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The annual Gather Round kicks off tonight, and will continue through the weekend as Adelaide plays host to 9 fixtures of AFL.
The Festival Of Aussie Rules will include live music, team meet and greets, as well as some fun costumes from both fans and players.
The Gold Coast Suns will take to the field in all pink kit – as a nod to their hometown’s famous sunrises over the Pacific ocean. Meanwhile, the Adelaide Crows will be wearing a retro-themed dark navy blue.
However, it’s the Sydney Swans that appear to be having the most fun with their Gather Round guernseys as the famous ‘Blood-Stained Angels’ opt to play in all white.
In the most Swanlike kit they’ve ever played in, the Sydney club claims that they donated the red from their guernseys to highlight the need for Australians to line up for blood donations.
According to the Swan’s partner, Lifeblood, it can be confirmed that Australia is currently experiencing a 12-year high demand for donations, as well as a record demand for plasma.
These donations make a life-changing difference for people living with cancer, trauma patients, people undergoing surgery, women giving birth and people with immune-deficiencies.
Lifeblood says that in order to keep up with the growing demand for blood, they need more than 100,000 new donors ever year – which is the seating capacity of the MCG.
While the club is doing their part by donating the blood from their away jerseys, Swans fans will also be given the opportunity to show their loyalty by donating in a Lifeblood Mobile Donor centre at the South Gate entrance of Adelaide Oval throughout the weekend.
Fans at home are also encouraged to head down to their local Lifeblood donation centre and show their support for the bloods and bump up these numbers, as statistics show that the colder months of footy season unfortunately becomes an off-season for donations.
With Adelaide Oval able to seat 53,500 spectators, Lifeblood should be able to lock in half of the new donors they need in 2025 by the end of their match against Collingwood on Friday night.
All Gather Round donors will also be able to enjoy the selection of Caramello Koalas and salt and vinegar chips that they would usually be treated to in a Lifeblood centre.
In a remarkable show of inclusivity, Collingwood fans are also encouraged to donate – if they meet the requirements.
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