West Adelaide Hellas Kilburn Sportsplex investigation into $5 million development
It was supposed to be the development that saved a struggling Australian football icon, but mystery now surrounds this $5 million shambles.
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An independent audit has been launched into the $5 million stadium redevelopment of former Australian football powerhouse West Adelaide.
The club’s grandstand, playing facilities and dressing room upgrades, which first received public funding in 2015, are still showing no signs of completion.
The repeatedly delayed project has now come under fire from the South Australian state government, which wants an explanation for the derelict state of the Kilburn Sportsplex development.
The proud club, which formerly competed in the National Soccer League — the precursor to the A-League — received $4.8 million in public funding to deliver a facility that the club hoped would save it from its downwards spiral.
According to photos captured by The Adelaide Advertiser this week, the facility shows little sign of the state of the art facility that was first envisaged.
South Australian Sports Minister Corey Wingard described the facility as an “unusable eyesore” this week.
Wingard’s Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing has launched the audit to now determine what still needs to be completed at the site and what further funds will need to be allocated to complete the development.
It will also assess the circumstances that saw the club receive such significant funding.
The club is yet to announce a completion date on the project that began five years ago.
West Adelaide Hellas chairman Alex Alexandrou has told the Advertiser, the club is working towards completing the development.
“The project has been a little bit delayed with change of government, coronavirus has delayed (the project also),” Alexandrou said.
“But at the same time the government, sport and recreation and Football South Australia are all working together to get the job complete.”
The club was first given $500,000 in public funding during the 2014-15 financial year to construct new club rooms and improve its home ground playing field.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet also handed the club $300,000 before the 2018 state election.
A payment of $4 million was handed to the club in 2015-16 through a Football SA funding program.
The funds were to be used for further upgrades to the club’s dressing rooms as well as an undercover grandstand.
The Kilburn Sportsplex development was previously trumpeted by Alexandrou to be the spark that would pull the club out of its downwards spiral.
The proud club was relegated from the National Premier League South Australia last year and dumped to State League 1 with Alexandrou claiming the unfinished development had a major impact on the club’s performances on and off the field.
Without a home ground the club has survived a “nomadic” existence in recent years.
The Kilburn development was supposed to change that.
“It’s been a really tough two years for us and having to play 22 away games theoretically with no clubrooms, no bonding for players, the psyche, everything has added up and it’s difficult,” Alexandrou said last year.
“Our main aim … has been going on since 2009, it’s been a decade of hard work in getting our own premises.
“This (potential relegation) will be a hiccup, because we’ll regroup and we’ll get back on track. It’s all taken it’s toll on players, getting changed in a carpark and temporary shower blocks – it’s not ideal, but we have to look at the bigger picture.”
West Adelaide has previously endured similar crises with the club banned from using its “Hellas” name in 1991 before a Football Federation only recently changed its decision to ban multicultural team names from being used nationwide.
The club, which has a strong link to the Adelaide Greek Community, also survived a messy bankruptcy in 1999.
Originally published as West Adelaide Hellas Kilburn Sportsplex investigation into $5 million development