Liberals’ proposed Adelaide Arena is too small, needs to include soccer, writes Michael McGuire

Just like the one-way Southern Expressway, the Liberals’ arena is about half-right, says Michael McGuire. It’s missing one huge sport – and about 10,000 seats.

Call that new arena that Premier Steven Marshall announced last week whatever you like. But mostly you can call it a missed opportunity.

If you are going to spend $700m building a new hall on the Torrens make sure it caters for as many South Australians as possible.

Spending $700m on only 15,000 seats seems like an enormous sum. You can see why so many have reacted against it on cost alone. That’s about $47,000 a seat. The new Sydney Football Stadium, currently under construction, is being built for $735m and will seat between 40,000 and 45,000. Although it doesn’t have a roof.

In Holland, a new 63,000-seat stadium, with a retractable roof, is being built for the Feyenoord football club at an estimated cost of about $685m.

I have no problem with a new arena in the city, although that particular spot does seem a bit odd. A bit congested.

It’s just as presented so far, it lacks imagination. It feels a bit slapdash. That the government dug into its drawer of ideas and this was the last one left. It’s being sold as a home for basketball, tennis and netball, although given more than $40m is being spent on Memorial Drive just across the Torrens, the tennis seems a little weird.

But also that it will attract conventions, if such events make a comeback in the post-COVID-19 world, which could be doubtful and attract bigger musical acts to Adelaide.

It’s being sold as bringing a completeness to the Riverbank. If so, hopefully they come up with a better complement to the surrounds than the new Adelaide Casino hotel, which appears to have styled itself on the poo emoji.

An artist impression of the inside of the proposed venue. Picture: Supplied

Look, I bring my biases to this argument. The world game is my game. Even at the age of 50, I’m still trying to drag this bag of old bones around the football field, so, it’s possible a little bit of emotion will sneak in here.

But to build a new indoor rectangular stadium in the city and not include soccer seems almost criminally negligent. It’s another Liberal Party one-way Southern Expressway moment.

An idea that it’s got half right but doesn’t have the wit, vision or wisdom to see through to its logical conclusion.

It’s creating a problem someone will have to fix in a decade’s time. At even greater expense.

Adding to the folly is the State Government is spending $45m to do up Hindmarsh Stadium. Hindmarsh has been a great place to watch football but its day is done, its race is over.

Its defenders bring to mind the old guard who so fiercely resisted moving footy back into the city from the decrepit Football Park.

An artist impression of the State Government’s Adelaide arena. Picture: Supplied

Spending $45m on Hindmarsh won’t fix its fundamental flaws. Its size, its location, the majority of its facilities. It will still leave two stands uncovered. It’s a Band-Aid on a heart attack.

It is also possible the inadequacy of Hindmarsh will still cost South Australia games at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

FIFA is expected to announce the venues for the tournament soon. Adelaide is on a knife edge.

If we miss out it won’t be surprising to find out that Hindmarsh’s shortcomings were a major issue when compared with better venues in Australia and New Zealand.

SA has been here before. When Australia made its ill-fated bid for the 2022 men’s World Cup, Adelaide wasn’t included. When Australia hosted the 2015 Asian Cup, Adelaide wasn’t included.

So, now the government wants to build a $700m, 15,000-seat venue for basketball, netball, concerts and conventions.

How about we take away the $45m for Hindmarsh, sell the land down there, and put it all into a new stadium that seats 20-25,000. The demand is there.

Retractable pitches are common enough elsewhere. In Los Angeles at the Staples Centre, they can play basketball and ice hockey on the same day.

If we are going to spend that much money, let’s make sure we have the best possible outcome.

What’s been proposed so far has all the attributes of a pale pachyderm.