Adelaide Oval officials send clear message to the AFL: ‘We’d love to host the Crows’ AFLW preliminary final’

As the AFL ponders where the Crows will play their AFLW preliminary final, Adelaide Oval officials have sent a strong message to the league.

Adelaide Oval hosted the 2019 AFLW Preliminary Final. Picture: AAP

Adelaide Oval has officially signalled its desire to host the Crows’ AFLW preliminary final on the weekend of April 9.

On Wednesday, the Oval’s official Twitter account posted: “We would love to support AFL Womens! We have advised that Adelaide Oval is available, should the decision be made to host it here”.

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Hi Scott, we would love to support the @aflwomens! We have advised that #AdelaideOval is available, should the decision be made to host it here. 🏟️

— Adelaide Oval (@TheAdelaideOval) March 31, 2021

Having previously hosted an AFLW prelim – when the Crows beat Geelong by 11 goals in 2019 – Adelaide Oval has now publicly declared its interest in hosting it again, which will see the Crows play the winner of Saturday’s qualifying final between Melbourne and Fremantle.

The ensuing grand final was then played at the oval where a record 53,034 people attended.

A spokesperson from the oval’s Stadium Management Authority backed up the social media post saying: “We would love to host next weekend’s Preliminary Final, particularly given the huge success of the 2019 AFLW Grand Final which set a new crowd record.

“We have communicated our willingness and availability to the AFL; however, it is ultimately their decision as to where games are played.”

Crows midfielder Ebony Marinoff celebrates her side’s big 2019 preliminary final win over Geelong at Adelaide Oval. Picture: AAP

The statement comes after Crows captain Chelsea Randall said her side had earnt the right to play at the biggest and best stadium in South Australia after securing the 2021 minor premiership.

“Our AFLW girls deserve to play on Adelaide Oval,” she said on Sunday.

“Norwood Oval has been an amazing home for us this season, but our girls deserve to be able to play on the best stadium in SA and our fans and our supporters and our members deserve to be in that atmosphere as well and I hope that gets across the line and that our girls, especially our young kids, get the opportunity to play on a magnificent ground, our Adelaide Oval.”

The Crows preliminary final will be played on the weekend of April 9 and the only scheduled event at the venue that weekend is the Friday night AFL blockbuster between Port Adelaide and Richmond.

So far this season, the Crows have played all their home matches at Norwood Oval.

Crows All-Australian captain Chelsea Randall during the 2019 AFLW prelim at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Getty Images

Crow Stevie-Lee Thompson chases the ball during the preliminary final played at Adelaide Oval in 2019. Picture: AAP

The AFL is expected to announce the fixture for next weekend’s AFLW preliminary finals on Sunday afternoon, and while the venue for Adelaide’s game is yet to be determined, another pressing issue for the league is where Brisbane will host its prelim.

The Lions finished second on the ladder, which means they won the right to host a preliminary final (against the winner of Collingwood and North Melbourne).

But with the current COVID-19 cluster in that state hampering easy flow across borders, the AFL is in daily discussions about all manner of contingencies.

While the Adelaide Oval has put up its hand to host, the AFL has scheduled this weekend’s two qualifying finals at suburban grounds in Victoria, shunning the larger venues of the MCG and Marvel Stadium.

Melbourne and Fremantle will face off at Casey Fields from 1.05pm (local) on Saturday, April 3, before Collingwood takes on North Melbourne at Victoria Park from 3.10pm (local).