[COM] Memorial Drive upgrade

[claybro]

We just need a high-quality medium-sized arena with about 12,000 capacity. Bigger than AEC (~9000 ppl) but doesn't have to be at Rod Laver Arrna size (~15,000 ppl).

That's what Adelaide Oval is ... high-quality, big but not too big.

Agree with the above, but what are the thoughts here re the retention of the entertainment Centre as well as the new upgraded Memorial Drive Arena? I know the schedule at Perth Arena can be a bit tight and there is no second large venue here, but is a second venue viable in a city the size of Adelaide? I do think getting rid of the basketball stadium at Beverly is a good idea, the location is terrible, the facility dated. Could there be some inducement to the owners, like they did with AAMI stadium, so money can be pumped back into basketball, and games moved to the Entertainment Centre, along with mid size concerts 5000-8000 leaving a new arena for larger concerts and 1 off sporting events? Concerts sold out in Melbourne may attract fans to Adelaide for the same tour.

[Algernon]

Selling up the basketball won't net anywhere near the same amount as Football Park did. Last time it changed hands for the price of an expensive house. Don't think it was even that far north of a few million. Who owns it now? Last I heard it was the local church league.

Retaining the AEC and building a new venue at Memorial Drive is a recipe for disaster. The AEC is a money pit. A worthwhile money pit, but still a money pit. These things are by their nature loss leaders funded by governments to get the city in on the international scene. There's nothing wrong with its location. It's reasonably central, has a rail connection and plenty of parking.

Building a new stadium isn't the quantum leap from when we went from the Apollo to the Powerhouse. Neither is it like the leap from Thebarton Theatre/Apollo to the AEC.

[Stryker]

Progress on Stage One of the Memorial Drive upgrade.
https://www.tennis.com.au/sa/news/2018/ ... -stage-one








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[Brucetiki]

Selling up the basketball won't net anywhere near the same amount as Football Park did. Last time it changed hands for the price of an expensive house. Don't think it was even that far north of a few million. Who owns it now? Last I heard it was the local church league.

Joint venture between the Scouts and the Church Basketball Association.

[claybro]

Selling up the basketball won't net anywhere near the same amount as Football Park did. Last time it changed hands for the price of an expensive house. Don't think it was even that far north of a few million. Who owns it now? Last I heard it was the local church league.

Joint venture between the Scouts and the Church Basketball Association.

Whoever owns it, surely the upkeep and the rates alone would be costing a fortune. Also..it is holding basketball back as a spectator experience and marketing opportunities due to its poor location and visibility. Best get basketball either to the Ent Cent or a new facility at Memorial Drive ASAP.

[how good is he]

Ha Crawf! I wonder if the power brokers of Adelaide are reading my posts for ideas? The potential new multi-purpose stadium & arena was discussed (below) in the forums in Jan 2018 ...

So still an indoor arena (maybe with retractable roof) that can convert (moveable hydraulic grandstand seating) to cater for crowds of 3,000 or 10,000 or 30,000. I know the new Convention Centre/Plenary building was designed with a similar concept (on a smaller scale) with areas from 300 people converting to allow up to 3000 people with auditorium/theatre seating adaptable to the size of the audience.

The Plenary Hall is on a much much more smaller scale.

What you are suggesting is unrealistic and the cost would outweigh both a rectangle stadium and an arena combined. Not to mention the playing fields do not compare in the slightest hence why there are two separate venues. Even if it was realistic, it would still have a negative impact on Adelaide hosting events, due to the lack of venues. We have already seen some events bypass Adelaide due to Adelaide Oval being overcrowded with events and Hindmarsh / AEC being too dated. For a city of Adelaide's size, there needs be a mix. Adelaide Oval - AFL/Cricket/Major Events, Rectangle Stadium - Soccer/Rugby/Events, Arena - Tennis/Basketball/Concerts etc.

To put things into perspective, this is what you are suggesting of combining.

AAMI Park - 30,000


Perth Arena - 15,000


---

And this is what we currently have.




It's super embarrassing.

[how good is he]

Multipurpose sports arena being considered for Adelaide Oval / Riverbank precinct
Paul Starick, Chief Reporter, The Advertiser
Subscriber only

AN ambitious arena that could host concerts, events, soccer, tennis and basketball is being proposed for the Adelaide Oval precinct.

One option being costed is understood to involve substantially funding the arena by selling off the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for commercial use, potentially a new shopping centre, and using Hindmarsh Stadium for housing.

