The iconic Barossa Valley will host two AFL matches for premiership points during the 2025 AFL Gather Round, while the iconic Norwood Food & Wine Festival will return as the Parade hosts another two matches, along with five blockbuster fixtures at the Adelaide Oval.
Gather Round will run from Thursday 10 April through to Sunday 13 April during the school holidays for Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, and on the opening weekend of school holidays in South Australia.
The Adelaide Crows will open the round on the Thursday night at the Adelaide Oval against Geelong, with Grand Finalist Sydney playing Collingwood at the same venue on Friday night.
Barossa Park will host North Melbourne vs Gold Coast Suns on Saturday afternoon, and Richmond vs Fremantle on Sunday afternoon, with both matches set to showcase the incredible food and wine offerings of the region.
The Adelaide Oval will host Carlton vs West Coast Eagles on Saturday afternoon and Melbourne vs Essendon on Saturday night, with each match set to be ticketed separately.
The Western Bulldogs will play the Brisbane Lions at Norwood Oval on Saturday. The Parade will come alive with the Norwood Food & Wine Festival on Sunday as St Kilda take on the GWS Giants at ground.
Port Adelaide and Hawthorn will close the epic Gather Round fixture with a re-match of this year's frenetic semi-final at Adelaide Oval.
Work at the brand new Barossa Park facility at Lyndoch is progressing on schedule, with turf now laid and construction work nearly two-thirds done.
Barossa Park will include a 350 person function room, adaptable changerooms, two ovals, new carparking, lighting and over 42,000 square metres of sports playing surfaces.
The $40 million development jointly funded by the Malinauskas Labor Government and the Barossa Council will open with the Gather Round fixture, and leave a lasting legacy for the iconic tourism region to host sporting, art and community events.
Video and images of progress on the development are available here.
Gather Round tickets will go on-on sale via Ticketek from 10am Tuesday 10 December for club and AFL members, and 10am Wednesday 11 December for the general public.
2025 GATHER ROUND FIXTURE
Thursday April 10
Adelaide Crows vs Geelong Cats Adelaide Oval 7:10pm
Friday April 11
Collingwood vs Sydney Swans Adelaide Oval 7:10pm
Saturday April 12
North Melbourne vs Gold Coast Suns Barossa Park 12:05pm
Carlton vs West Coast Eagles Adelaide Oval 12:50pm
Western Bulldogs vs Brisbane Lions Norwood Oval 3:45pm
Melbourne vs Essendon Adelaide Oval 7:05pm
Sunday April 13
Richmond vs Fremantle Barossa Park 12:05pm
St Kilda vs GWS Giants Norwood Oval 2:50pm
Port Adelaide vs Hawthorn Adelaide Oval 6:50pm
As put by Premier Malinauskas
The inaugural Gather Round was spectacular, this year was a step up, and next year will be magnificent.
I'm thrilled we are on track to deliver two matches in the Barossa, a spectacular destination for the many visitors who will come into South Australia for this major event.
This presents a unique opportunity to invite those visitors to stay longer, experiencing more of what SA has to offer, and delivering an economic outcome for our state.
Barossa Park at Lyndoch is looking spectacular, and I thank the Barossa Council for working with us to deliver a precinct which will deliver community benefits long into the future.
The competitive fixture should deliver major blockbusters at Adelaide Oval, and fierce competition at the Parade, which will once again be home to the Norwood Food & Wine Festival.
Attributable AFL CEO Andrew Dillon
Gather Round is the best of our game, a celebration of footy like no other.
South Australia really turns it on, and we are excited to bring fans a bigger and better experience in 2025 with some great match ups and a new venue at Barossa Park.
The Barossa celebrates some of the best of South Australia and we are excited about all the opportunities that will be on offer for our fans to take in while visiting the region, outside of the two incredible games that will be played at the new Barossa Park in Lyndoch.
On behalf of the AFL I want to thank the SA government, led by Premier Malinauskas, who has been committed whole-heartedly to the success of the concept since 2023.
Gather Round has a unique feel of a Grand Final week, from the footy festival and the zip line over the Torrens River, to the community engagement activities and all the open training sessions the clubs hold around the town, it has been just an incredibly fun atmosphere which we are looking to top next season.
As put by Barossa Mayor Bim Lange
Gather Round will be a terrific opportunity to launch this state-of-the-art facility, which will deliver economic benefits for the Barossa long after the first bounce in April 2025.
We're already seeing dividends for the State, with SA businesses undertaking 93% of works on-site during construction – that includes 7% by regional businesses valued at $3.2 million.
Barossa Park Project is also a gamechanger for the community, with over 42,000 square metres of sports playing surfaces to encourage grassroots participation in sport.
This is a once-in-a-generation investment for our community and we're so thrilled to be partnering with the State Government to deliver this landmark tourism and events destination.
