Footy fans set to wait it out despite green light for crowds of 25,000 to return to Adelaide Oval from Monday

Adelaide Oval can accommodate crowds of up to 25,000 people from Monday – but Crows and Power fans shouldn’t get too excited just yet.

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Adelaide Oval can welcome crowds of up to 25,000 people from Monday but AFL fans may have to wait at least three weeks to get in.

Excitement surrounding the State Government’s easing of coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday was tempered by confirmation the Crows and Power are preparing to play their next two – and possibly three games – inside their Queensland quarantine hub.

Adelaide and Port Adelaide have confirmed they are all but certain to remain on the Gold Coast until after Round 5 on the weekend of July 4/5, and the Crows are even bracing to fly back there to play West Coast in Round 6 on July 11/12, which is yet to be announced.

The Crows had been pushing to bring their Round 5 clash with Fremantle back to Adelaide Oval on July 5 after Queensland and Western Australian borders were opened, but the club has conceded that it is now highly unlikely.

Adelaide plays Brisbane this Saturday then anticipates flying back to Adelaide on Monday, July 6 after their Dockers clash, before heading north again to play West Coast the following weekend, meaning the first opportunity they may have for a home game at Adelaide Oval could be Round 7.

Adelaide Oval was empty for Round 1 and had 2240 people for Round 2. Now from Monday it can accommodate 25,000 people. Picture: Daniel Kalisz (Getty).

The club is however wary that the situation involving state governments, borders and the AFL, which does the fixturing, is changing almost daily and they are prepared to adapt to any development.

“It’s encouraging progress and a credit to the government and health authorities, as well as all of us in the community that our state is in the position to ease these restrictions,” Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan said.

“We would obviously love to play in front of our passionate members and fans as soon as possible and look forward to seeing the next instalment of the AFL’s fixture in coming days.”

Port Adelaide – which hosted the Round 2 Showdown at Adelaide Oval – will play Brisbane and West Coast on the Gold Coast in the next two weeks before returning home.

But the Power has no clarity on who its next opponent will be or where they will play, but the club said the sooner it can return to Adelaide Oval the better.

“It’s (the announcement of 25,000 people at Adelaide Oval) a really positive step for AFL football and for both clubs, we’ll be looking to reward our members as soon as we can by hopefully getting into games at Adelaide Oval but at this stage it’s out of our hands,” a Power spokesperson said.

Stadium Management Authority chief executive Andrew Daniels said he was “delighted” with the government’s decision to allow crowds back into Adelaide Oval. They will welcome 5000 people to the ground each day this Saturday and Sunday for the start of the SANFL season.

“We will now commence working with SA Health and SAPOL to develop and implement a COVID-safe environment for 25,000 patrons,” Mr Daniels said.

“Our job is to be ready for whatever South Australia needs us to do. Whatever parameters the government sets, we’re ready to step in and make it happen.”

Mr Daniels said the SMA was always interested in hosting major events including the AFL Grand Final if it was moved away from Victoria but did not reveal any plans.

It comes as Power midfielder Tom Rockliff and Crows counterpart Brodie Smith this week called for Victorian clubs to get on the move and join an interstate hub.

With big crowds back in Adelaide and Perth, Power midfielder Tom Rockliff wants the Victorian AFL clubs to move into a hub to keep the competition going. Picture: Chris Hyde (Getty).

“With the corona cases continuing to increase in Victoria it seems like a logical option to set up hubs elsewhere, because if we go back to South Australia I’m not sure the government would be too keen to have teams from Victoria coming in,” Rockliff said.

“I think they’ve opened up the borders to all the other states bar New South Wales and Victoria, and if the Victorian teams have to go into a hub for three or four weeks until they get on top of it down there it might just have to be that way.”

Smith added: “Once we finish the hub we run out of teams outside of those two states to pay, so it’s definitely going to have to be looked at if we want to keep the season rolling and they’re going to have to come to the party and potentially hub elsewhere.”

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Originally published as Footy fans set to wait it out despite green light for crowds of 25,000 to return to Adelaide Oval from Monday