Unley Council wants to bring the South Australian festival of footy to Unley Oval over two years from 2025, with councillors hoping for a boost to the local economy in turn.

A motion from Councillor Stephen Finos was carried last week, with the council now to write to both the State Government and the AFL asking to host a Gather Round match at the home of SANFL side Sturt.

The council hopes to attract thousands to its newly redeveloped sports ground with the match, mirroring the success Norwood Oval experienced earlier this year when it hosted two games.

Unley Oval’s newly developed grandstand. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily.

According to the proposal, local eateries and venues will benefit. The council said $2.21 million was spent on dining and entertainment in Norwood due to its games, while a Brisbane and North Melbourne game at Mount Barker helped inject $2 million into the Adelaide Hills economy.

Recently released figures from the AFL revealed South Australia raked in $83 million during the weekend-long footy fest in April.

Speaking to InDaily, Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson said there was an “overwhelming” vote in favour of the proposal from councillors last week.

“The outlook is magnificent,” Hewitson said.

“We’ve got a wonderful oval at Unley Oval, picturesque. We’ve upgraded both grandstands considerably, we have dining and viewing areas, we’ve got the proper boxes for television and commentating.

“In terms of the community at large, Unley is a great place for visitors to dine in or get takeaway, and we can contribute to the greater State good.”

Hewitson said the proposal was just that – “we’re indicating our interest” – but hoped it would win state and AFL backing.

“We probably haven’t got the volume of lights for a night game, but I understand Norwood oval which hosted a couple of matches  didn’t have the standard amount of light requited for a full-blown night game,” he said.

The council said that hosting the event from 2025 would allow time to develop a joint proposal with the Sturt Football Club.

“The formal process for expressions of interest is currently not specified, however subject to this decision, a letter will be sent to the AFL and State Government confirming our interest,” it said.

“Preliminary discussions with the CEO of Sturt Football Club have confirmed their enthusiasm for this proposal and they will provide a letter of support to attach to Council’s expression of interest.

“Should Council’s proposal to host a Gather Round match be successful, formal joint planning with SFC including developing an associated program of events and activities will commence, with options to be presented to Council for consideration.”

These activities might include training events and activities for local children, as well as the involvement of the Unley Road Trader Association and Duthy Street traders, according to the proposal.

The Council would also still have to consider costs associated with ground preparation, waste management, seating, toilets, road closures, temporary parking and more.

“These matters have been considered in the past when Unley Oval has hosted a preseason AFL game and AFLW matches,” council documents said.

“Given that the proposal is for 2025 and 2026, a budget submission would be included as part of Council’s 2024/25 and 2025/26 budget deliberations.”

The news comes after the AFL confirmed the 2024 edition of Gather Round will be held from 4-7 April.