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| AAMI Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Name | AAMI Stadium |
| Former names | Football Park, Bellerive Oval (note: not to be linked) |
| Location | West Lakes, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Opened | 1974 |
| Closed | 2013 |
| Demolished | 2016 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 51,240 (seated) |
| Tenants | Adelaide Football Club, Port Adelaide Football Club, SANFL |
AAMI Stadium AAMI Stadium was a major multi-purpose venue in West Lakes, Adelaide, South Australia, that served as a focal point for Australian rules football, rugby union, rugby league, soccer, and large-scale events. Built to provide a dedicated venue for the South Australian National Football League and to host interstate Australian Football League matches, the stadium hosted the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power as primary tenants before relocation. Its role intersected with national competitions, local clubs, and major touring teams over four decades.
The stadium's inception was driven by the needs of the South Australian National Football League and discussions involving the Government of South Australia, the City of West Torrens, and private stakeholders in the early 1970s. Construction began after deliberations influenced by venues such as Melbourne Cricket Ground and Waverley Park, and the facility opened in 1974 as Football Park. The venue saw involvement from administrators connected to the Australian Football League and executives from clubs including Port Adelaide Football Club and Norwood Football Club. During the 1980s and 1990s the ground hosted interstate fixtures featuring teams from the Victorian Football League, later the AFL, as well as touring rugby squads from New Zealand national rugby union team and British and Irish Lions arrangements. Naming rights agreements in the 2000s led to a commercial rebrand linked to AAMI.
Located adjacent to the artificial watercourse at West Lakes, the stadium occupied land near the River Torrens catchment and was accessible from arterial routes connecting to Adelaide city centre and the Adelaide Airport. The precinct included corporate suites, members' facilities, player change rooms used by Adelaide Football Club and visiting AFL clubs such as Collingwood Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, media centers equipped for broadcasters like Nine Network and ABC Television, and training amenities used by SANFL clubs including Glenelg Football Club and North Adelaide Football Club. The oval surface and perimeter infrastructure complied with standards applied in venues like Subiaco Oval and Gabba, while public concourses hosted merchandise outlets connected to clubs such as Sturt Football Club and South Adelaide Football Club.
AAMI Stadium hosted a wide array of competitions: AFL home-and-away fixtures for the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power, SANFL grand finals involving Woodville-West Torrens Football Club and Central District Football Club, international rugby tests featuring Wallabies opposition, and A-League soccer matches with visiting professional sides like Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC. The ground was selected for representative fixtures including State of Origin-style contests featuring the South Australian state football team and touring international rugby league matches with squads such as the Great Britain national rugby league team. Non-sporting events included concerts by artists who also performed at venues including the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and festivals tied to the Adelaide Festival calendar.
The venue recorded peak attendances during marquee AFL clashes, creating crowds comparable to those at MCG fixtures in interstate contests. Notable high-attendance matches featured derbies between Port Adelaide Football Club and Adelaide Football Club, attracting supporters from suburban clubs such as West Torrens Football Club and Glenelg Football Club. Attendance records for specific SANFL grand finals and AFL double-headers stood as benchmarks in South Australian sport, with seasonal patronage rivalled by fixtures at Etihad Stadium when interstate clubs toured Adelaide. Major concerts also generated sell-out crowds akin to those seen at the Sydney Cricket Ground for national touring acts.
From the 2000s, debates between the Government of South Australia, the AFL, and local councils centred on a precinct strategy that involved consolidation of elite football at Adelaide Oval. Strategic reviews referencing venues like Docklands Stadium resulted in staged relocation plans announced by political leaders and sporting executives. By the early 2010s, AFL clubs completed transitions to Adelaide Oval and the final professional matches were played before the stadium closed in 2013. Subsequent demolition and site remediation occurred under contracts awarded by state authorities, with the physical removal completed in the mid-2010s and land repurposed in line with municipal planning by the City of West Torrens.
Spectator movement to the stadium relied on bus services coordinated by Adelaide Metro and special event shuttle arrangements connecting to suburban rail nodes on lines serving Adelaide railway station. Road access used arterial corridors including Port Road and the nearby North–South Motorway catchments; parking management involved collaboration with local councils and transport planners linked to projects such as upgrades to access routes used for the Tour Down Under and other city events. Match-day transport planning echoed protocols applied at other major Australian venues like Optus Stadium.
As a central venue for the SANFL and AFL in South Australia, the stadium shaped supporter culture for clubs including Adelaide Football Club, Port Adelaide Football Club, Norwood Football Club, and West Adelaide Football Club. It hosted community outreach programs run by professional teams in partnership with organisations such as the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and local schools. The site contributed to Adelaide's live-music economy in tandem with institutions like the Elder Conservatorium of Music and regional festivals including the Adelaide Fringe, and it figured in civic memory through oral histories collected by the State Library of South Australia and memorabilia preserved by the National Sports Museum.
Category:Demolished sports venues in Australia Category:Sports venues in Adelaide