In September 2022, the Australian Football League (AFL) announced that in 2023 it would hold a promotional round in which all matches would be played in a single city outside of Victoria.
Unlike its rugby equivalents, Gather Round matches are all scheduled for the same city, but not the same venue.
[7] In the inaugural event, all nine Gather Round matches sold out, and more than 60,000 people purchased tickets from interstate.
On the final day of the first Gather Round, South Australia was announced as the event's host for the next three seasons until 2026.
[11] Home team designations for match day purposes – which include choice of uniforms, change rooms and run-on order – are decided by a coin toss.