Adelaide Oval plans to invest $200m to build multi-sport complex for tennis, basketball and netball

16 February 2015

The State Government is in talks with all three sports in a bid to further enhance the Riverbank sporting precinct and plans are taking shape to build a multi-sport complex on the site of the Memorial Drive courts.

It comes as Adelaide has lost its ATP tennis event to Brisbane because of the standard of the new complex built there. The move has also been prompted as the Government recognises its bids for international events are weakened because of its lack of a world-class facility.

A new, closed-roof facility would put Adelaide in a prime position to host netball Tests, international basketball and Davis Cup and Federation Cup ties.

It would also give Adelaide a chance to again convince the world bodies of men’s and women’s tennis to consider allocating an event in Adelaide.

Sports Minister Leon Bignell told The Advertiser there was not enough cash in the coffers to build the complex during the current Labor term, but that it was envisaged it could be built in a time frame of between five and 10 years.

It would be a major boost in setting up Adelaide for a bid for hosting a Commonwealth Games.

The project is shaping as a strong prospect; not only have the sports indicated their interest, the Government has also done its research by visiting other multi-sports venues around the world. The project has been likened to Rod Laver Arena, the home of the Australian Open, and it is understood the ideal crowd capacity would be around 18,000 for the Adelaide venue.

“There’s no doubt it would be great to develop Memorial Drive,’’ Mr Bignell said.

“The question needs to be: would we do it just for a tennis venue or do it for a multi-purpose venue?

“People are used to catching the train into the city now and walking across the bridge to Adelaide Oval.

“That suits your footy fans and your cricket fans and concerts.

“But in the future, and I’m not talking about next year, should we look at having netball and our national basketball teams playing next door to Adelaide Oval?

“There’s still a way to go but the days of having their own stadiums . . . it’s so expensive.

“The fact that we’ve been able to move football and cricket together has meant that we have one of the best stadiums in Australia.

“If football and cricket had decided to work apart, that they had been for 40 years, neither would be in such a wonderful stadium.

“We can do something really good with that location.

“It would become a mecca for us, where we have footy, cricket, basketball, netball, tennis and whoever else wants to play there right next to a railway line and a bridge that connects everyone.’’

Originally published as Oval done, gaze turns towards Memorial Drive.

 

Source:http://www.theaustralian.com.au/