Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The stadium is mostly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but also plays host to rugby league, rugby union, soccer, tennis , and concerts. Its record crowd for cricket was 52,633 during the 2014–15 Big Bash League season semi final between the Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Sixers, and its record crowd for Australian rules football was 62,543 at the 1965 SANFL Grand Final between the Port Adelaide and Sturt.
Adelaide Oval has been headquarters to the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) since 1871 and South Australian National Football League (SANFL) since 2014. The stadium is managed by the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority (AOSMA). Redevelopments between 2008 and 2014, costing $575 million, increased the stadium's seating capacity from 34,000 to 53,583 (including standing room). The Adelaide and Port Adelaide Football Clubs also returned to the stadium, leaving Football Park.
In 2010, Austadiums.com called the Adelaide Oval "one of the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia, if not the world".
In December 2009 the Rann Labor government announced a $450 million government commitment to redevelop Adelaide Oval to enable AFL Football to be played there. In May 2011 the Rann Labor government announced an increase in government funding to $535 million. After the redevelopment, sports journalist Gerard Whateley described it as "the most perfect piece of modern architecture because it's a thoroughly contemporary stadium with all the character that it's had in the past".
History
1871 - The ground was established in 1871 after the formation of SACA. Among those responsible for the original construction were John Pickering (son of Hon. John Pickering) and Henry Sparks.
1877 - The first South Australian Football Association match (later renamed the SANFL) that took place on the ground was between Adelaide Football Club (1860–1893) and the Bankers (1877). Adelaide won the match 4 goals to 1. The first first-class cricket match played at the ground between South Australia and Tasmania on 10 and 12 November 1877. South Australia was victorious, winning by an innings and 13 runs.
1878 – The first century (102 not out for North Adelaide against the Kent Club) was scored by John Hill on 30 January 1878. John was the father of the great Clem Hill.
1884 – The first Test match played at the Oval was held from 12–16 December 1884. England beat Australia by eight wickets. (Scorecard)
1885 – The first football game lit by electric light was conducted on the evening of 1 July 1885.
1889 – The first Grand Final in a major Australian rules football competition was played between Norwood and Port Adelaide. Norwood won the game 7.4 (7) to 5.9 (5)
1889 - The inaugural South Australian Tennis Championships are staged at the Oval tennis courts.
1894 – In 1894–95 Albert Trott collected 8/43 on debut against England, the best ever single-innings Test match figures at the ground.
1900 – The picket fence was put up surrounding the Oval (then with a cycling track) in 1900.
1910 - The Australasian Tennis Championships are staged for the first time at the oval the title is won by Rodney Heath.
1911 – From 5–12 August 1911 the Australian Football Council Carnival was played at the ground, won by South Australia. The competing sides were SA, VFL, VFA, Western Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales. The Adelaide Oval scoreboard, designed by architect Kenneth Milne, began service on 3 November 1911. The clock was added in 1912 and the windvane in the 1930s.
1914 – The Port Adelaide Football Club defeated the Carlton Football Club for their fourth Championship of Australia title defeating the Victorian side by 34 points, 9.16 (70) to 5.6 (36).
1920 - Australasian Tennis Championships are staged at the oval for the second time, won by Pat O'Hara Wood.
1931 – In 1931–32 Donald Bradman scored the highest score ever at the ground in Test Cricket, compiling 299* against South Africa. In the same game, Clarrie Grimmett collected fourteen wickets, the most ever taken in a Test match at the ground by a bowler.
1932 – In 1932–33, the Bodyline affair reached its lowest point at the ground when Bill Woodfull and Bert Oldfield were struck, and on the third day mounted police patrolled to keep the 50,962 spectators in order (a record crowd for cricket at the ground). The total attendance for the match was 174,351.
1946 – In 1946–47, Arthur Morris of Australia, and Denis Compton of England both made centuries in both innings of the Test.
1947 – In 1947–48 Australia scored 674 against India, the highest team total at the ground in Test matches.
1958 – In 1958 Blackpool Football Club beat Australia 1–0 during the first Association football match on the ground.
1960 – Australia played the West Indies in the fourth test of the Frank Worrell Trophy, 1960–61. The match ended in a draw, with the West Indies unable to take the final wicket of the fourth innings, as the last batsmen Ken Mackay and Lindsay Kline held out for 109 minutes. West Indies bowler Lance Gibbs took the only ever Test cricket hat trick at the ground in Australia's first innings. (Scorecard)
1965 – The ground record attendance of 62,543 people was recorded for the 1965 SANFL Grand Final between Port Adelaide and Sturt.
1972 - The North Adelaide Football Club defeated the Carlton Football Club to be crowned Champions of Australia defeating the Victorian side by one point 10.13 (73) to 10.12 (72) in what would be the last time a non-Victorian football side won a national championship until the West Coast Eagles won the 1992 AFL premiership.
1975 – In 1975–76 the ground hosted its first One-Day International match. The match was between Australia and West Indies (40-over match), and Australia won by 5 wickets. (Scorecard)
1978 – In 1978, the ground hosted the first concert by David Bowie in the Southern Hemisphere. It was the first large scale outdoor concert he had ever played.
