusive dinner attended by some of the most powerful figures in football and politics including Anika Wells, Craig Drummond, Peter Malinauskas, Andrew Dillon, John Olsen, David Koch, Andrew Pridham, Sonja Hood, Andy Gowers and Robert Priestley
Bounce Around the Barossa: A free hop on & hop off bus service that returned for its second year, helping fans explore the Barossa
Barossa Park Live Site: A free site featuring big screens, appearances from AFL legends, giant Ferris wheel, and an AFL Play Zone
Norwood Food & Wine Festival: Held on Sunday, it featured 50+ of the Parade’s best restaurants, cafés and bars, and a free concert by The Presents
Run 4 Your Club: 700+ participants turned out for the inaugural Run 4 Your Club - a 4km walk/jog run along the River Torrens - Dylan Buckley was the event ambassador
Macca’s Footy Festival: Fans were treated to a 4-day activation site full of free activities and entertainment, including a live show with Bluey, fireworks, live music, zip line, and a suite of sponsorship activations (see below)
Mental Health Gathering: The inaugural Mental Health and Wellbeing Gathering took place at Adelaide University and was hosted by the AFL, in partnership with Danny Frawley Community (part of Black Dog Institute)
Ball in the Mall: The four-zone activation at Rundle Mall featured accessible activities such as Trickshot Arena, interactive arcade games, styling bar and music, along with a giant gold inflatable Sherrin and frequent player appearances
Player appearances
Players made appearances across the community, with 453 players making appearances around the state, including 10 footy clinics and 4 school visits.
Other notable locations that players visited included:
Western Bulldogs - Adelaide Central Markets
Carlton - Adelaide Zoo
Fremantle - toured the old scoreboard at Adelaide Oval
Geelong - RM Williams
Collingwood - West Beach Adventure
Essendon - Coles Supermarket
Izak Rankine entertained guests with a private gig to launch his new collaboration with Rixx Eyewear, the brand founded Tommy Sheridan and Coen Rodgers
Brands invested BIG again
Shell gave fans a discount of 10 cents a litre on fuel over the Gather Round weekend as petrol prices continued to surge around the globe
‘The Pepsi Collective’ gave fans a premium viewing experience from level three at Adelaide Oval with DJs including Andrew Loadsman, John Coarse, Havana Brown and Cyril
‘Next Door hosted by Hard Rated’, located next door to the Adelaide Oval, offered a mix of live entertainment, footy on the big screen and music across the week, including a performance from the ARIA Award-winning DMA’S
Macca’s Footy Festival played host to 22 x partnership activations from the likes of Telstra, AAMI, Bunnings, Pirate Life, Sportsbet, Energy Australia, Sherrin and Coles, and the site saw 112,141 fans visit here
Accor ran a competition and gave one lucky winner a “suite AFL weekend”, including flights, game tickets, merchandise and a stay in the Superfan Suite
EnergyAustralia activated its laser and light show, in partnership with KOJO here
SOLO teamed up with podcast trio, We Got the Chocolates (979k+ Instagram followers) to help launch its new SOLO Lime Zero Sugar flavour here
Chemist Warehouse gave fans seat upgrades to its VIP Deck here
Sherrin’s mascots were seen everywhere here
As Gather Round continues to scale year-on-year, it reflects more than just growing fan demand, it highlights a deliberate and sustained push from the AFL and SA Government to own and expand their major sporting events portfolio.
The SA Government has been deliberate in its quest to secure major sports events such as Gather Round
The Herald Sun previously reported how the SA Premier, Peter Malinauskas, was like a ‘dog with a bone’ at the AFL Grand Final in 2022 in luring Gather Round away from larger city’s such as Sydney and the NSW Government who were in the box seat and prepared to spend millions to secure the rights.
Peter Malinauskas has also previously spoken openly about the approach he’s taken to securing major sports events rights, and how he strongly pursued and secured the rights to host LIV Golf.
The SA Government has been heavily investing in the concept
It’s been showing an appetite to build its economy and global profile through major sports events and festivals, which are a significant driver for SA’s economy, generating $565 million in tourism expenditure in the year to September 2024.
