Adelaide Football Club to establish its new home base at Thebarton Oval
Adelaide looked at more than two dozen sites for its home before settling on Thebarton, but it was only a week ago the deal seemed a long way off. Matt Turner reveals why.
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The SANFL significantly reducing its asking price to relinquish its Thebarton Oval lease has helped the Crows finally identify a preferred new home base.
Adelaide had looked at more than two dozen sites over several years before announcing its choice on Wednesday morning.
Although signs had been pointing to Thebarton being favoured over the former Brompton Gasworks, it was only a week ago that the Crows were thought to be a long way from reaching an agreement with key stakeholders.
Things changed when the state league was understood to have told parties involved it wanted $8.5m, rather than $11m, to hand over its lease to Adelaide from West Torrens Council.
Discussions between the Thebarton stakeholders ramped up on Monday and Tuesday.
Negotiations are continuing between the Crows, council and SANFL as a win-win is sought for all.
West Torrens and the club have been in sync for much of the discussions, boosted by Mayor Michael Coxon’s keenness to bring the Crows into his local community.
Adelaide, the council and the government would fork out the sum to the state league.
Wednesday’s announcement was at West Lakes, not Thebarton, and did not feature the other parties involved – the council, SANFL or State Government.
Publicly, the SANFL has said it is considering all options for Thebarton in consultation with the Adelaide Footy League, which has a sublease, the council and the Crows.
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But the expectation is the state league will eventually hand over its lease and vacate the former home of West Torrens Football Club.
It is strongly considering swapping headquarters with the Crows and returning to Football Park.
Adelaide has long wanted Thebarton to itself, rather than have to share it with the two local leagues.
Trying to align schedules becomes problematic, particularly with the Crows now having three teams.
Potentially complicating talks is a clause that prevents the SANFL from handing over its lease without the Adelaide Footy League agreeing.
Adelaide Footy League had been the ground’s major tenant until 2019.
“There’s a crucial part of this that has been overlooked,” league chief executive John Kernahan told News Corp.
“We still haven’t signed off on SANFL reassigning the lease to a third party.
“We appreciate there’s a council election coming up for some to hang their hats on but protocols are protocols and so is common courtesy.”
The Crows are adamant Thebarton is their best choice, not the back-up plan since losing the tender process of the former Gasworks to Melbourne’s MAB Corporation.
Even though it was second-best when State Government land agency Renewal SA overlooked Adelaide in awarding the Brompton contract in January.
The goalposts changed after the new Labor Government, which was elected in March, tweaked South Rd plans so that the neighbouring Kings Reserve would no longer be required for storage.
That helped tip a Crows’ multi-assessment criteria in Thebarton’s favour.
The criteria continued to be analysed until this month and still landed on Thebarton.
A SANFL spokesperson said the organisation was considering all options for Thebarton in consultation with the Adelaide Footy League, council and the Crows.
“We remain focused on creating a talent hub for the state’s elite youth talent programs, boys and girls, and will continue to work with all relevant parties on the best outcome for football in South Australia,” the spokesperson said.
Adelaide, which has been at West Lakes since its inception in 1990, is hopeful it will be able to move into Thebarton in 2025.
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Crows’ ambitious plan for new headquarters
A second oval becoming available has led Adelaide Football Club to choose Thebarton as its new home.
The Crows had been weighing up whether to establish its administration and training headquarters at Thebarton or the former Brompton Gasworks before settling on the site that was 30 per cent larger.
Brompton was on the table because the Malinauskas Government was reviewing the tender process that resulted in Melbourne-based developer MAB Corporation being chosen ahead of Adelaide in January.
Moving to Thebarton became more appealing over the past few months as new plans for the South Rd tunnels ensured Kings Reserve would be available from the outset, rather than be used as storage for seven to 10 years, allowing the Crows to create a second oval.
Kings Reserve will be home to the Crows’ AFLW side and have dimensions similar to the MCG, while its men’s team will train on Thebarton’s main ground, set to be the size of Adelaide Oval.
The SANFL, which leases the site from West Torrens Council, is strongly considering swapping headquarters with the Crows and returning to its former home of Football Park for a significant sum.
Adelaide chairman John Olsen said his club hoped to move from West Lakes, where it had been based since coming into the AFL ahead of the 1991 season, into the 9ha Thebarton site in 2025.
Olsen estimated redevelopment of its new home would cost about $75m to 80m and said the club had sought State Government funding.
“When you look at the size of the green open space we can build the ovals … the scope for us in the long term presents leading-edge training facilities for an elite football team, addresses the need for three football teams that we now have and enables us to build a state-of-the-art facility,” Olsen said.
A look at our proposed new home in Thebarton 🎥#weflyasonepic.twitter.com/D70bXDKIGe
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) August 24, 2022
Adelaide’s announcement of a move closer to the city has been several years in the making.
Housing developments have been encroaching the Crows’ base since the SA Football Commission sold the precinct to developers in 2014 and the club eyed more space after adding an AFLW side in 2017.
The Crows had planned to redevelop the aquatic centre in North Adelaide, before putting that on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year Adelaide City Council blocked the Crows from developing in the parklands.
The club then threw its hat in the ring for the Brompton site last year, only to miss out.
Olsen said the Crows’ position on Thebarton would not change, even if the Brompton tender was overturned after review.
He said he hoped to finish negotiations on contracts and lease conditions by the end of the year before community consultation was then undertaken.
“This has been somewhat of a long journey for the Adelaide Football Club,” he said.
“I presume the players will be very keen to move away from dusty, windswept playing surfaces.
“This facility has served the football club well but it was built for one footy team, we’ve got three.”
Olsen described the move to Thebarton as a win for the local community.
He said the ground would no longer be locked, allowing residents access when the club was not training.
The new base would also have on-site parking, including on Kings Reserve.
A skate park, playground and soccer pitch could also be established.
The council’s community hub will be demolished as part of the South Rd works and rebuilt.
“What we do is actually deliver something that is meaningful and tangible and beneficial to the local community,” Olsen said.
It has long been understood that Adelaide has wanted Thebarton to itself, rather than have to share it with the SANFL or Adelaide Footy League, which holds a sublease.
A SANFL spokesperson said the organisation was considering all options for Thebarton in consultation with the Adelaide Footy League, West Torrens Council and the Crows.
“We remain focused on creating a talent hub for the state’s elite youth talent programs, boys and girls, and will continue to work with all relevant parties on the best outcome for football in South Australia,” the spokesperson said.
Adelaide Footy League has been contacted for comment.
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