A business case is being prepared and sites examined near the Memorial Drive tennis complex. It is believed to include an area west of Montefiore Rd, encroaching on North Adelaide Golf Club’s south-eastern tip.

The proposed site of the arena on War Memorial Drive.
State Liberal Party president and Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority deputy chairman John Olsen, speaking at a business lunch on Friday, urged serious consideration of the “emerging opportunity” for a multipurpose arena near the Oval.

It is understood the business case has been commissioned by the Adelaide Venue Management Corporation, which operates the Entertainment Centre, Convention Centre and Hindmarsh Stadium.

The proposal being examined involves relocating events from the Entertainment Centre, along with soccer from Hindmarsh, basketball from its Findon arena and, potentially, netball from its Mile End South stadium.

It includes examining a retractable grass soccer pitch, which would be slid back to enable concerts, events and basketball to be staged on their usual surfaces.

Mr Olsen, the Liberal premier from 1996-2001, said a multipurpose arena should be part of a discussion about the state’s future.

Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority deputy chairman John Olsen, centre, at a showdown. Picture: Sarah Reed
Speaking at an AmCham lunch about change in South Australia, Mr Olsen said the proposal was about being able to mix and match it with the interstate and overseas experience, as Adelaide Oval has.

“In the current consideration, as it relates to soccer, stadiums, etc, we ought to be looking at a consolidation in the sporting precinct of the Memorial Drive of a tennis centre, entertainment centre, perhaps soccer, basketball,” said Mr Olsen, also the SANFL president.

He said the capital cost would be reduced by using the security, food, beverage, kitchens and other facilities already built at the revamped Adelaide Oval, as part of a $535 million, publicly funded upgrade opened in 2014.

“I would hope that as the business study is developed, a range of options are built into that emerging opportunity,” Mr Olsen said.

The Advertiser yesterday revealed that a new soccer stadium is being considered at the highest level, ahead of the 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup bid, because no further upgrades are being planned for Hindmarsh.

Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister David Ridgway, to whom the Venue Management Corporation reports, said the Government was always willing to listen to ideas about further strengthening Adelaide’s sporting, entertainment and tourism offerings.

“To date, though, no formal business case has been presented to me on the viability of a new stadium or arena for the CBD,” he told The Advertiser.

“My immediate focus is on extolling the many existing virtues of South Australia to the rest of the country – and the world.”

The Advertiser in January revealed a 6000-seat, canopy-covered stadium, hosting basketball, netball, concerts and other events, was proposed as part of a $150 million redevelopment of Memorial Drive. This would extend a $10 million upgrade to outside courts, funded by the Federal Government.

But the business case now being prepared is understood to be significantly more ambitious, both in scale and expense.

It is understood the arena business case was not discussed during talks ahead of the State Budget, which Treasurer Rob Lucas delivered on September 4.

Proponents are likely to face a tough task to convince Mr Lucas to loosen his purse strings, given he vowed his Budget would “clean up Labor’s financial mess”.

[Patrick_27]

Multipurpose sports arena being considered for Adelaide Oval / Riverbank precinct
Paul Starick, Chief Reporter, The Advertiser
Subscriber only

AN ambitious arena that could host concerts, events, soccer, tennis and basketball is being proposed for the Adelaide Oval precinct.

One option being costed is understood to involve substantially funding the arena by selling off the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for commercial use, potentially a new shopping centre, and using Hindmarsh Stadium for housing.

A business case is being prepared and sites examined near the Memorial Drive tennis complex. It is believed to include an area west of Montefiore Rd, encroaching on North Adelaide Golf Club’s south-eastern tip.

The proposed site of the arena on War Memorial Drive.
State Liberal Party president and Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority deputy chairman John Olsen, speaking at a business lunch on Friday, urged serious consideration of the “emerging opportunity” for a multipurpose arena near the Oval.

It is understood the business case has been commissioned by the Adelaide Venue Management Corporation, which operates the Entertainment Centre, Convention Centre and Hindmarsh Stadium.

The proposal being examined involves relocating events from the Entertainment Centre, along with soccer from Hindmarsh, basketball from its Findon arena and, potentially, netball from its Mile End South stadium.

It includes examining a retractable grass soccer pitch, which would be slid back to enable concerts, events and basketball to be staged on their usual surfaces.

Mr Olsen, the Liberal premier from 1996-2001, said a multipurpose arena should be part of a discussion about the state’s future.

Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority deputy chairman John Olsen, centre, at a showdown. Picture: Sarah Reed
Speaking at an AmCham lunch about change in South Australia, Mr Olsen said the proposal was about being able to mix and match it with the interstate and overseas experience, as Adelaide Oval has.

