Final step taken in Adelaide’s long-awaited search for a new home

It has been years in the making but finally Adelaide has taken the last step to setting up a new home at Thebarton Oval. Here’s when work on the “intergenerational project” will begin.

Work will finally begin on Adelaide’s new training base and headquarters at Thebarton Oval after the Crows finalised an agreement with a well known South Australian building company to finally get the long-awaited project underway.

It can be revealed that the Crows have partnered with Commercial and General’s Tandem Building Group to bring its transformation of the historic oval into its new headquarters and training base.

Preliminary and set-up work could begin as early as later this week, with large scale work to commence this month.

Crows chairman John Olsen said the contract was the final step in what had been a long and complex series of negotiations.

Artist Impression of New Crows Facility at Thebarton Oval.

“Perseverance has paid off and we’re excited to finally get on-site and as planned, begin works later this month,” Olsen said.

“This is an intergenerational project and we are determined to create a place which our members and fans, and everyone associated with our club, can come together and call home.

“The building contract has been executed by Commercial and General’s executive chair Jamie McClurg and myself, and together we look forward to creating a state-of-the-art facility of which we can all be proud.”

Adelaide began exploring a move to a new training base in 2013, with plans for at least four sites scuttled before the Crows settled on Thebarton Oval.

The Crows are still hoping to move from its current base at West Lakes to the new state of the art headquarters at Thebarton Oval in 2026.

What the Crows’ facility at Thebarton Oval will look like.

While originally slated as a $60 to 70m development, it will be a $100m one with the club currently undertaking a capital raising campaign to help fund it.

The bespoke facility will be a 150m long, two-storey building that wraps around the inner west oval.

Olsen said the Crows had taken inspiration from some of the best training facilities in the world.

“In terms of the facility, we’ve gleaned ideas from around the world, taking inconcepts from the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and LA Chargers among others, looked in detail at what has worked and what hasn’t at other AFL and NRL clubs throughoutthe country, and then customised the design for our needs,” he said.

Crows chairman John Olsen. Picture: Tom Huntley

“We are working towards sustained on-field success for both the elite men’s and

women’s programs and we believe our new home at Thebarton will set us up to be a destination club.

“We want our players, coaches and staff to have genuine high-performance

advantages, and this elite sporting precinct will provide just that. We can look to the future with confidence, optimism and excitement.”

The Crows have a 42-year lease for Thebarton Oval, with an option for a further 42-years.

All three levels of government and the AFL have contributed funding to the project.

As part of the move to Thebarton Oval the SANFL, who were tenants at the ground previously, will move its programs that were there to West Lakes.