Adelaide city AFL stadium delayed until 2015
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/adelaide- ... 6012584865
ADELAIDE'S sporting public will have to wait until 2015 to watch AFL at the Adelaide Oval.
The one-year delay can be revealed just two days after SACA and the SANFL agreed on a governance structure and a lease agreement which will be shipped off for signing by Cabinet tomorrow.
A source close to the historic negotiations between football, cricket and the Government said it was "highly unlikely" AFL football would be ready for the start of the 2014 season, which had initially been envisaged as the beginning of a new era in South Australian sport.
The delay has been caused by several construction firms shifting their operations to Queensland where major infrastructure work is required immediately in the wake of the recent floods.
The contract for the building works at Adelaide Oval is yet to go to tender, but there is a shortage of construction firms available in the short term.
It is a blow for the sporting public, which appears to have tired of AAMI Stadium amid slipping attendances.
But some significant resolutions emerged from last week's meeting.
Among them were:
FOOTBALL and cricket were guaranteed to run their sports without interference during their allotted time at the ground, with football taking over the ground in mid-March each year and handing it back in mid-October.
PRIORITY events would include AFL football, SANFL finals, international cricket, one-day domestic cricket and Twenty20 domestic cricket.
AD-HOC events, such as major international events and concerts, would generate funds for the Stadium Management Authority and be used to maintain the venue.
MEMBERSHIP categories are yet to be finalised, but it is envisaged a small amount - likely to be less than 5000 - of 12-month tickets will be made available to SACA members at a price of less than $1000.
STRONG priority clauses have been written into the agreement to avoid any conflict during the "shoulder time" when there could be a clash of pre-season football and late-season cricket.
GOVERNANCE of the ground - which threatened to be a deal-breaker earlier this year - was overcome, with cricket compromising on some of its initial demands.