AFL comes to Mount Barker as Gather Round Fixture is revealed
The AFL has released the round 5 ‘Gather Round’ fixture, featuring all nine games in South Australia, including one at the Summit Sports Park in the Adelaide Hills.
In the AFL’s version of Magic Round, the Adelaide will host six matches including two double-headers, while two will be played at Norwood Oval and one at Mount Barker.
VIEW THE FULL AFL ROUND 5 FIXTURE >
To be called ‘Gather Round… A Festival of Footy’, the Adelaide Crows will kick-off proceedings on Thursday 13th April when they play Carlton at the Adelaide Oval.
The Summit Sport and Recreation Park will host a Saturday afternoon fixture between the Brisbane Lions and North Melbourne. The venue was chosen over a number of alternatives due to its ability to host an AFL match.
It’s believed the South Australian Premier wanted the match to be played in the Barossa Valley, however no grounds were up to AFL standard. Grounds visited by AFL officials included Centennial Park Oval in Nuriootpa and the Tanunda Recreation Park.
The venue at the Mount Barker Regional Sports Hub in the Adelaide Hills officially opened in April 2021 and features an AFL-standard oval and ample space around the ground to add infrastructure to allow it to host an AFL match. It’s expected the ground will have a capacity of between 6-8,000 for the game.
The Summit Sports Park will become the 50th stadium to host an AFL match, with the 49th to be Norwood Oval, which hosts matches on Friday and Sunday.
Adelaide Oval will be the centrepiece of the historic round, with six matches to be played at the 53,500-capacity stadium, including double-headers on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets to all matches will go on sale Monday December 12 via Ticketek, with general public tickets capped at a single price of $30 for adults, $20 concession (15-18 years old) and kids (under 15) are free. All competing club members will get free entry to their club’s match.
Tickets are not tiered or classified, so prices are capped for all matches in any seat in the venue and for all matches at the Adelaide Oval multi-day discounted passes will be available.
Additional flights will also be put on, with the AFL’s official airline Virgin Australia putting on more than 215 return flights operating from April 12-18, 2023.
No team will officially be the ‘home’ team during this round. Match ups are listed in alphabetical order. Club match day colours will be worked out in consultation with clubs next year.
The 2023 AFL Fixture has now been released by the AFL, with details for the first 15 Rounds, and match ups and venues for the remaining home and away rounds.
