AFL games to be played at Adelaide Oval

I was actually looking for info on the long running battle between the SACA and the SANFL, and googled this. Interesting to note, since this thread, back in 2009, the AFL have managed to help build/fund/organise Metricon, Skoda, upgrade Manuka, and the new stadium in Perth is now underway.

Freud - BTW you're wrong about rugby of either code in Adelaide. The Rams averaged 10K a week...Well above 10k in first year and about 8k in 2nd. I saw a game between Penrith and I think Melbourne a few years back that was played on a long weekend and pulled 9,000. There are 12ish Union Clubs in Adelaide I have seen Adelaide Oval packed for Wallabies V 2nd string teams The Adelaide 7's is a huge success

As a proud South Australia I can say a few things. 1) Footy Park (AAMI) is a hole and near on impossible to get to. 2) Land at West Lakes is worth at least 1000-1500per Sqm....you can do the Maths The SA government have two options. 1) sink 300mil to upgrade the transport to an oval very few people actually like (AAMI). 2) Put 450mill into an amazing ground that everyone loves and already has greater access to. Truth is, the average punter couldnt give a stuff who owns the ground..they just want to watch it at the best place...and Adelaide Oval is a far better place than AAMI.

Jaredsbro I do live in Canberra and certainly appreciate that it is not everyones cuppa however it has many positives that are not appreciated as a mere blow in. Crime certainly exists, however because the appearance of this city is quite sanitised, people are a little shocked by this revelation. I wouldn't say that the rates are exceptional however it is fairly high for such a gentrified middle class city. Based on what seems to be your criteria for NOT basing any elite sporting team in Canberra, NZ should not have been gifted a presence in any of the Australian Leagues they are currently involved in. As to whether or not the cities of NZ are any more appealing to live in is a moot point and as far as crime goes, NZ and especially Auckland, have been identified in a recent U.N. report amongst the top most violent developed countries and city respectively in the world, especially in the area of sexual assaults, bashings and home invasions. I can say, Canberra has an unusually high rate of car theft. Your post is a little ambiguous, i.e to say, i'm not sure if you agree or disagree with my sentiments. Are you defending the National games forays into demographics i.e NZ where the game barley exists at the mercenary expedience of a demographic i.e Canberra? It would be very interesting indeed to hear how you would justify this sort of mercenary corporate neglect or are you simply resigned to this being the way of the world? Many Kiwis criticise the growth of Union in this country at the negelct expedience of NZ's Union pedigree and culture and as it happens I tend to agree with them. Our game however has diddly profile in NZ compared to what Union boasts here, so I am curious to understand what exactly it is you are trying to convey. Canberra is as big as Wellington and we actually play the national game with some aplomb, so in that respect any analogy with League or any othe rcode for that matter, is slightly misplaced I think. Cheers

Cockerill's take on the Adelaide Oval redevelopment: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/two-white-elephants-are-born-in-africa--australia-mustnt-breed-own-20091204-kb0c.html Do I sense a more conciliatory note from a month ago? Has someone told him to tone it down a little?

"i know of a couple who recently divorced who still hang onto their respctive seats as both are keen fans and would find it to hard to get new memberships, and they are not on great terms." - That's commitment to the cause. A third team in WA is certainly necessary, the market is there but don't expect the AFL to get it right. Melbourne teams will struggle financially for eternity, each and every one of them will have highs and lows. The city is footy mad but it's supporting too many elite teams for any of them to prosper in the long run. Expect the AFL to look at "relocation" like they did with North. This might work in America but it won't in Australia. You can't just tell North to head North or tell the Dogs that they belong in WA. American teams are franchises and often have very little involvement in the local community whereas AFL teams are built on locations, they appeal to the locals and you can't just uproot all of them and expect them to follow their club on the other side of the nation but no doubt the AFL will try this before they just found a new club in Perth.

