A Call for Inclusion in the Gather Round
Crows AFLW player Ebony Marinoff has raised concerns about the absence of the women’s program from the successful Gather Round in Adelaide, questioning AFL CEO Andrew Dillon during an appearance on ABC’s Offsider’s program. Marinoff expressed her frustration, stating, “It’s almost ridiculous that we’re not playing in it, I’m not sure why not?” She emphasized that the lack of inclusion is a missed opportunity to showcase the AFLW.
Dillon acknowledged the issue, suggesting that the Gather Round could be extended to include representative football for AFLW. “Do we extend it out a little bit and have representative football for AFLW and get our best players playing?” he asked. However, he also highlighted the challenge of balancing this with the athletes’ off-season schedules. “How do we make sure that if you are playing, you’re at your best as well?”
Marinoff countered by pointing out that the best athletes in the women’s competition train all year round. “So if there was an opportunity there, I feel like the W programs would make it work,” she said.
Discussions About Future Hosting
The AFL chief also shared updates on discussions regarding the potential of Adelaide hosting future Gather Rounds. He mentioned that the AFL is having “really good discussions” with Premier Peter Malinauskas but remains cautious about setting a timeline for the final decision. This is the last year South Australia is certain to host the event.
The Premier had hoped to sign a deal with Dillon to keep the event in the state for five more years. “We have been saying we want to make sure we get to the right deal, not a quick deal,” Dillon said. “I don’t want to put a timeline on it, it’s not going to be months away, but we just wanted to get through this weekend.”
Malinauskas, speaking at the Food and Wine festival at Norwood Oval where over 9000 fans turned out to watch Geelong defeat West Coast, expressed his desire to resolve the potential deal by the middle of the year. “I’m working as hard as I can to hopefully negotiate a deal into the future,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of goodwill between us to get this extension done.”
Fan Perspectives on the Gather Round
West Coast fans from Perth, Paul Smith and Luke Johns, shared their views on the Gather Round. They believe it should remain in Adelaide, noting that Victoria gets the event every weekend. “I’d like to see it in Tasmania, maybe when they get a new stadium and some facilities — but for now I reckon keep it in South Australia — it’s been great,” Smith said.
They also mentioned that hosting the event in Perth would be too far for AFL fans to travel. “It would be good, [but] Victorians wouldn’t love it. I like it coming [to Adelaide], it’s great for people to travel over, people from WA don’t mind coming here… people from Victoria don’t mind coming here — it’s not too far,” Smith added.
West Coast supporter Margaret Savage, who has attended three Gather Rounds in Adelaide, agreed that it should stay there. Dockers fan Kerilee Brindle, however, believes it should eventually come to Perth. “But we can see why they have it in Adelaide and obviously Tassie would be good,” she said.
Investment in Local Facilities
Over the past three years, $8 million has been invested by the AFL, the SANFL, and the South Australian government to upgrade local facilities as part of a joint Gather Round funding package. This investment highlights the importance of maintaining the event in Adelaide and the commitment to enhancing the experience for fans and participants alike.
