Adelaide Oval

The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, rugby union, soccer, and tennis, as well as regularly being used to hold concerts.

Established in 1871, the structures and grounds underwent significant redevelopment between 2012 and 2014. It has three grandstands: Riverbank Stand, Eastern Stand, and Western Stand, and is known for its heritage-listed scoreboard, which stands alongside a new digital scoreboard. Australia's first stadium hotel, named the Oval Hotel, opened in 2024.

Adelaide Oval has been headquarters to the South Australian Cricket Association since 1871 and South Australian National Football League (SANFL) since 2014, and is managed by the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority.

Adelaide Oval has hosted the AFLW Grand Final three times since 2019. Its record crowd for cricket was 55,317 for the Second Ashes Test on 2 December 2017 and its record crowd for an Australian rules football match was 62,543 at the 1965 SANFL Grand Final between and Sturt.
In 2017, a concert by Adele attracted a record audience of 70,000.

History

19th century

After the formation of the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) on 31 May 1871, a later meeting recommended a central location for the cricket ground. After an act of parliament allowed a section of the Adelaide Park Lands between North Adelaide and the River Torrens to be leased by the association, the present grounds were leased in 1872 to the first trustees, Justice Gwynne, the Henry Ayers, and Edwin Thomas Smith.

In 1882, a grandstand, possibly designed by Wright & Reed Architects, and later renamed the George Giffen Stand, was opened to the public. In 1884, the first Test match was played at the grounds, for which the mound was built and Moreton Bay fig trees were planted.

In 1885, the " Grand Corroboree", a corroboree performed by around 100 Aboriginal men and women from Point MacLeay mission and Yorke Peninsula, was attended by around 20,000 spectators (around a sixth of Adelaide's population).

During 1888, a switchback rollercoaster was constructed and was adjacent to Adelaide Oval, where the present Riverbank Stand resides.

In 1889 the original grandstand was expanded to include a dining saloon and "ladies retiring
rooms", and a new stand, designed by English and Soward, was built adjacent to it.

20th century

Ahead of a cycling event held on 24 March 1900, SACA undertook some major renovation of the grounds in order to accommodate a cycling track around the oval. Thousands of loads of earth were carted from the Torrens to create the necessary slope to the track, and a picket fence was built around the Oval's playing surface. A newspaper commenter wrote at the time: "The removal of the soil and the sloping of the banks of the lake he Torrenshave greatly improved both its width and its appearance, while the banking up of the oval has rendered it impossible for anyone to see in from outside, for the mound is continued beyond the inner fence so as to form a natural grandstand for the spectators".

In 1911, the Adelaide Oval scoreboard, designed by architect F. Kenneth Milne, began service.

Between 1923 and 1929 substantial modifications and additions were built at the grounds, to designs by SACA architect Charles Walter Rutt. These included the John Creswell Stand (built 1923) and the entrance gates, and the western stands were integrated under one roof. At this time, the other stands were named Sir Edwin Smith Stand (built 1889), George Giffen Stand (built 1882) and Mostyn Evan Stand (built 1919-26).

On 25 August 1973, during an SANFL game between Norwood and North Adelaide, two young children, Joanne Ratcliffe (born 1962) and Kirste Gordon (born 1968), went missing, presumably abducted, in a crime sometimes referred to as the Adelaide Oval abductions.

On 20 January 1990, the Sir Donald Bradman Stand was opened, after being built to replace the John Creswell stand.

In 1997, lights were constructed at the ground allowing sport to be held at night. This was the subject of a lengthy dispute with the Adelaide City Council 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.

21st century

In 2003, two grandstands, named the Chappell Stands, after the South Australian cricketing brothers Ian Chappell, Greg Chappell, and Trevor Chappell, were completed.

