The City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters has welcomed the AFL’s decision to lock in dates for the third instalment of AFL Gather Round in South Australia.
The Council hopes to once again be a part of the action next year, following the success of the thrilling games played at Norwood Oval in both 2023 and 2024.
“The Council has many reasons why it wants to host the AFL Gather Round again in 2025,” Mayor Bria said.
“The nation’s spotlight was on our beautiful City as we hosted two nail biting AFL matches in April this year, the Norwood Food & Wine Festival that attracted over 70,000 people who enjoyed the produce from our local food and beverage producers and the weekend delivered significant local economic benefits. As well, of course, the fantastic community spirit and vibe!”
More than 18,000 fans packed Norwood Oval over the Gather Round weekend for the two AFL matches this year. The Brisbane Lions kicking off a convincing win over North Melbourne in front of more than 9,000 fans on Friday 5 April, while 9,425 footy fans enjoyed watching St Kilda defeat Richmond on Sunday 7 April.
Economic data for the month of April shows that the business sector in City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters and in particular the suburb of Norwood, benefitted from a massive increase in spending this year compared to 2023.
Spendmapp data revealed the total spend for the entire City entire over the three days was $17.6 million compared to $14.2 million in 2023.
“City-wide expenditure in the Dining and Hospitality sector was $6.6 million this year compared to $4.45 million in 2023 – representing a 48% increase – which is a phenomenal result.”
“This massive increase in spending this year is testament to the momentum of the AFL Gather Round and of course, the popularity of The Parade, The Norwood Oval and The Norwood Food & Wine Festival.”
“The high percentage of spending coming from visitors, rather than locals, reinforces the success of the AFL Gather Round and how it attracts people from interstate to South Australia and the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters.”
“In fact, almost one quarter ($890,000) of the spend in Norwood came from Victorian visitors, which is a great result and demonstrates the popularity of the Norwood Food & Wine Festival.”
Mayor Bria said the Council has resolved to express its interest with the AFL and the State Government for Norwood Oval to host matches for the 2025 AFL Gather Round and has allocated $200,000 in its 2024-2025 budget for activations and events.
