THE AFL in partnership with the SA Government is pleased to confirm the fixture for Gather Round, which returns to South Australia for round four of the 2024 Toyota Premiership season.

Gather Round ... A Festival of Footy will feature all 18 teams and nine matches for Premiership points, with highlights including two matches at Mount Barker, showcasing the best of Adelaide Hills' food and wine, a Saturday double-header at Adelaide Oval, and two matches at Norwood Oval, including the return of the Food and Wine Festival on The Parade on the Sunday.

The family-friendly free Footy Festival also returns to Elder Park on the banks of Torrens opposite Adelaide Oval.

The AFL will also host a Technology and Insights Conference where football and technology industry experts will present to small to medium businesses from around the country, and Clubs will once again head out into the community to take part in fan activities and AFL Clinics, as well as experience the best of South Australia’s Tourism offerings.

Club and AFL members once again have free access to their club's match, a new family ticket will be introduced where kids go free, and a discounted multi-day pass will also be available. Full ticketing information for Gather Round will be released in the coming weeks.

Gather Round will run from Thursday 4 April through to Sunday 7 April during the school holidays for Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

The Adelaide Crows and Melbourne will open the round on Thursday night at the Adelaide Oval, before Port Adelaide play Essendon in another blockbuster Friday night clash.

Adelaide Oval will host a double header on Saturday as Fremantle and Carlton battle it out in the afternoon before the Western Bulldogs play Geelong Cats in the evening.

The Adelaide Hills will host two matches in Mount Barker, showcasing yet again the best of Adelaide Hills' food and wine offerings across the weekend. The West Coast Eagles and Sydney Swans match up on Saturday afternoon before Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney play the following day on Sunday afternoon.

Norwood Oval will see action again when the Brisbane Lions play North Melbourne in a twilight fixture on Friday. The Parade will be turned into a Food and Wine Festival on Sunday with the best of South Australian produce available for footy fans to enjoy before St Kilda face Richmond on Sunday afternoon.

The action returns to Adelaide Oval at twilight for the final match of Gather Round as the reigning Premiers Collingwood take on Hawthorn.

The home teams for Gather Round will be confirmed when the full fixture is released later this week.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said he was looking forward to heading back to South Australia for Gather Round in 2024.

"Gather Round 2023 created a small slice of football history – all 18 clubs in the one state at the one time for a full round of nine matches and a celebration of footy," Dillon said.

"South Australia really turned it on, and we are excited to bring fans a bigger and better experience in 2024.

"On behalf of the AFL I want to thank the SA government, led by Premier Malinauskas, who committed whole-heartedly to the success of the concept, and we will work together with his team to deliver a fantastic few days in the state.

"Last year's Gather Round had the wonderful 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 held around the town, it was just an incredibly fun atmosphere which we are looking to top next season."

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said: "The race is now on for footy fans from interstate to book their flights and accommodation in South Australia for next year’s Gather Round."

"Visitors who came to South Australia for the inaugural Gather Round loved it, and those who missed out wished they were here.

"The city will be electric on Thursday and Friday night as Adelaide Oval plays host to the Crows and Power, two matches at Mt Barker will showcase our beautiful Adelaide Hills, while The Parade will be packed on Sunday for the Food and Wine Festival."

As the official airline of the AFL and Gather Round, Virgin Australia will again be laying on extra flights to help transport fans to Adelaide which are available now.

Virgin Australia are also giving fans the chance to win amazing prizes if they book their travel with VA to Gather Round and throughout the season. Prizes include free flights, match tickets and a share of 1M velocity points! To enter the competition, click HERE.

Accor Hotels, the official accommodation partner for both AFL and AFLW, offers fans travelling to Gather Round a range of accommodation options with over 10 hotels and apartments across Adelaide to choose from.

Visit the Accor website to book, plus a special Member Rate can be unlocked by joining the free loyalty program ALL – Accor Live Limitless.

About Gather Round...A Festival of Footy

The inaugural 'Gather Round' was an overwhelming success with all nine games sold out. That saw 268,000 fans attend matches, more than 40,000 travelled from interstate, tens of thousands of fans attending the footy festival on the banks of the Torrens, 1,000 player appearances across local football clubs and schools, seminars for community club volunteers and umpires and 10,000 footballs provided to regional clubs in SA but, rather than the numbers themselves, the overwhelming feedback from the weekend in SA was the sense of joy and camaraderie through every part of football, from every part of the community.