Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan says moving to a new facility in North Adelaide would be “transformational” for the Club – and not just its men’s and women’s football programs.
Speaking at the Annual Members’ Meeting on Monday evening, Fagan outlined the benefits of the proposed sports and community hub, including being accessible to Crows fans 365 days per year.
“From a club perspective, getting the go-ahead would be transformational for the Club,” Fagan told members in attendance in the William Magarey Room at Adelaide Oval.
“Not just for the coaches and the players, and for the community programs we run, but importantly for our members and fans.
“The chance to come down whenever you like to grab a bite to eat, a drink, watch training, have a kick on the oval after training with your son, daughter, brother, dad or mum. Engage with the history and the heritage of the football club through the displays that will be created. It will be special.”
Fagan said he understood the public debate generated by the proposed facility, taking the opportunity to bust open a handful of myths that have been circulating in recent times.
"We are proposing to replace an ageing facility with a contemporary one. That's the first one,” he said.
“Secondly, the new facility will be on a reduced footprint, returning parklands space, not taking parklands away.
"The new facility, and particularly the aquatic and recreation facility is dedicated to public use. The feedback I've had from the existing user groups I've met with has been really positive. They want a new facility and they know it's for them.”
Fagan emphasised the proposed aquatic centre would be dedicated for public use, with the Crows rarely using swimming pool facilities outside of “some players hiring a lane for 40 minutes a week”.
The proposal would add to the activation and community use of the parklands, from enhancements on the Jeffcott Road site to opportunities for traders on nearby O’Connell Street.
"The oval will be improved to an international standard surface that is unfenced and available for public access,” Fagan said.
"We'll seek to activate O'Connell Street through a series of events and partnerships … We'll improve the pathways in and around Park 2.
“The project will create jobs and add to the economic activity in the area and importantly, a new facility would reduce the annual financial burden on ratepayers. That's essentially the summary.”
The City of Adelaide is currently conducting a public consultation on the draft proposal, which closes on Wednesday 11 March.
Fagan said the Club’s next steps would be determined by feedback received from the Council and its Needs Analysis report.
“We're waiting on the Council to tell us what they would like in a new facility. That will enable us to complete our plans and then present them in a more complete form to all the stakeholders,” Fagan said.
“We do genuinely believe that this can be a win-win-win for the Club, the Council and the community. But equally, we understand these planning and approval processes are incredibly complex.
“For now, we'll keep working with the Council and other stakeholders to refine and hopefully progress our proposal over the coming months.”
