The Port Adelaide Football Club will receive state government funding that will enable the improvement and refurbishment of Alberton Oval to a state-of-the-art high-performance community precinct. ย
It is understood that the state government, led by Malinauskas Labor government, will provide $17 million over four years, allowing the Power to commence planning, approval and community consultation for the development of the new AFLW facilities.
Underpinning this next stage of the $35 million transformation is both the club's strategic vision and growth objectives, and importantly the needs of the broader community.
The plans for the next stage of the redevelopment at Alberton Oval include (per Port Adelaide website): โฏย
- AFLW player changeroom and coaching administration facilities consolidated into the MG High-Performance Centre to fully integrate the club's AFL and AFLW football programs into one building.ย
- Terraced seating installed around the eastern boundary fence providing more than 1,000 additional seats, to support the growth of AFLW matches at Alberton Oval.ย ย
- A third heritage-inspired grandstand, increasing the seated capacity at Alberton Oval to more than 6,000 and overall capacity to over 10,000 to cater for the growth of AFLW and SANFL home games, and AFL pre-season games.ย
- A STEM learning centre, and education and conference spaces for our Power Community Limited programs and the Port Adelaide Academy of Sport.ย
- A new Port Adelaide Bowling Club facility with synthetic green and clubrooms. โฏย
- A flexible learning and event space for club and community access.โฏย
"Providing world-class facilities for our AFL and AFLW players and staff plays an important role in ensuring our club is highly competitive on-field. Retaining and attracting the best talent is a key part of that," Power president Matthew Richardson said.
"AFL footballย plays an important role in inspiring young people to play sports and live healthy lifestyles, but it is also a major economic generator in South Australia. ย
"It will also provide further improvement to spectator amenities at Alberton Oval, including new terraced seating around the eastern boundary to enhance the game day experience for our fans.ย
"But with the flexibility that we have on the eastern side with the carparks we could bring in big temporary stands so for major events, we could get up to 15,000 to 18,000 here at Alberton in the future.
"This is particularly important for the club's popular AFLW home games where Alberton Oval had the second highest attendances in the competition in 2024."
As a result of the proposed changes, the once-improved Alberton Oval could become host to a Gather Round fixture in years to come.
Adelaide has locked the entertaining weekend up until 2026 and would ideally extend it.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has been public in his desire to make the state the permanent home of Gather Round.
"Our argument to the AFL is basically around the fact that if you give it a longer-term future in South Australia, then it gives not just the state government but other operators, the opportunity to invest and make something out of it, because you can do it with a degree of certainty," he told FIVEaaย late last year.
"Whereas if you're chopping and changing all the time, it undermines the case.
"So, longevity brings with it certainty, certainty brings with it the capacity to plan for the future. That's one of our arguments. And, like I said, we'll press it any chance we get."
Gather Round will venture into a new area of South Australia, with the Barossa Valley set to host its first AFL match in the 2025 edition of the weekend.
Norwood will once again reprise its duties while Mount Barker will take a backwards seat this year.
The development of Alberton Oval to a "major events" space could result in another venue being capable of holding an AFL match in the future.
Richardson (Power president) also agreed with the sentiment that the historic oval could feature in the men's competition after successfully hosting in the women's.
"It (Gather Round) certainly is something for the future, I think once we get all of the redevelopment finished," Richardson said, according to Theย Advertiser.
"The great thing about Alberton Oval is the playing surface is exactly the same size as Adelaide Oval and there are no facilities that need to be brought in.
"So it would certainly be a goal for the future for Alberton Oval to be used in that opportunity."
