Footy fans should mark April 10 to 13 in their diaries, with the AFL announcing the dates of the third Gather Round – the festival of football that sees the eyes of our sports-mad nation focused firmly on Adelaide.

The news comes as the State Government announced that this year’s event contributed more than $91 million to the South Australian economy and delivered more than 190,000 visitor nights.

The 2025 Gather Round dates will coincide with school holidays in South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, with the traditional Easter round of matches following over the long weekend of April 18-21.

While the full fixture is yet to be released the AFL has confirmed that at least one match will be played in the Barossa Valley town of Lyndoch, marking the first time a game for premiership points has been played in the region.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said there would be five or six games played at Adelaide Oval, with Norwood Oval also set to host matches.

"The timing of the 2025 event and the April school holidays will give fans and families the best opportunity to be able to visit South Australia," Mr Dillon said.

A total of 265,011 attended this year’s Gather Round, held from April 4 to 7.

According to independent analysis undertaken for the AFL by consultancy firm IER, the event attracted 45,847 visitors to South Australia and supported 655 full-time equivalent jobs.

The research found that around 93 per cent of these visitors spent at least one night in South Australia, with interstate visitors spending on average 4.5 nights in South Australia.

The benefit was not just for Adelaide. IER’s analysis shows that of the 191,669 visitor nights created, 52,026 were outside of the city.