Revealed: Adelaide Football Club held secret city site inspection and major property approached over Crows CBD plans

THE Adelaide Football Club has secretly inspected a city site and a major property developer has been approached as the club investigates moving to a potential new CBD training base.

Crows Training

THE Adelaide Football Club has secretly inspected a city site and a major property developer has been approached as part of the club’s investigations into a potential new CBD training base.

Documents obtained by the Sunday Mail reveal senior Adelaide City Council officials and a Crows board member undertook the “site inspection” of the undisclosed city site last year.

Internal correspondence, released under Freedom of Information laws, also show last September discussions occurred between council staff and the Aretzis Group, a major Adelaide development company.

But while those discussions relate to the “commercial affairs of the Adelaide Football Club”, the council refused to release specific details or what site is under consideration.

Council officials argued releasing the information would have an “adverse effect” on potential negotiations.

The fresh disclosures come after the Sunday Mail revealed last August a confidential Crows proposal to build a multistorey city headquarters in the Parklands just metres from the $535 million Adelaide Oval.

The plan was for a new multistorey development incorporating the Adelaide University Football Club’s grandstand at Park 12, near the corner of Sir Edwin Smith Ave and War Memorial Drive.

It is understood negotiations over a move to Park 12 have stalled as new Lord Mayor Martin Haese has ruled out supporting such a plan.

The Sunday Mail requested council documents regarding any proposal by the AFC to “move operations, construct new premises and operate a new training facility” in the CBD.

The documents reveal that, along with the North Adelaide site, other earmarked locations include Park 25 opposite the new RAH on West Tce, and Park 9 on Hackney Rd, currently occupied by Prince Alfred College. Victoria Park has also been earmarked.

Emails and diary entries show a meeting about “potential training bases” in the city was held in August 2013 between former Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood and council chief Peter Smith and ex Crows boss Stephen Trigg and chairman Rob Chapman.

Mr Trigg later wrote the club “greatly appreciated” the meeting.

“We especially appreciated Stephen’s generous comments and vision for Adelaide the football club to align with, and embed itself, into Adelaide the city ... specifically in relation to …. potential training bases (however ‘blue-sky’ it may be),” he said.

Mr Yarwood has previously stated he had not been involved in any such discussions.

The correspondence shows on August 29 last year, council managers Matt Rechner and Mike Phillipou, and Crows Director Bob Foord inspected an undisclosed site. Mr Foord declined to comment on Friday but insisted there were “no plans” to move.

Days after the site inspection the council had email correspondence with the Aretzis Group which, according to its website, “has extensive experience undertaking predominantly commercial development projects throughout South Australia”.

“The Aretzis Group will find land or buildings, develop and build to tenant requirements,” the website states.

The Crows has previously downplayed any imminent move, saying it was happy to stay at West Lakes for the “foreseeable future”, where it is invested millions of dollars on a state-of-the-art training base.

The Crows and Aretzis Group director Dimitri Aretzis declined to comment.

TIMELINE TO A CITY CHANGE:

•Monday, August 19, 2013, Lord Mayor’s office at 3.30pm. Meeting between former LM Stephen Yarwood, then Adelaide City Council CEO Peter Smith, Crows chief executive Stephen Trigg and club chairman Rob Chapman. It was “organised” by Mr Yarwood.

•Wednesday, August 21, 2013. 9.03am. Mr Trigg writes to Mr Smith and CC Mr Chapman and Mr Yarwood. He thanks the council pair for meeting and “greatly appreciated the opportunity to talk through a number of issues and to get a little closer to Council”. He reveals the discussions centred on “potential training bases” in the city.

•Almost an hour later, Mr Smith emails two senior managers and Mr Yarwood. In the partly redacted email he reveals plans to drive around the city with Mr Yarwood. The itinerary would “ideally” include a site such as Park 25 on West Terrace where an admin building could be and a training ground over the road “so we are not putting admin buildings into the parklands”.

•Thursday August 29, 2013, 9am. Meeting held between Mr Smith, Active City Program Manager Matthew Rechner and Mr Trigg. Organised by Mr Smith.

•Friday, August 30, 2013, 10.25. Mr Trigg emails Mr Rechner and Mr Smith, thanking them for their “encouragement”. He invites the pair to West Lakes to “get a feel for what we do and the scale of it etc”.

•Friday, September 13. Mr Rechner attends meeting with Mr Trigg at West Lakes.

•Monday 16 September, 2.10pm. Mr Rechner emails Mr Trigg information about the Adelaide Parklands Authority. He adds: “When you have had a look around inner North Adelaide and identify any potential locations, please let me know and I’ll ask the relevant staff to investigate further”. Mr Trigg emails his appreciation the next morning.

•Monday, August 18, 2014. Mr Rechner emails fellow senior manager Mike Philippou details about which tenure of Parklands licence holders expire. He details Adelaide University on Parks 10 and 12, Adelaide Archery Club on Park 10 and Prince Alfred College on Park 9. Mr Philippou forwards to Mr Smith.

•Friday August 22, 2014, 2.37pm. Mr Rechner follows up a conversation with Mr Smith the previous Monday about a proposed “site inspection” with Crows chairman Bob Foord and Mr Philippou. The location is redacted. He said he will keep him updated about “potential discussions and some possible options”.

•1-4 September. Emails sent between the ACC and Aretzis Group. The subject and contents not released by council last month.
The Council’s FOI officer Katherine Finlay wrote that access was refused as the “consultation parties have objected to release of information in this document and I have supported those objections. The document contains information relating to the commercial affairs of the Adelaide Football Club, the release of which could be expected to have an adverse affect on those affairs in relation to potential negotiations with both Council and other parties. Further it is contrary to the public interest to release information which could jeopardise third party discussions and negotiations in relation to existing and potential future commercial arrangements”.

Source: Adelaide City Council

Originally published as Revealed: Adelaide Football Club held secret city site inspection and major property approached over Crows CBD plans