“In the current consideration, as it relates to soccer, stadiums, etc, we ought to be looking at a consolidation in the sporting precinct of the Memorial Drive of a tennis centre, entertainment centre, perhaps soccer, basketball,” said Mr Olsen, also the SANFL president.

He said the capital cost would be reduced by using the security, food, beverage, kitchens and other facilities already built at the revamped Adelaide Oval, as part of a $535 million, publicly funded upgrade opened in 2014.

“I would hope that as the business study is developed, a range of options are built into that emerging opportunity,” Mr Olsen said.

The Advertiser yesterday revealed that a new soccer stadium is being considered at the highest level, ahead of the 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup bid, because no further upgrades are being planned for Hindmarsh.

Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister David Ridgway, to whom the Venue Management Corporation reports, said the Government was always willing to listen to ideas about further strengthening Adelaide’s sporting, entertainment and tourism offerings.

“To date, though, no formal business case has been presented to me on the viability of a new stadium or arena for the CBD,” he told The Advertiser.

“My immediate focus is on extolling the many existing virtues of South Australia to the rest of the country – and the world.”

The Advertiser in January revealed a 6000-seat, canopy-covered stadium, hosting basketball, netball, concerts and other events, was proposed as part of a $150 million redevelopment of Memorial Drive. This would extend a $10 million upgrade to outside courts, funded by the Federal Government.

But the business case now being prepared is understood to be significantly more ambitious, both in scale and expense.

It is understood the arena business case was not discussed during talks ahead of the State Budget, which Treasurer Rob Lucas delivered on September 4.

Proponents are likely to face a tough task to convince Mr Lucas to loosen his purse strings, given he vowed his Budget would “clean up Labor’s financial mess”.

THANK YOU. I can't count on my two hands how many times I have made this point on this thread. New CBD arena funded by the sale of land that Hindmarsh Stadium and the AEC sit on. As I suspected, it would take a Liberal government who (unlike Labor) don't feel they have to extend the life of a redundant venue like AEC to justify a costly upgrade.

[Ho Really]

If they want a multipurpose sporting arena keep it simple and only have a handful of sports that can share the arena in a calendar year. Perhaps: tennis, basketball, netball, volleyball, badminton and gymnastics to name a few. Most if not all that can be played on a synthetic surface and indoors. Easy to juggle. Forget about retractable roofs and retractable grass pitches for football (soccer). Football needs its own separate stadium elsewhere and not close to a flightpath.

As for concerts that too should be separate. The Entertainment Centre, much hated by some here, is fine. It is also a great venue for indoor motocross, gymnastics and Disney On Ice, etc. All these business cases if they don't stack up it will be a waste of money. So let's tread carefully.

Cheers

[how good is he]

The problem even with “keeping it simple” is its still hundreds of millions of $$$! I agree/understand your sentiments but the likehood of getting 2 separate major projects built (stadium plus an arena) is unlikely.

[ml69]

Are there any successful international examples where such an arrangement been done? Incorporating a soccer field into a stadium/arena also suitable for basketball and tennis (which have much smaller playing areas) ... how do you do that? I presume that it would involve retractable lower tiers of seating to increase the field size for soccer? And also a retractable grass pitch for soccer.

It sounds like it would be an incredibly expensive build probably several hundred million (Perth Arena cost $550M and no retractable soccer pitch) ... but by all means do the business case and see if it stacks up.

[[Shuz]]

West of Montifiore Road is probably the worst spot accessibility wise. It's a fair walk to public transport services. It should be located immediately west of AO or on the Torrens Parade Grounds.

[citywatcher]

Multipurpose sports arena being considered for Adelaide Oval / Riverbank precinct
Paul Starick, Chief Reporter, The Advertiser
Subscriber only

AN ambitious arena that could host concerts, events, soccer, tennis and basketball is being proposed for the Adelaide Oval precinct.

One option being costed is understood to involve substantially funding the arena by selling off the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for commercial use, potentially a new shopping centre, and using Hindmarsh Stadium for housing.

A business case is being prepared and sites examined near the Memorial Drive tennis complex. It is believed to include an area west of Montefiore Rd, encroaching on North Adelaide Golf Club’s south-eastern tip.

The proposed site of the arena on War Memorial Drive.
State Liberal Party president and Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority deputy chairman John Olsen, speaking at a business lunch on Friday, urged serious consideration of the “emerging opportunity” for a multipurpose arena near the Oval.

