The Adelaide Football Club has reached an agreement with the SANFL which will see the State League’s governing body vacate its lease at Thebarton Oval.

This is a major step forward and allows the Crows to push ahead with plans to build a new state of the art headquarters on the western fringe of the city.

The deal also complements the previously struck arrangement with the City of West Torrens which gives the Club rights to the Thebarton Oval Precinct for a 42-year tenure. There is also an option for an additional 42 years.

Crows Chairman John Olsen said this was yet another important milestone in ambitious plans to deliver a world class training, administration and community facility.

“We have cleared one of the last hurdles in what has been a long and complex series of negotiations, and we move forward with even more positive momentum,” Olsen said.

“We will continue to work closely with the City of West Torrens as we bring this project to life.

“Our players, coaches, staff, corporate partners, members and supporters, as well as the broader community, should be excited by what lies ahead.”

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the development will open Thebarton Oval to the community for the first time in decades, while providing the public with recreation facilities.

“I congratulate the Adelaide Football Club, and in particular John Olsen and Tim Silvers, on the constructive and accommodating way they have approached this significant project,” he said.

“The Malinauskas Labor Government is contributing $15 million towards this project, as well as committing to additional work on the precinct, because we believe this facility will be good for the community both locally and more broadly.

“The Crows have shown they will be good neighbours for the Thebarton community and I welcome them to the neighbourhood.”

City of West Torrens Mayor Michael Coxon described Thebarton Oval as an iconic part of the state’s football history.

“We are looking forward to the oval finally being accessible for community use and to injecting life into our city,” he said.

The Crows are on track to begin construction works towards the end of this year.