If only we can get something now for Perth, one can only hope. I went to one AFL game last year, the stadium is generally sold out for all Eagles games and the Dockers are not too far behind. I believe we need a 55 thou stadium but no bigger, my reasoning for this is that that for Derby's you may need a 65K stadium but as they only happen twice ayear it would be a bit of overkill. The Eagles could possibly sell out a 55k stadium through membership and leave us in the same position as we are now but the Dockers would have some work to do, but with a good season or 2 could get there comfotably. AS it is now to get a Eagles membership you really have to wait untill someone dies in order to free up a membership, IMO they have a aged membership as people really hang onto the seats, i know of a couple who recently divorced who still hang onto their respctive seats as both are keen fans and would find it to hard to get new memberships, and they are not on great terms. So in effect even if you build a 60k stadium here you will still have the same problems, their will not be many tickets available for walk up patrons as their is at the G. But something need to be done, i have no great interest in becoming a member ATM but i would like the oppurtunity to just be a walk up with the family/mates etc .... ATM that is just not a reality, even with a bigger stadium it probably will not happen either. A third team in WA is the only answer.

Pip, do you know the first rule of holes?

Well - I understood they had been at each other throats until recently.

by the way - have you been to Pyongyang?

How could he come in late in the piece if he bought them together?

LOL!!! No traffic lights is it or no traffic? The museums are wonderful there but it's a bit like the city itself has been underdeveloped in order to achieve such wonderful monuments to Democracy as that funky ornament atop of the Capitol! It seems to be the case in most planned Capitals: Washington, Brasilia... London ( ;) )

I'm not actually sure whether he lives there or not. Personally, I like the fact that I can plan to be somewhere in exactly 10 minutes, and be there in 9 minutes.

Freud I took that to mean that he came in late in the piece - I had never heard the AFL mentioned at all until the deal was done.

Well firsty I've been there (not to live) but on holiday two times. Plenty of space, unnaturally so IMO...and it has the feel of a showcase capital (like P'yongyang but in a Liberal democracy). Overly-planned which for someone like me is not a turn-on. Secondly I've talked to people who don't like the fact that Canberra particularly is quite run-down in parts. I never got to see Mount Franklin or out in the burbs from the tour bus but apparently rates of crime are very high (tho of course this could just be a moral panic) and levels of dissatisfied youths are worryingly rising. So Republican's mission cannot be over until these younguns are given sporting options than they would otherwise not have. Thirdly the town/city doesn't really seem to inspire people who actually live there, while enlightening thousands of touring Victorians, NSWmen, Queenslanders, South Australians, West Australians, Tasmanians, Northern Territory folk and Torres Straight islanders Their sports teams are going downward and the city itself lacks something of a unique spirit, rather than just being a site of significant neutrality away from the State capitals' cultures Pleasant in terms of a different scene from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane etc but it lacks a cohesiveness which is ironic given its planned nature. Of course seeing as I've never lived there my opinion isn't gospel. By the way Pip ask Republican next time he posts whether he likes living there too? ;)

"But AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou played peacebroker last year, bringing the two SA organisations together and stressing a desire to play AFL games at Adelaide Oval." - Well that came from the article above so he's obviously been involved from the start, saying anything else shows an inherent lack of knowledge of the hate that exists between the SACA and the SANFL. If they had the choice Adelaide would be split in two, one side would play cricket and have the cricket grounds and the other could have AFL.

Freud Leading up to this announcement, the last six or so months, all I've heard mentioned is the SACA and SANFL - I had not seen a single mention of the AFL.

Jaredsbro Why would you say the ACT is not a pleasant place to live???? It's not as if the residents are living in bark huts atop Mount Franklin!!

Freud of course I get it - I'm not a moron! But at the time that the AFL was handing out a 2nd SA license, there was no way anyone was ever going to win it ahead of Port - and on one viewpoint, one could argue good on the AFL for rewarding a traditional club with deserved entry to the national comp. It's done now - they just have to make it work.

This has nothing to do with WC games, it has to do with the AFL and Demetriou and is an attempt by Rann to have some sort of positive media coverage.