AFL 2023 season to feature ‘magic round’ in South Australia

South Australia will host every match of round five of next year's AFL season next year, with nine matches of the competition to be held in the state from Thursday 13th through to Sunday 16th April 2023.

Announced yesterday, the ‘magic round’ - an extra round of the 2023 Toyota AFL Premiership Season - will, for the first time, feature all 18 clubs playing in a single state for premiership points for the first time.

Held over the state’s school holidays, Adelaide Oval will host one game on Thursday and Friday night, followed by double-headers on Saturday and Sunday while suburban venues are expected to host at least another two matches, with the ninth possibly played in a regional area, most likely the Barossa Valley.

The additional round was revealed jointly by AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas at Adelaide Oval on Friday, with McLachlan declaring “this is going to be massive for our game and it's going to be massive for South Australia and Adelaide.”

The round will extend the number of regular season games each AFL side has to play to 23, up from the 22 they have played each year since 1970.

While not advising how much the South Australian Government was paying to host the round, Premier Malinauskas did advise “we're confident on all the numbers we've run we're making an investment that is going to more than deliver for the taxpayers of South Australia.”

He said hosting the round, which NSW had also bid for, was "a big victory for the state of South Australia", adding “it's going to a huge weekend of footy, which everyone in our state, but most importantly everyone in the country, can enjoy.

"This is going to be an event that fills every single last hotel room in South Australia.”

McLachlan went on to explain “we are looking forward to not only bringing nine great matches for Premiership points to South Australia, but also a party-like atmosphere, filled with fan activations, family-friendly events, music, entertainment, community engagement, all designed to bring the city to life over the four days.

"Over the pandemic-challenged years, South Australia played an important role in the survival of our game, and we are so pleased to be able to bring this major football event into the state.”

Commenting on arrangements, AFL General Manager - Operations David Stevenson added "we will continue to work in partnership with the South Australian Government to deliver fans, clubs, players, and officials a memorable experience across every touch point.

"We look forward to engaging the city and promoting the best of South Australia."

The full fixture calendar for the 2023 Toyota AFL Premiership Season will be released in late November/early December.

The NRL held its first Magic Round in Brisbane in 2019, followed by similar rounds in 2021 and 2022.

Image: Six of the games will be played at Adelaide Oval.