The AFL has wrapped its fourth gather round with the debut of Next Door hosted by Hard Rated, a new live site at The Drive delivered in partnership with Seeker Agency. Next Door gave Gather Round 2026 its first dedicated home for fans without a ticket to the Oval.
Now in its fourth year, Gather Round has grown into one of the AFL’s most commercially significant weekends, with each year introducing new ways for fans to engage beyond the game itself. While ticket holders and families have been well catered for historically, the 18+ fan, who often travelling for the atmosphere rather than a guaranteed seat, has remained underserved in prior years. Next Door, hosted by Hard Rated, was a deliberate response to that gap, creating a space designed specifically for this audience, and giving them a true place within the broader Gather Round experience.
Developed with Seeker Agency, Next Door hosted by Hard Rated took over The Drive from Thursday through Sunday of Gather Round 2026, right next to Adelaide Oval. Inside, fans found live music, hosted watch parties, DJs, pub games, and a large screen carrying every match waiting for them.
The four hosted watch parties played to full crowds, with games called live on stage by Dan Gorringe and Joey Lopez from popular AFL podcast Dan Does Footy, podcast duo Shepmates, Ollie Geale alongside Sarah Hosking and Emma O’Driscoll, and Marmalade.
ARIA Award winning DMA’S headlined a Saturday afternoon concert with support from Full Flower Moon Band and Rona, drawing its own crowd before the venue flipped back to watch party mode.
For Seeker Agency Founder and CEO Brad Hampel, Next Door hosted by Hard Rated is the clearest expression yet of a four year partnership that keeps evolving.
“Next Door hosted by Hard Rated was born from working with the AFL to continue to push the boundaries on what Gather Round offers fans, and the response has been remarkable. Seeing the venue full every session, watching the hosts call games live in front of a crowd that was fully switched on, that’s exactly what we set out to create,” said Hampel.
“This year represents even a greater trust with the AFL to deliver innovative products and grow on the incredible momentum that Gather Round brings to Adelaide and to fans. From Gather Round 2026 Macca’s Footy Festival in its fourth year, to Ball in the Mall in the city, and now a brand new product in Next Door hosted by Hard Rated, we’re proud to be playing a role in shaping how fans experience this event.”
“Gather Round is now in its fourth year and what keeps it fresh every year is the willingness to back new thinking from across our partner network. Next Door hosted by Hard Rated is a great example of how partnerships and new ideas continue to grow the weekend, and seeing it come to life in Adelaide is exactly the kind of evolution we want for this event year on year,” said Peta Webster, general manager commercial, AFL.
Next Door hosted by Hard Rated rounded out a suite of Gather Round 2026 fan experiences executed by Seeker Agency, sitting alongside Gather Round 2026 Macca’s Footy Festival, the free, open air family precinct directly across from Adelaide Oval now in its fourth consecutive year, and Ball in the Mall, the city centre activation running Wednesday to Sunday across Adelaide’s retail and pedestrian precincts and delivered by Seeker Agency for the first time in 2026.
The three activations mark the fourth year of collaboration between the AFL and Seeker Agency at Gather Round, a partnership that began with a competitive tender ahead of the inaugural event in 2023.
