Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas says he is hopeful Adelaide Oval’s capacity could be increased for the preliminary final
After 25,000 fans witnessed the Port Adelaide’s thrilling win over the Cats, hopes are rising that thousands more diehards will be allowed to grab tickets to the next home final.
Port Adelaide
Don't miss out on the headlines from Port Adelaide. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas says he is hopeful of a 30,000 crowd for the Power’s preliminary final at Adelaide Oval.
The capacity at Adelaide Oval for the Power’s thrilling 16-point win over Geelong was set at 25,000 – including corporates – and Thomas said he was hopeful of getting more Port fans into the ground come October 17 against either Richmond or St Kilda.
“I’ve been assuming that it will be much the same (capped at 25,000) but I am hearing that the (State) Government is open to the idea of increasing it slightly which would be really welcomed from our point of view,” he said on ABC radio.
“I think they analyses every game and the behaviour of every crowd, the systems that are in place to regulate the movement of people and to minimise risk.
“I’m hearing there is a chance there could be more.”
When asked on Sunday SA Police said if Port Adelaide or the AFL made a request for the capacity at Adelaide Oval to be lifted then it would be looked at.
On Friday Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the success of the qualifying final was in Port Adelaide’s favour.
“I am sure they (SA Health) will be looking at what this behaviour was like and whether this lends itself to additional crowd capacity or whether we’re at the mark where we can safely manage an event at this point,” he said.
A SA Health spokeswoman said; “we will continue to work with the Adelaide Oval to protect the health and wellbeing of all patrons of events held at the stadium.”
Thomas said getting the capacity at 30,000 for the preliminary final would be excellent.
“I know that our government has been really quite conservative all the way through and rightly so,” he said.
“If we can get it up to 30,000 it would be a really great result.
“If we can sneak a few more in (at Adelaide Oval), that would be nice.”
It is understood that a crowd approaching 35,000 was part of the unsuccessful pitch for Adelaide Oval to host the Grand Final.
The Gabba, the venue chosen by the AFL, increased its capacity from 16,000 to 25,000 for the qualifying final between Brisbane and Richmond and the elimination final between St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs.
It has raised the possibility of a crowd of more than 30,000 for the October 24 night Grand Final.
Thomas also conceded that the Power’s annual match in Shanghai is “unlikely” to go ahead next year as part of doubts around international travel.
But while he said the match “feels difficult” to hold in Shanghai in 2021, after it was canned this year, Thomas stressed that China would remain important to Port’s commercial fortunes.