Gather Down? Hotel bookings lower as cheer squads rethink footy trips
Hotel bookings are ‘softening’ across SA for this year’s Gather Round – the Tigers cheer squad chair saying there are worries about “driving over and being stuck somewhere in the middle of South Australia with no fuel”. But the government says interstate ticket sales are still up from previous years.
The tourism industry fears it will miss out on millions of dollars this school holidays due to pressures caused by conflict in the Middle East, while the peak hotel body says bookings across SA are also down compared to last year for the upcoming April Gather Round matches.
There were rumblings of anxiety amongst interstate fans travelling to SA, with Tiger cheer squad chair Gerard Egan saying the number of Richmond fans planning to travel to SA for Gather Round had taken a hit this year.
The Richmond Cheer Squad would typically have about 80 to 100 members travel to SA for Gather Round, but Egan expects that number to be halved this year.
“Even now, people who are planning on going are now saying, ‘Let’s wait and see where we are the week before the match’,” he said.
“I’m planning to drive, but if we get into petrol restrictions and rationing, the chance of me wanting to risk driving over and being stuck somewhere in the middle of South Australia with no fuel isn’t a prospect that I want to face.”
If he does not make it to Adelaide, Egan hopes to gather a group to watch the game on television, although he is not optimistic about Richmond’s chances.
“I’m not expecting a win. I’m expecting they’ll put in a good effort, but as a club, we’re not in a position where we’re going to be regularly challenging the contenders,” he said.
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Meanwhile, long-term Melbourne cheer squad member John Fryer said that others in his cheer squad were anxious about travelling to South Australia.
“With the situation that’s happening in the world with the shortage of petrol at the moment, a lot of people are worried whether or not they’re going to be able to get to the ground,” he said.
There is now a waitlist for the Demon Army’s 250 allocated seats, but Fryer wondered how many people would drop out.
“I haven’t heard of anybody that’s definitely said they’re not going, but there are a lot of people that are feeling very uncomfortable about the situation,” he said.
Fryer, who has been an active member of the Demon Army since retiring 11 years ago and creates banners every week for the club, was unsure how his team would go.
“I think we’re probably a better team at the moment than Essendon, but on the day, you just don’t know,” he said.
Australian Hotels Association South Australian CEO Anna Moeller said that current bookings in Adelaide were down three to eight per cent over Gather Round compared to the same period last year, according to STR data.
Regional SA was hit harder with 20 per cent fewer current bookings compared to last year.
“Certainly, we can see that for each night that we would say would normally be a strong night for Gather Round, so that’s across the four nights, there’s definitely a dip on each night, particularly as you get towards the end,” she said.
“It’s certainly not catastrophic – anything but. We’re still seeing much greater numbers than what we otherwise would see if you took Gather Round Out of it.”
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Moeller said a combination of factors has contributed to this “softening of the numbers”, although she was clear it was “certainly not catastrophic”.
She said this included the fact that Easter and Anzac Day do not coincide with school holidays and concerns over a lack of fuel, with some travellers fearful they would become stranded.
However, Moeller was optimistic that any revenue lost from interstate travellers would be made up by South Australians buying Gather Round tickets and spending more in pubs.
“So, it’s still a significant uplift for our industry from both an accommodation perspective, but also, people just going and enjoying food and drinks in pubs,” she said.
Tourism Industry Council of South Australia CEO Shaun de Bruyn feared the state’s tourism sector could be missing out on millions of dollars over the Easter school holidays due to a spike in fuel prices.
“We’re seeing cancellations over the Easter school holiday period because people are concerned that if they travel, they may not be able to get back home,” he said.
“We are hearing reports that anywhere that’s two to three hours outside of Adelaide, which is more than a tank of fuel to go there and back, that people are receiving cancellations.”
De Bruyn called on the state and federal governments to clearly communicate the fuel situation and put travellers at ease.
“We remain positive that these things will be resolved expeditiously and the impacts will start to soften and we can get back to doing business as normal,” he said.
A government spokesperson said interstate ticket sales for the 2026 AFL Gather Round were up on previous years and they were currently at their highest level ever.
“Ticket sales are extremely strong across all nine matches,” she said.
“With more than two weeks still to go, and Easter falling in the lead-up, we expect accommodation bookings to continue coming through as people lock in their plans.
“Gather Round is a whole-of-state celebration, with plenty on offer beyond the games, including a wide range of free activities such as the Footy Festival, Rundle Mall activations and Norwood Food and Wine events.”
Final hotel occupancy figures would not be known until after the event, with the spokesperson saying visitors choose from a range of options across hotels and short-term stays.
“In 2025, Gather Round attracted more than 54,000 interstate visitors, and we’re looking forward to welcoming strong crowds again this year and delivering another fantastic event for South Australia,” she said.
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