Adelaide Crows new headquarters: Why Adelaide Oval and its surrounds may work
Adelaide is facing challenges in its search for a new central base. But the answer to the Crows’ quest might be right under their nose, writes Simeon Thomas-Wilson.
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Could the answer to Adelaide’s quest for a new home be right under the Crows’ nose?
Crows chairman John Olsen has ruled out the Aquatic Centre in North Adelaide, while the council nursery at Park 10 is not being pursued unless the Adelaide City Council changes its tune.
So why can’t the Crows establish new headquarters at Adelaide Oval?
It might just work.
The Crows want to set up a new base within the city and its parklands - with Thebarton Oval seen as a fallback option.
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No matter where they land in the green belt, it is going to be met with fierce opposition.
The city council would allow the Crows to train on an oval in the parklands, but those same Town Hall powerbrokers would not stand for the club establishing offices and headquarters on land they control.
Conversely, Olsen and the Crows don’t like the idea of players having to cross the road from their headquarters to train, or even using a footbridge or tunnel as suggested by the council.
That’s why Adelaide Oval and its surrounding precinct make sense.
The Crows could have two ovals to train on during the footy season through the use of Adelaide Oval No.2.
Moving the club to the famous site would be both doable and sellable - more so than any other site within the city.
Following the precedent established by the Adelaide Oval Hotel, there’s already existing infrastructure to leverage, and maybe further build on, and it’s a decision for the State Government to make - the council just needs to be “consulted”.
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The club would be again based at the centre of football in South Australia.
And you can bet that Crows fans would enjoy the fact that, after Port Adelaide pushed so hard to move to Adelaide Oval because Football Park felt too much like the Crows home, establishing headquarters at the Oval would be one big flex by the club.
It is a plan that can and does work.
Geelong is based at GMHBA Stadium and does the majority of its training there - going to Deakin University when there is a clash.
Of course, the sticking point is what happens in cricket season, and that is where Adelaide Oval No. 2 could come in, with Karen Rolton Oval taking those games that aren’t going to be at the main stadium.
A big part of the Crows bid for a new base in the city, or in the city fringe, is about being closer to their matchday home.
Maybe they should look at being in the Adelaide Oval precinct itself.