Adelaide Crows boss says plan to move base to North Adelaide would spell the end for a much-debated AFL training tactic
Fans will be able to watch every Crows training session at the club’s proposed new base in North Adelaide, says chief executive Andrew Fagan.
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Adelaide Crows’ chief executive Andrew Fagan says the clubs plan to move its headquarters and training base to North Adelaide, creating “one of the leading sports facilities in the country”, would spell the end of closed training sessions.
The Crows have unveiled the preliminary plans for what it hopes to do to the run-down Adelaide Aquatic Centre in the North Adelaide parklands.
The Adelaide City Council-owned Aquatic Centre, which needs up to $21 million to be brought up to scratch because of age, would be demolished as part of the Crows’ $65 million plan.
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A two-storey aquatic centre, community building and training and administration building, located on the site of the current building, would be established and the Crows say the footprint would actually be smaller.
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The adjacent football oval on Barton Tce West would be upgraded to AFL standard, with a surface similar to that of Adelaide Oval for training for the Crows’ various teams.
The oval, and surrounding ovals on the site, would not be fenced and Fagan said this would mean supporters and media would be able to view the Crows training at the site consistently.
“We want to be able to create a facility that Crows fans can come to 365 days of the year, come down and watch training, have a kick on the oval afterwards with your son, daughter or mates come down and have a sandwich … be a part of a club that is yours,” he said.
“It would be an end to closed training sessions, they talk about them being popular but the truth is there is not that many clubs now that get to have them.”
At their current training base at West Lakes, the demolition of Football Park means that prying eyes can watch the Crows’ closed training sessions from beyond the construction fence because of work to make it a public open space.
Clubs typically use closed training sessions to test the fitness of key players and run game-specific drills during the season.
Hawthorn’s Waverley Park is open to the public and the Hawks use club staff to go around the ground during closed sessions — including into nearby cafes — to ensure media and rival teams are not watching.
Adelaide’s cross-town rival Port Adelaide is still able to lock the gates at Alberton when it wants to train behind closed doors.
Both SA teams are allowed to train at Adelaide Oval twice a week when they are playing at home but not at all when they are preparing for a game on the road.
Fagan was unfazed about the Crows not being able to hold closed training sessions – of which former coach Don Pyke was a fan of – should they make the move to North Adelaide.
“We want it to be a 52 week of a year facility … they (fans) will be able to come and watch our men’s training and watch our women’s training.”
Fagan said he believed the proposed North Adelaide facility would help the Crows attract and retain players.
“It’s an important element (being able to improve attracting and retaining players), they are high performance athletes and it’s important for them in a relatively short career to make the most out of that and facilities are a big part of that,” he said.
“We have a reasonable amenity at Football Park, it (the latest internal upgrade for the Crows facilities there) is only 10-years old so it has been pretty solid but I think you see right across the global sports industry having up to date contemporary state of the art facilities are important.
“I think this would be one of the leading sports facilities in the country.
“But importantly it’s a sport and community facility … we want to actively partner with the council, the community and the stakeholders already there to make this a truly special place, a place where the parklands are activated and a place where all people want to come to.”
Adelaide City Council will now conduct public consultation regarding the Crows’ proposal, which is expected to take 10 weeks to complete.