Reigning SANFL premiers Glenelg offers up home ground as training base for interstate teams if Adelaide is chosen as an AFL hub
Insufficient lighting at SANFL grounds across Adelaide is proving a hurdle to the city being used as a quarantine hub to restart the AFL season. It comes as one state league club offers up its ground to interstate teams for training.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Brodie and Rocky prefer traditional season over hubs to restart AFL
- SA players stuck interstate could bypass Adelaide on way to hubs
- Could this be Adelaide’s quarantine hub?
- How to get the most out of your Advertiser digital subscription
Reigning SANFL premiers Glenelg has offered up the use of its home deck as a training ground for an AFL club if South Australia is chosen by the league as a quarantine hub.
But the lack of a second venue in the state with broadcast quality lighting outside of the Adelaide Oval has SA behind Victoria, South east Queensland and Sydney in the race to be chosen as a location for a hub.
Glenelg president Peter Carey told The Advertiser he would love for an AFL club to train at Glenelg Oval.
“It’s certainly a possibility and we would be receptive to it,” he said.
“Indirectly we have offered to the AFL, we have some really good facilities including a really good gym.
“But it depends on a lot of things.”
West Adelaide and South Adelaide officials told The Advertiser they had not been approached by the AFL over their respective grounds – which hosted AFLW and Marsh Community Series games this year – being used.
The latter said they would be open to the possibility.
Norwood Oval and Sturt’s Peter Motley Oval have also been used for AFLW games.
As part of the push for Melbourne to be one of the hubs to restart footy, clubs sent to Victoria could train at Richmond’s Punt Rd, Collingwood’s Holden Centre and Melbourne’s Gosch’s Paddock.
The AFL has written to state and territory leaders to sound out potential locations for hubs to locate players in quarantined conditions.
AFL chief Gillon McLachlan has told the state and territory leaders the plan is to establish an “Olympic village-style model” to safely resume the game.
As part of this he has asked the states and territories to recommend suitable locations that have approximately 600 rooms a night for six to eight weeks.
MORE NEWS
SANFL to wait for AFL, until after May 10 for decision on state league and local footy seasons
Norwood Redlegs recruit Ryan Bastinac returns to Queensland amid the COVID-19 crisis
SA does not have any hotels with this capacity but AHA SA boss Ian Horne told The Advertiser on Monday the high concentration of hotels on North Tce could make up for this.
However it seems that the lack of a second venue in Adelaide which has broadcast quality lighting will be a fatal blow to the state’s chances.
Victoria has the MCG, Marvel Stadium, GMHBA Stadium in Geelong and potentially even Princess Park and Frankston’s ground to chose from.
Southeast Queensland has the Gabba and Gold Coast’s Metricon Stadium to use.
Former Crows skipper Taylor Walker said this shouldn’t rule out SA.
“You could just play double headers (Adelaide Oval),” he said on Triple M.
“Or you could play Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday so I think Adelaide would be a perfect spot for a hub.
“Our record with the coronavirus stands up and the Adelaide Oval is got an amazing atmosphere and everyone who comes here loves playing here. “So I think Adelaide would be a great spot.”