Anzac Oval Alice Springs decommissioned: Rugby union, league leap into the unknown

Central Australia’s two rugby codes are in a state of flux, with contractors on Monday to start dismantling their home of the past nine decades. Here’s how Alice Springs’ remaining ovals will cope.

Anzac Oval, Alice Springs. Picture: Alex Treacy

Central Australia’s tight-knit football community will descend on its spiritual home at Anzac Oval for the last time this weekend, with contractors set to begin dismantling the storied ground on Monday as it makes way for the National Aboriginal Art Gallery.

An acrimonious process that began in 2017 when the oval was identified as the preferred site of the $149m gallery will finally conclude with a Friday night blowout headlined by Terry Campese and Robbie O’Davis, and a family fun day on Saturday from 11am–2pm.

Aaron Blacker, whose name is synonymous with rugby league and union in the Red Centre, said it had been a “bit of a roller coaster” making the final preparations.

“The internal emotions are going through me and my family with the number of phone calls and messages and emails from life members over last couple of weeks,” he said.

Mr Blacker acknowledged that some people remained “thoroughly disappointed” the gallery was gobbling up their 90-year-old oval, but said now more than ever, disunity meant death for the two rugby codes.

“Hopefully we can move forward to a brighter future,” he said.

Cubs player Aaron Blacker transports the ball through heavy traffic during the rugby union preliminary final Cubs versus Warriors at Anzac Oval in Alice Springs, 2009. Picture: File

It has been a logistic nightmare attempting to shoehorn the two sports into existing community infrastructure, Mr Blacker said.

“There has been a lot of hard work between a lot of volunteers,” he said.

Rugby league and rugby union are both now sharing Jim McConville Oval at Gillen with Australian rules and softball – cricket has been relocated.

Concept pictures of the exterior of the National Aboriginal Art Gallery in Alice Springs. Picture: supplied.

The rugby codes will have free reign on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and be able to play their Saturday games at Jim McConville, while Australian rules will have the oval Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons, with their Saturday games relocated to Albrecht Oval or Traeger Park.

Farewell to Anzac Oval. General admission is now free, with a booking. Picture: Supplied

A key problem at Jim McConville is its lack of lighting – the codes have been promised that lighting will be installed by summer 2024–25, enabling evening training and games, but Mr Blacker is not convinced it will happen.

“They’ve awarded a contract for a local contractor to relocate the scoreboard and goalposts, do the groundworks and all the cabling for light posts, but my understanding is they won’t even be delivered until after summer,” he said.

Illawarra Steelers vs. Brisbane Broncos at Anzac Oval circa 1994. Picture: Aaron Blacker

“We’re hoping they’ll be here by summer and installed, but I’m not sure they will be.”

The codes’ solution has been to “shuffle” the seasons – whereas typically rugby union would run in summer and league in winter, so as to not cannibalise the other’s player and volunteer pool, the pair will now move to an autumn-spring schedule.

Draft plan for proposed Kilgariff Community Sporting Precinct. Picture: Northern Territory Government

The long-term solutions for the two codes is a new home.

Two rectangular fields are planned as part of a new NT Government community sporting precinct at Kilgariff Estate, off Harris Ave.

The government believes the new fields will be in action by the end of 2025, but that is yet another deadline Mr Blacker is taking with a grain of salt.

“I can’t see us being there in 2025 or even 2026,” he said.

It could be a crowded house at Jim McConville for a while yet.