[COM] Memorial Drive upgrade

[ml69]

Well Marshall did propose a $600 million "basketball stadium", but the ppl voted. Can't see anything better getting floated in the next 3 and a bit years

I think it’ll be proposed again at some point in the future. In the same location, as that is the most logical location. It’ll just be spun as something else like Convention Centre expansion.

[JCK98]

Well Marshall did propose a $600 million "basketball stadium", but the ppl voted. Can't see anything better getting floated in the next 3 and a bit years

Yeh well, there was also the vision for this stadium to be completely redeveloped, but you know, Mr Marshall didn't like that idea, he wanted to also spend half a billion on a stadium like Labor did so he can point to something and say "I did that".

There were plans, but I don't believe there was ever a vision to turn Memorial Drive into a 15k multipurpose arena to replace the ageing Entertainment Centre.

$150m for a 6,000 seat stadium that could host basketball and netball as well. Nevermind that basketball was regularly (at the time) getting bigger crowds in a suburban stadium surrounded by warehouses without proper public transport links.

[gnrc_louis]

I think a 10,000 seat tennis/bball/netball etc stadium here would’ve been ideal and surely cheaper than $600m. The riverbank proposal imo was flawed by relying on the presumption big global conferences will return to as they were pre-covid.

[NTRabbit]

Well Marshall did propose a $600 million "basketball stadium", but the ppl voted. Can't see anything better getting floated in the next 3 and a bit years

Yeh well, there was also the vision for this stadium to be completely redeveloped, but you know, Mr Marshall didn't like that idea, he wanted to also spend half a billion on a stadium like Labor did so he can point to something and say "I did that".

There were plans, but I don't believe there was ever a vision to turn Memorial Drive into a 15k multipurpose arena to replace the ageing Entertainment Centre.

There was, it just wasn't a vision from the Liberal party, so as far as they were concerned it didn't exist.

[SRW]

Yeh well, there was also the vision for this stadium to be completely redeveloped, but you know, Mr Marshall didn't like that idea, he wanted to also spend half a billion on a stadium like Labor did so he can point to something and say "I did that".

There were plans, but I don't believe there was ever a vision to turn Memorial Drive into a 15k multipurpose arena to replace the ageing Entertainment Centre.

There was, it just wasn't a vision from the Liberal party, so as far as they were concerned it didn't exist.

It was actually the Federal Libs who backed it.

[AndyWelsh]

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[gnrc_louis]

This looks okay, but beyond tennis what other semi-regular events is it actually likely to attract? I wonder if there is any scope to expand it at a reasonable cost - maybe by raising the roof higher (it looks pretty low), better enclosing the arena and adding a few thousand more seats to get it up to around 9k. That way maybe it could host 36ers games and larger concerts.

[AndyWelsh]

This looks okay, but beyond tennis what other semi-regular events is it actually likely to attract? I wonder if there is any scope to expand it at a reasonable cost - maybe by raising the roof higher (it looks pretty low), better enclosing the arena and adding a few thousand more seats to get it up to around 9k. That way maybe it could host 36ers games and larger concerts.

Here’s what was proposed by the Premier at the time:








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[Jaymz]

This looks okay, but beyond tennis what other semi-regular events is it actually likely to attract? I wonder if there is any scope to expand it at a reasonable cost - maybe by raising the roof higher (it looks pretty low), better enclosing the arena and adding a few thousand more seats to get it up to around 9k. That way maybe it could host 36ers games and larger concerts.

This is anecdotal, but I went to Gorillaz a month ago at the Entertainment Centre and I must say it was excellent. I was surprised at the condition of the venue, to me it's obvious they have spent money on the upkeep of the internals. The (free) tram to the door step is a big plus.

[ozisnowman]

The eastern grandstand looks nicer outside than in - on the inside nothing more than a corporate box. They could have at least had some standard spectator
seating as well as some corporate boxes. The western grandstand is shown in the proposal pictures - is this supposed to be some temporary stand? as i dont see that this has been built only a new northern stand and an upgraded southern stand

[AndyWelsh]

I hadn’t come across this site before:

https://thedriveadelaide.com.au/the-venue/











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[Algernon]

50 million of taxpayer funds for a wedding venue

[ozisnowman]

Looks like unfinished business - money probably ran out.

Missing a western grand stand (where court 1 is) and smaller eastern grand stand in-front of the courtside room and corporate boxes (where court 3 is)
This should be a centre court only with court 2 and 3 moved to outside courts at memorial drive.

[claybro]

50 million of taxpayer funds for a wedding venue

Given the carry on in Adelaide over the multi purpose venue proposed by the previous government, this is as good as it is going to get for decades to come -so most got what they wished for. $50 million? Pocket money in any other state. But at least they're fixing the ambulance ramping eh?!

[gnrc_louis]

50 million of taxpayer funds for a wedding venue

Given the carry on in Adelaide over the multi purpose venue proposed by the previous government, this is as good as it is going to get for decades to come -so most got what they wished for. $50 million? Pocket money in any other state. But at least they're fixing the ambulance ramping eh?!

It’s been said here before, but the “carry on” was reasonable considering the riverbank arena was only financially viable if international conferences returned post-Covid - which is a huge IF.

Again, as many have already said here - we would’ve preferred they redid memorial drive properly as a 8,000-10,000 seat multipurpose arena. Surely could’ve been done much more cheaply than the $600m earmarked for the riverbank arena too.