EIGHT of the nine matches in next year's Gather Round have now sold out, with Saturday night's double-header at Adelaide Oval the latest to become a lockout.
The AFL confirmed on Friday that tickets to the double feature involving Fremantle v Carlton followed by Western Bulldogs v Geelong had been exhausted, leaving just the Collingwood v Hawthorn clash at Adelaide Oval on Sunday with seats still available.
Earlier that day, tickets to the Gold Coast v GWS clash at Mount Barker were sold out, following a similar announcement on Wednesday for the Friday night clash between Port Adelaide and Essendon at Adelaide Oval and West Coast's match against Sydney at Mount Barker on the Saturday.
The 2024 Gather Round opener between Adelaide and Melbourne sold out on Tuesday, just a day after going on sale, while the Brisbane v North Melbourne and Richmond v St Kilda games at Norwood Oval are also sold out.
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The League said on Wednesday that more than 170,000 tickets were purchased within 48 hours of them going on sale to members on Monday - double the amount of tickets sold at the same time last year.
As of 4pm AEDT on Wednesday, more than 12,000 multi-day passes had been purchased and 37 per cent of all ticket sales had been purchased by those outside of South Australia.
Tickets are still available for the Saturday double-header at Adelaide Oval featuring Carlton v Fremantle and Geelong v Western Bulldogs, as well as the Sunday clash between Collingwood and Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval.
"Last season’s Gather Round has certainly created a sense of 'fomo' and that is reflected in the strong early ticket sales," said Kylie Rogers, the AFL's Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial.
"To have sold double the amount tickets than the same time last year is a testament to the success of last year’s event and the appetite for the festival of footy come round four."
The inaugural edition of Gather Round in SA was a roaring success, with all nine matches sold out across Adelaide Oval, Norwood Oval and Mount Barker.
After the success of last season, the AFL signed a deal with the South Australian Government to host the event again until at least 2026.
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"South Australia really turned it on, and we are excited to bring fans a bigger and better experience in 2024," AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said.
"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 encouraged footy fans to get in early to book their flights and accommodation for the event.
"Visitors who came to South Australia for the inaugural Gather Round loved it, and those who missed out wished they were here," he said.
Gather Round 2024 fixture (all local times)
Thursday, April 4
Adelaide v Melbourne, Adelaide Oval, 7.10pm ACDT
Friday, April 5
Brisbane v North Melbourne, Norwood Oval, 4.40pm ACDT
Port Adelaide v Essendon, Adelaide Oval, 7.40pm ACDT
Saturday, April 6
Sydney v West Coast, Mount Barker, 1pm ACDT
Carlton v Fremantle, Adelaide Oval 3.50pm ACDT
Geelong v Western Bulldogs, Adelaide Oval, 7.40pm ACDT
Sunday, April 7
Gold Coast v Greater Western Sydney, Mount Barker, 12pm ACST
Richmond v St Kilda, Norwood Oval, 2.50pm ACST
Collingwood v Hawthorn, Adelaide Oval, 4.40pm ACST