1982 – In October 1982, vs Victoria, David Hookes hit a 43-minute, 34 ball century – by some metrics the fastest hundred in history. (Statistics)
1990 – The Sir Donald Bradman stand was built in 1990 to replace the John Creswell stand and provided up to date facilities for spectators.
1991 – South Australia compiled the highest fourth innings winning total in Sheffield Shield history, reaching 6/506 (set 506 to win) against Queensland in 1991–92.
1992 – In 1992–93 the West Indies defeated Australia by one run in the fourth test of the Frank Worrell Trophy, when a bouncer by Courtney Walsh brushed Craig McDermott's glove to end a 40-run last-wicket partnership. It was the narrowest victory ever in Test cricket. (Scorecard)
1997 – Lights were constructed at the ground in 1997, allowing sport to be held at night. This was the subject of a lengthy dispute with the Adelaide City Council, due to environmental issues relating to the parklands area. The first towers erected were designed to retract into the ground; however one collapsed and they were replaced with permanent towers. The first cricket match under lights was a One Day International between South Africa and New Zealand on 6 December 1997. (Scorecard)
1999 – In 1999, Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was called for throwing by umpire Ross Emerson in a One Day International against England. The Sri Lankan team almost abandoned the match, but after instructions from the president of the Sri Lankan cricket board (relayed to captain Arjuna Ranatunga by mobile phone) the game resumed.
2003 – In 2003, two matches of the Rugby World Cup were played at Adelaide Oval, with Australia thrashing Namibia 142–0, and Ireland defeating Argentina by one point. Two grandstands, named the Chappell Stands, after the South Australian cricketing brothers Ian Chappell, Greg Chappell and Trevor Chappell were completed.
2006 – During the 2006/2007 Ashes series, many temporary stands were erected to cope with the demand for tickets. Stands were put between the Chappell stands and on the top of the hills. Australia beat England by 6 wickets on a remarkable last day. (Scorecard)
2009 – On 2 December 2009, the South Australian government announced it would commit funding to redevelop Adelaide Oval into a multi-purpose sports facility that would bring AFL football to central Adelaide. Announcing an agreement negotiated with SACA, SANFL and the AFL, the Rann Labor government committed $450 million to the project. Making the announcement Mr Rann said that "Adelaide Oval is an icon of this city and this State. Rather than building yet another stadium at massive cost, the South Australian government will contribute significantly to this upgrade". Mr Rann also gave an undertaking that the historic Oval's key heritage features-including the century old scoreboard, Northern mound 'outer', open 'cathedral end' and Moreton Bay Fig trees would be retained in the redevelopment. The three original western stands were demolished in 2009 (George Giffen stand (1882), Sir Edwin Smith stand (1922), Mostyn Evan stand (1920s)).
2010 – In late 2010, the Western Grandstand with a seating capacity of 14,000, was completed.
2011 – In May 2011, following a vote by SACA members in favour of the redevelopment of the oval, the South Australian government increased its funding commitment to $535 million. The first AFL game at the venue was played between Port Adelaide and Melbourne.
2012 – The two grandstands, named the Chappell Stands, after the South Australian cricketing brothers Ian Chappell, Greg Chappell and Trevor Chappell along with The Sir Donald Bradman were demolished.
2014 – In March 2014, the new Eastern Stand was fully completed with a total capacity of 19,000, bringing the overall seating capacity of the stadium to 50,083. The first AFL game and Showdown post redevelopment between Port Adelaide and the Adelaide was played on 29 March 2014, Port Adelaide won the game by 55 points. On 7 September 2014, the ground hosted its first ever AFL finals game, an Elimination Final between Port Adelaide and Richmond. Port Adelaide won by 57 points in front of 50,618 fans. On 10 December 2014, Michael Clarke scored his 7th century on the ground, the most test cricket centuries by any player on the oval.
2015 – The Adelaide Oval hosted the first ever day/night Test match, when Australia play New Zealand on 27 November 2015.
2016 – The Adelaide Oval hosted its first ever national association football grand final with the 2016 A-League Grand Final between Adelaide United and the Western Sydney Wanderers. Adelaide United won in front of 50,119 fans.
2017 - The Adelaide Oval will host the first day/night Ashes Test on December 2, 2017
Oval layout
The oval dimensions were originally 190m x 125m, both unusually long and unusually narrow for an Australian cricket/football ground. The arrangement was highly favourable for batsmen who played square of the wicket, and heavily penalised bowlers who delivered the ball short or wide so that the batsman could play cut, hook or pull shots. Before the far ends in front of and behind the wicket were roped off, making the playing area shorter, it was not uncommon for batsmen to hit an all-run four or even occasionally a five.
Historically, the Adelaide Oval's integral pitch was generally very good for batting, and offering little assistance to bowlers until the last day of a match. Since the redevelopment in 2013, a drop-in pitch has been used at the venue.
The playing area is surrounded by a white picket fence and advertising billboards.
The Hill was created in 1898 with earth from the banks of the River Torrens.
The scoreboard was first used in 1911 and still shows its original Edwardian architecture.
The scoreboard is listed on the City of Adelaide Heritage Register, helping to maintain the charm of the ground.
With the 2011–2014 redevelopment completed, the oval dimensions changed to 183m x 134m, making it more suitable for Australian Rules Football, for which the playing field dimensions will be 167m x 124m.
Date retrieved: 23 November 2017 22:08 UTC
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