Adelaide City Council pours cold water on the Crows’ Adelaide Aquatic Centre aspirations

The Crows are facing a very different type of showdown, this time against the Adelaide City Council who are yet to be convinced by the club’s plan to move its headquarters to the Adelaide Aquatic Centre.

• Federal Government pledge $15m to Crows move
• Aquatic Centre firming as Crows’ community and sports centre

The Adelaide Crows could face a showdown of a different kind over its proposed move from West Lakes.

The Federal Government have pledged $15 million to help the Crows move its headquarters from West Lakes to the Adelaide Aquatic Centre.

It’s a pledge that Labor is expected to match during the election campaign.

However, Adelaide City Council Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor warned there is still very little detail on the plans and the project will have to have to “offer very significant benefits” before it is supported.

“We know that $15 million was pledged towards a project in the Federal Budget and the Crows have expressed a desire to build a state-of-the-art facility in North Adelaide but, in reality, that is about all we know at this point,” Ms Verschoor said.

“As a Council, we are acutely aware of how much our community values the Adelaide Park Lands, so any development would have to offer very significant benefits for South Australians.”

Last month, the Sunday Mail revealed Adelaide Crows boss Andrew Fagan believed the club was capable of establishing a $60 million state-of-the-art training and administration facility, courtesy of the Federal funding pledge.

At the time it was the strongest indication the club intended a move from West Lakes to North Adelaide.

The Adelaide Crows training at Football Park in West Lakes. Picture: Brenton Edwards/AAP

Ms Verschoor said councillors have not agreed to progress the club’s push.

“What we’ve agreed is to ask for more details,” she said.

“It’s a logical first step in trying to ascertain whether there’s community value in any potential development.”

A Crows spokesman on Saturday told the Sunday Mail the proposal was in its very early stages, with the club only just starting the master planning process which will identify the full scope of the project and its features.

“This will involve ongoing consultation with the council and other relevant community stakeholders over coming months.

“The Club remains committed to delivering a facility which will deliver benefit for multiple stakeholders.

The spokesman said the club’s members and fans have been “overwhelmingly supportive” of the proposal.

Ms Verschoor said community consultation will not be seeking community on the project yet.

“We don’t know what we’re asking for feedback on,” she said.

“If and when we receive a draft plan for the site and it looks good, then of course we’ll seek feedback from the community.

“It obviously has to stack up. There may be a mutually beneficial solution in the Adelaide Football Club’s proposal, but equally there may not be.”

She did say, however, the Adelaide Aquatic Centre is “a significant drain on ratepayers, losing $700,000-$800,000 every year because of the poor condition of the ageing facilities.”