It is understood the business case has been commissioned by the Adelaide Venue Management Corporation, which operates the Entertainment Centre, Convention Centre and Hindmarsh Stadium.

The proposal being examined involves relocating events from the Entertainment Centre, along with soccer from Hindmarsh, basketball from its Findon arena and, potentially, netball from its Mile End South stadium.

It includes examining a retractable grass soccer pitch, which would be slid back to enable concerts, events and basketball to be staged on their usual surfaces.

Mr Olsen, the Liberal premier from 1996-2001, said a multipurpose arena should be part of a discussion about the state’s future.

Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority deputy chairman John Olsen, centre, at a showdown. Picture: Sarah Reed
Speaking at an AmCham lunch about change in South Australia, Mr Olsen said the proposal was about being able to mix and match it with the interstate and overseas experience, as Adelaide Oval has.

“In the current consideration, as it relates to soccer, stadiums, etc, we ought to be looking at a consolidation in the sporting precinct of the Memorial Drive of a tennis centre, entertainment centre, perhaps soccer, basketball,” said Mr Olsen, also the SANFL president.

He said the capital cost would be reduced by using the security, food, beverage, kitchens and other facilities already built at the revamped Adelaide Oval, as part of a $535 million, publicly funded upgrade opened in 2014.

“I would hope that as the business study is developed, a range of options are built into that emerging opportunity,” Mr Olsen said.

The Advertiser yesterday revealed that a new soccer stadium is being considered at the highest level, ahead of the 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup bid, because no further upgrades are being planned for Hindmarsh.

Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister David Ridgway, to whom the Venue Management Corporation reports, said the Government was always willing to listen to ideas about further strengthening Adelaide’s sporting, entertainment and tourism offerings.

“To date, though, no formal business case has been presented to me on the viability of a new stadium or arena for the CBD,” he told The Advertiser.

“My immediate focus is on extolling the many existing virtues of South Australia to the rest of the country – and the world.”

The Advertiser in January revealed a 6000-seat, canopy-covered stadium, hosting basketball, netball, concerts and other events, was proposed as part of a $150 million redevelopment of Memorial Drive. This would extend a $10 million upgrade to outside courts, funded by the Federal Government.

But the business case now being prepared is understood to be significantly more ambitious, both in scale and expense.

It is understood the arena business case was not discussed during talks ahead of the State Budget, which Treasurer Rob Lucas delivered on September 4.

Proponents are likely to face a tough task to convince Mr Lucas to loosen his purse strings, given he vowed his Budget would “clean up Labor’s financial mess”.

THANK YOU. I can't count on my two hands how many times I have made this point on this thread. New CBD arena funded by the sale of land that Hindmarsh Stadium and the AEC sit on. As I suspected, it would take a Liberal government who (unlike Labor) don't feel they have to extend the life of a redundant venue like AEC to justify a costly upgrade.

Any venue liberals build would already be redundant

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[citywatcher]

West of Montifiore Road is probably the worst spot accessibility wise. It's a fair walk to public transport services. It should be located immediately west of AO or on the Torrens Parade Grounds.

You could have an express bus service
Oh wait ....

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[fifty]

This all-in-one idea of stadia + indoor arena combo is ridiculous for all the reasons pointed out in previous posts. There's also the not so small issue that the major tenants being considered - soccer, basketball, tennis, are all summer. No way it can work and each of the three codes will reject it straight off. I'm not surprised whoever is doing the review of this new scoping is doing it on the quiet - will be laughed out of town when it comes to the $$$ and business case.

Yes, soccer needs some love, but let's just put to bed this idea that it can be combined with other sporting calendars and the reality that is the Australian sports market. Basketball (summer) / Netball (winter) with major tennis tournaments (if any) and indoor events will move to an upgraded Memorial Drive based on a Hisense Arena (10,500) type model, underwritten by a demolished AEC and Titanium Security Arena. 36'ers training and junior/social basketball comps will shift to Priceline Stadium. Soccer will eventually get it's own upgraded facility somewhere and do what it can to entice events and other rectangular sporting codes to it.

FWIW, I thought I'd have some fun with locating where these facilities should go. Memorial Drive stays where it is of course without much more encroachment (although the build phase would be horrendous). Seems to be only four possible cites for a Hindmarsh sized facility. Interestingly, the only site which would suit a retractable pitch without significant impact, is in between the railway and the river on the south side. This would be my preferred spot for any type of soccer facility.

Riverbank with stadia (2).png (1.19 MiB) Viewed 3166 times