On the day of the start, the second South Australian Gather Round had already been noted as more successful than the first.
More than 200,000 tickets have been sold for the event, which will see all nine AFL round four games played in the same state.
Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas is pleased to estimate that interstate fans bought about 70,000 tickets, attracting about 30,000 more tourists than in 2023.
“The most beautiful thing about this, of course, is … so many dollars coming from interstate into our local economy,” he said.
“Above all, I hope people interstate have a good time.”
He said it was an exciting time for the state and for football fans.
“The fact that we have all 18 clubs in one city, in one state, at the same time, it brings energy, it brings enthusiasm for our unique national game,” Malinauskas said.
Accommodation providers have once again reaped the benefits.
Australian Hotels Association SA chief executive Anna Moeller has predicted the city will be close to reaching capacity over the weekend.
“People came in very quickly this year, much faster than last year, that’s why we’ve seen the rate so strong,” he said.
This despite the fact that some hotels raise their prices up to $900 a night.
“Price is driven by demand, there’s a very direct link…so in some respects, when we see a higher price, that’s a good thing because it means a lot of people are coming to the state,” Ms. Moeller said.
Eager football fans flew into Adelaide Airport on Wednesday, with many booking to stay for most of the event to watch various games.
Adelaide fan Alison Lowe traveled with her family and said she was looking forward to exploring the city’s markets outside of the football festivities.
“We think the whole weekend is going to be amazing, touring the city and doing all kinds of activities and hopefully a lot of hustle and bustle,” he said.
On the eve of the first match, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon was forced to respond to criticism from global anti-doping expert Dick Pound, who compared the secrecy of the AFL’s illicit drug policy to a US-style regime. Soviet.
“Dick Pound is a former director of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), highly respected… in relation to those comments, I don’t believe them, they are not correct,” Dillon said.
He also backed the AFL’s lifetime ban imposed on a spectator who ran onto the field during Adelaide’s clash with Geelong a fortnight ago.
“Unfortunately, we have a small number of sponsors that we have excluded for life or for shorter periods and we are able to recognize them through various mechanisms, so we will continue to do so,” he said.
The action starts today
Football begins tonight as the Crows take on Melbourne, with Adelaide desperate for their first win.
Demons defender Steven May has put his hand up to return after missing just one game with broken ribs.
“If you go out on the field you have to be ready to go out there and give a great competition and the great Maysy will certainly do that,” Melbourne forward Alex Neal-Bullen said.
The winless Lions will face North Melbourne at Norwood Oval on Friday after another turbulent week.
“They’re a proud group, an experienced group, so you imagine they’re going to respond to that, but I don’t think they’re trying any harder this week than they did last week,” North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson said. saying.
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has also vowed to stick to what he knows.
“I think the key to all this is not to overreact and stick with what you know works and things go well in football. I think sometimes the biggest mistake you can make is jumping too much,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Collingwood vice-captain Taylor Adams will play his first game for the Swans when they take on West Coast in the Adelaide Hills.