Temporary stands were constructed for the 2006 Ashes Series to cope with demand. In August 2008 SACA announced that it had approved plans to redevelop the ground, involving expanding its capacity to 40,000. Development plans showed a reconfiguration of the playing surface and a remodelled Western stand. The redevelopment would make the ground a viable option for hosting Australian Football League games as well as international soccer and rugby. The state and federal Governments each pledged $25m to the project, leaving the SACA to raise at least $45m. The SACA planned for the new stand to be ready in time for the 2010–11 Ashes series. 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.Michael Owen, ''The Australian'', 3 December 2009

2010: new Western Stand

The three original western stands were demolished ( George Giffen stand (1882), Sir Edwin Smith stand (1922), Mostyn Evan stand (1920s)) were torn down in June 2009 and a single Western Stand was developed in its place ahead of the 2010–11 Ashes series.

The Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority (AOSMA), a joint venture of SACA and the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), was registered as a company on 23 December 2009 following the re-announcement of the plan. In 2010 AOSMA had eight directors, four associated with SACA ( Ian McLachlan, chair; John Harnden; Creagh O'Connor; and John Bannon), and four with SANFL (Leigh Whicker-CEO, Rod Payze, Philip Gallagher & Jamie Coppins).

In 2010 the new Western Stand was completed, incorporating 14,000 individual seats and featuring improved shading conditions and amenities for SACA members.

2012–2014 redevelopment

In the lead-up to the 2010 state election, the opposition SA Liberals announced that, if elected, it would build with a new stadium with a roof, located at Riverside West at the site of the state government's new hospital location. The incumbent SA Labor government subsequently announced it would fund a $450 million upgrade and redevelopment of the whole of Adelaide Oval, rather than just the Western Grand Stand.

However, in early-mid-2010, prior to the election, it became clear that $450m would be inadequate. Following the election, won by Labor, the Rann government capped the State Government's commitment at $450 million, and set a deadline for the parties to agree. In May, treasurer Kevin Foley announced that "the government's final offer to the SANFL and SACA for the redevelopment" was $535 million, and the deadline was extended to August 2010. Simultaneously, SACA and the SANFL were in the process of negotiating an agreement that would enable Australian rules football to use Adelaide Oval during the AFL season as their home ground. In August 2010, SANFL and SACA representatives signed letters of intent committing to the project, including the capped $535 million offer from the state government.

The redevelopment included a $40 million pedestrian bridge across the River Torrens to link the Adelaide railway station precinct with the Adelaide Oval precinct, which was partially completed for the Ashes cricket series in December 2013 and fully completed ahead of the 2014 AFL season.

In early 2011, the AFL, SANFL, SACA, the SA Government and the Australian Government reached an agreement to upgrade Adelaide Oval. The SACA and the SANFL proposed, if SACA members vote yes on the upgrade in early May, that the whole Stadium would undergo redevelopment, except for the Northern Mound, the Moreton Bay fig trees and the heritage-listed scoreboard. A three-quarters majority of SACA members were required to vote in favour of the proposed upgrade for it to ahead, with a successful vote resulting in the SANFL and AFL having control over the stadium for 7 months of the year and SACA having control for 5 months of the year. SACA members had the choice of voting online on 28 April 2011 or attending in person an Extraordinary Meeting at the Adelaide Showground on 2 May 2011. At 6 pm, 28 April 2011, It was announced that 60% of SACA members that voted online voted yes, 15% short of the majority vote needed for the upgrade to go ahead. At 10.15 pm, on 2 May 2011, the final result was announced: 80.37% of total votes cast were in favour of Adelaide Oval being redeveloped (10,078 members voted yes and 2,461 voted no), meaning that the 75% threshold had been reached and the upgrade and stadium reconfiguration was approved. Following the vote, the South Australian Government increased its funding commitment to $535 million.

The upgrade commenced in April 2012. The Chappell Stands and Sir Donald Bradman Stand were demolished. The Riverbank Stand was complete in late 2013 in time for the Ashes test as well as parts of level one of the Eastern Stand. 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 in time for the 2014 AFL season.

