Adelaide Crows eyeing new home at Brompton’s former gasworks site, chairman John Olsen reveals

The Adelaide Crows have narrowed their search for a site for their new headquarters to two places. On Friday, chairman John Olsen revealed their locations.

Adelaide Crows chairman John Olsen has identified a former gasworks site in Brompton as a possible new home base for the AFL club.

Mr Olsen told a pre-Showdown SA Press Club lunch on Friday that the club had narrowed down its search for a new base to either Brompton or Thebarton Oval.

It was the first time he had revealed Brompton as a possible location.

“We’ve been working constructively at Thebarton Oval with the City of West Torrens as an option,” Mr Olsen said.

“To make sure we have several options on the table, we’ve (also) been looking at the Brompton gasworks site.

“It’s convenient in that it’s near the railway station. The tram lines finishes, I think, within about 500m or thereabouts and it would enable a green space to be built within that Brompton-Bowden area.”

The SA Gas Company's Brompton works in 1964. Now the site could become Crows central.

Mr Olsen said the Crows had been part of preliminary discussions with site owner Renewal SA and there would be further discussions over the next few weeks and months.

The site, just north of Port Road, is currently vacant and about 3.5km north west of Adelaide Oval. It is bordered by Chief St, Second St, Drayton St and the train line to the western suburbs.

Mr Olsen said the many components of the club’s original designs for a new training and administrative facility at the aquatic centre in North Adelaide would transfer to both the Brompton and Thebarton Oval sites.

The Crows shelved plans to redevelop the aquatic centre after fierce opposition by parklands preservation supporters and some Adelaide City councillors.

“We’ve had extensive discussions with West Torrens Council at Thebarton and we’ve had some preliminary discussions with the City of Charles Sturt,” Mr Olsen said.

“But it was really important for us to have several options on the table and to work through these. Each site has its own … impediments, if I can put it that way.

“And what we’ll be doing is an assessment of each site and come to a landing on which is the preferred site.”

Mr Olsen is leading a Crows facilities committee, which includes internal and external expertise and is now meeting weekly, which hopes to make a decision about a preferred site by “July or August”.

Thebarton Oval is one of the possible sites for the Crows’ new home. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

“There are many aspects to this,” Mr Olsen said. “We want to build in capacity for our women’s team, in training purposes, as well as our men’s team. We want to build our heritage and history museum component and build facilities in place that look after our membership base.”

He said the new headquarters would not replace the Crows current “Shed” at West Lakes but would cater for several hundred people.

Mr Olsen said the club had put on hold, but never shelved, plans for the new headquarters when COVID-19 hit the bottom line of all AFL clubs last year.

The club’s proposed new headquarters in North Adelaide carried a price tag of around $65 million. Mr Olsen said bases at both Thebarton and Brompton were likely to cost around $50 million.

The Crows had previously identified Adelaide City Council Nursery near Hackney Rd, parklands opposite the Ice Arena on Port Rd and the Adelaide Showgrounds in Wayville as potential sites.

Originally published as Adelaide Crows eyeing new home at Brompton’s former gasworks site, chairman John Olsen reveals