Crows CEO explains Adelaide Oval position

Playing a game at Adelaide Oval is not practicable for our Club in 2011.

Since last week’s announcement that Port Adelaide planned to play an AFL home game at Adelaide Oval in the last round of this season, a number of our members, sponsors and supporters have asked why we won’t consider a similar exercise.

We did briefly look at the options but it was soon very clear to us that the logistics of the Adelaide Football Club switching a game from AAMI Stadium were enormous and that we were unable to cater for our membership.

Our circumstances are clearly different.

Even before we start selling daily tickets for AAMI Stadium home games, at all these games we are committed to about 44,000 seats for members and sponsors. Adelaide Oval cannot, in 2011, provide us with anywhere near enough seats to guarantee everyone a spot.

Among the other issues are the lack of suitable corporate function areas and corporate boxes, the lack of areas for our coterie groups and the loss of the use of our own facilities at the Westpac Centre at AAMI Stadium, including the football rooms and The Shed.

However, as I noted last week, we will seek to play a NAB Cup match at the venue in 2012 before the venue becomes a building site.

- Steven Trigg
Adelaide Football Club CEO