Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to reflect on the success of the inaugural AFL Gather Round in South Australia. My electorate of Mayo was fortunate to host a game at the new Summit Sport and Recreation Park in Mount Barker in the heart of the Adelaide Hills. The game was between North Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions. It attracted a crowd of over 7,300, of whom many were local. I had the pleasure of sitting next to two ladies who are best friends from Queensland and sitting in the stand with my eldest son, Edward, who's loved the Lions since he was a toddler.

I've written to Premier Malinauskas advocating for games in future Gather Rounds to be held in Mayo. We're fortunate to hold many loved and well cared for sporting facilities across Mayo such as the Johnston Memorial Park in Balhannah, Mount Lofty oval, Strathalbyn Oval, the Willunga Recreation Park and ovals at Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, Goolwa and, of course, the Summit Sport precinct—and that's not an all-inclusive list.

I sincerely hope my community's passionate response to the success of the Gather Round facilitates strong considerations for future matches because we need to make sure that this is experienced all across regions, not just in metropolitan South Australia. We'd love to welcome more visitors into Mayo. Again, I thank the premier of South Australia for his great work on this. The Gather Round was such a success in our community.