Fresh off delivering another successful LIV Golf event, the SA Government recently secured the MotoGP™ Australian Grand Prix, luring it away from Victoria. This added to its expanding portfolio which already includes the likes of Santos Tour Down Under, LIV Golf Adelaide, AFL Gather Round, Adelaide International Tennis and bp Adelaide Grand Final.
AFL Gather Round expenditure:
The ABC has previously reported estimates that Gather Round rights costs $16m-20m a year
SA Government contributed $20m for a redevelopment (alongside The Barossa Council) enabling games to be played in the Barossa Valley
The SA Government continues to demonstrate strong capabilities in hosting major sports events
Hosting major sports events requires much more than meets the eye - it requires strong and precise coordination across multiple stakeholders and functions such as:
Venue operations
Government
Broadcast & media
Accommodation, hospitality & tourism
Security & risk management
Sporting bodies
Fans & general public
Local businesses
etc
What SA has consistently proven is its ability to align these moving parts into a cohesive operation that creates a seamless and engaging fan experience and state-wide “takeover” vibe.
This capability hasn’t gone unnoticed - last year, LIV Golf Adelaide was awarded “World’s Best Golf Event” at the World Golf Awards for the third consecutive year, reinforcing the state’s position as a global leader in major sports event delivery.
Hosting AFL Gather round delivers a substantial economic ROI for SA
Last year, AFL Gather Round 2025 delivered a blockbuster boost to SA’s visitor economy, with record-breaking crowds, festival attendance, and the greatest ever number of rooms occupied and revenue generated for Adelaide hotels.
Key highlights:
$113+ million economic return for the SA economy
269,506 fans attended the nine AFL football matches across the State
~200,000 people flying in and out of Adelaide Airport (eclipsing previous record of 182,000 set during Gather Round 2023)
~4,000 passengers transported to 45 local businesses, wineries, and townships across the region via the Bounce Around the Barossa hop-on hop-off bus service
90,000+ people attended the Norwood Food and Wine Festival
Average occupancy of 93%, average rooms occupied of 10,587, and average revenue of $4.6 million each night (Thursday - Sunday)
Will Gather Round 2026 produce another year of economic ROI?
The non-economic impacts are equally profound
Gather Round draws extensive media coverage, enhancing the state’s image, positively shaping public perception. The mass media coverage that its major sports events portfolio attracts provides a platform to showcase to everyone what SA has to offer, and it’s helping shift Adelaide and SA’s perception from a smaller market to an international destination.
Sport = Political popularity
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas recently stormed to the biggest election victory in the state Labor Party’s history, and there’s no doubt, his ability to successfully secure, host and scale major sporting events (especially AFL Gather Round) has been one of the most politically valuable moves.
Negotiations for future hosting rights are taking place
AFL Gather Round was launched in SA in 2023, and this is the last year of the 3-year deal. The AFL and SA Government are currently negotiating its future, and it's being reported that Peter Malinauskas is looking to try and secure a 5-year deal.
Trump-style negotiating tactics have been adopted
At the Welcome dinner at Penfolds Magill Estate, Peter Malinauskas charismatically warned:
“To Craig (Drummond) and other members of the commission, I should let you know that I’m about to post to (Trump’s social media platform) Truth Social the following ... ‘so on the Gather Round extension you f***ing crazy bastards ... we’ll all be living in hell, just watch. Speak to the Jarmans, the Eberts ... thank you for your attention to this matter.
Andrew Dillon responded the next night:
“We were quite surprised at the condition in there was that he wanted to partner with us on the redevelopment of AFL House – to be renamed Malinauskas Towers,”
“And then things got really weird when he put on a baseball cap and said: ‘I made South Australia Great Again’.”
The SA Government is firmly committed to shaping the long-term future of Gather Round
It has a clear preference for a multi-year agreement, as a longer-term deal would unlock certainty for continued investment, enabling it to build on existing momentum.
SA has put itself in a strong position to maintain its hosting rights and fans don’t want it going anywhere. If the AFL shifted it to another state, they’d walk away from years of hard‑earned learnings and momentum that SA has already built.
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