As part of the motion carried at the November, 2022 meeting of the City of West Torrens, the Adelaide Football Club in conjunction with Council have developed a set of guiding principles and design objectives which would form the basis of the master plan. In addition, a 13-person Master Plan Advisory Group which includes community representation of local residents and business owners, has been formed. The master plan will include but is not limited to the location and use of new and existing facilities, the preservation of heritage and significant items, landscaping, traffic management and the public use, enjoyment and access to open space and facilities.

There will be a world-class training and administration headquarters for the Adelaide Football Club as well as a home ground for the Crows’ women’s team, two ovals and hospitality spaces accessible for use by the community, improved community recreational facilities as well as increased usable green space and public plazas for community use.

The Adelaide Football Club will prepare a master plan for the Thebarton Oval Precinct in consultation with the community and relevant stakeholders. Upon completion of all relevant consultation stages and once the masterplan reflects the feedback provided by the community and is endorsed by the Master Plan Advisory Group it will be presented to a meeting of City of West Torrens Elected Members.

The public currently has no access to Thebarton Oval. However, a key feature of the Club’s plan is to ensure the community ends up with two new and improved ovals, and ultimately more green space. The entire precinct will be open to pedestrians and cyclists with visions of people using it as a place to exercise, walk their dog or families knowing it as a place where their children can play and run around.

As it currently stands, only 5ha of the overall 9ha site is publicly accessible. Upon completion of the redevelopment, the entire precinct will be open and available

The public will have full use of both Thebarton Oval and the new oval, which will be at what is now the Kings Reserve site. With three teams needing to train, the Club will require access about 20 percent of the time across the calendar year and mostly in office or school hours.

There will be no grandstand structures or other buildings on the periphery or surrounding that space. The oval will maintain an open feel and the Club will invest in high quality landscaping.

Tree retention has been a much talked about topic at recent Masterplan Advisory Group meetings. The Club has listened to feedback and the size of the secondary oval has been reduced, and its location repositioned, to limit any impact on the tree canopy. An important principle of the master plan will be there is no net loss of trees as part of the development. While the establishment of an oval on Kings Reserve requires the removal of some trees, any trees that are removed will be offset with the planting of additional trees in appropriate locations.

Yes. The Club’s vision is to make this an engaging destination where people can freely move around and if they choose, immerse themselves in all that the football club has to offer. Thebarton Oval is a traditional footy heartland and the Crows will make sure the history, as well as the key figures and events of the Club’s journey, are reflected in the design. The Club wants people to see this as a place where they can watch their teams train, meet friends for a light meal and drink, or use the open space areas to exercise.

Yes. A key part of the redevelopment is to strengthen the Club’s connection with members and supporters, as well as the public. This will be an open access area where all footy fans will be able to watch training and interact with the players before and after sessions.

There will be direct entry and exit access to the precinct from the upgraded South Road to minimise traffic congestion and an increase in publicly accessible parking within the precinct itself.

There will be an increase in publicly accessible parking. Added to that the parking associated with players, coaches and staff, will be located underground within the building’s footprint. At the appropriate time, this will be subject to relevant planning and council approvals.

Adelaide’s women’s team will play its home AFLW matches there, which would currently be five games per season. The men’s AFL team will continue to play at Adelaide Oval.

Kings Reserve will provide space for a few hundred vehicles on AFLW game day.

The venue is licenced for 9000 however based on the first seven seasons of the AFLW competition the average crowd is expected to be less than 5000.

Yes. Under legislation, all venues within the metropolitan area that have a capacity of greater than 5000 spectators – which Thebarton Oval currently has – are required to develop an Event Management Plan which includes passenger transport.

No. Poker machines have never been considered or discussed.

The current estimated cost is in the vicinity of $100m. Federal Government funding of $15m has already been secured. The Club is also in long-running and productive discussions with the State Government and City of West Torrens regarding financial assistance. Additionally, the Club will run its own fundraising campaign, while investing some of its own funds and sourcing a debt facility.

There are a number of factors to be considered including the relevant council planning approval and timelines but the Club would like to be in the facility in 2025.

Yes. A number of topics have been discussed during the Masterplan Advisory Group’s five meetings to date including, but not restricted to, tree retention. It has led to the Club adjusting plans in the establishment of a secondary oval on Kings Reserve. This training ground will now be smaller in size than initially envisaged and positioned differently to limit any impact on the tree canopy. The Club’s building has also been moved further away from the residential area, which in turn reduces traffic flow in adjacent streets.