As part of the 2012-14 redevelopment, the already rebuilt Western Grandstand (SACA and SANFL members-only stand) had modifications to improve sightlines for some seats, the addition of a new media centre for AFL, Rugby League, Rugby Union and Soccer matches and AFL standard interchange benches. The Northern Mound had its seating capacity increased, and the historic scoreboard and the Moreton Bay fig trees, planted in the 1890s, remained untouched. The 2014 development included renaming the central part of the Western stand the Sir Donald Bradman Pavilion.

Recent upgrades

The lights under the roof of the grandstands were replaced with LEDs in November 2017, followed by the light towers in December 2023 with the latter costing $5 million.

Australia's first stadium-hotel, the Oval Hotel, was announced in December 2018 and opened in September 2020. It has 138 guest rooms.

Description and features

The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, rugby union, soccer, and tennis, as well as regularly being used to hold concerts.

In 2012 Austadiums.com described Adelaide Oval as being "one of the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia, if not the world." After the completion of the ground's redevelopment in 2014, sports journalist Gerard Whateley described the venue as being "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".

Volunteers lead 90-minute guided walking tours of the grounds for interested visitors, including children.

Oval and pitch

The oval is by . This is both unusually long and narrow for an Australian cricket or 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.

The Adelaide Oval pitch runs north–south. Historically, 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.

Scoreboard

The heritage-listed scoreboard, designed by architect F. Kenneth Milne and located on "The Hill", was first used in 1911, and has been retained. Today there is a manually operated display adjacent to a huge digital one, around four storeys high. The scoreboard, which was first heritage-listed by the National Trust in 1984, was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register in 1986. This is the only manual scoreboard still operating in major Australasian cricket venues. Due to the 10-letter limit, some names have to be truncated, or be replaced by nicknames.

The Hill

'"The Hill" (or "Northern Mound"), located under the scoreboard and shaded by the Moreton Bay fig trees, was created in 1898 or 1900, with earth from the banks of the River Torrens. It became a favoured spot for some of the most vocal supporters in the crowd, and was known for being very noisy before the 2014 redevelopment.

Since then, seating has been installed on part of the hill, and only around 3,500 spectators can be accommodated on the strip of grass in front of the scoreboard, a fraction of the crowd that used to gather there. The Hill includes the Northern Mound Terrace, a hospitality venue set on large timber decking.

Bradshaw Bell

Since 2021 Bradshaw Bell, named after former SACA CEO Keith Bradshaw after his death, is rung at the start of each day's play in a Test match. Weighing , the bell was designed by Australian Bell and local digital engineering company Applidyne, and forged at Billmans Foundry in Castlemaine, Victoria.

Members' stands

The members' stands were the first section of the ground completed in the 2014 redevelopment of Adelaide Oval. They retain significant portions of the original members' stands, including the brick archways and long room.

Adelaide Oval has three grandstands: Riverbank Stand, Eastern Stand, and Western Stand.

The Riverbank Stand is the southern stand of Adelaide Oval, gaining its name from the River Torrens which is behind it. It has a capacity of 14,000 spectators.

The Eastern Stand holds 19,000 spectators. The five segments are named after South Australian Australian rules football identities: from north to south named Gavin Wanganeen Stand, Jack Oatey Stand, Max Basheer Stand, Fos Williams Stand, and Mark Ricciuto Stand.

Victor Richardson Gates

The Victor Richardson Gates, at the south-eastern entrance of the oval off King William Road, were locally heritage-listed as of city significance in 2001. Architect and then mayor James Campbell Irwin suggested the idea of honouring Richardson in 1965, and a public appeal supported by SACA and SANFL raised funds for the gates. In 1966, the small road leading to the Oval from King William Road was named Victor Richardson Drive. The five iron gates, set between rectangular arches, were erected in 1967, in honour of cricketer and footballer Victor Richardson (1894–1969). Former footballer Ian Hannaford was supervising architect, and reliefs created by South Australian sculptor John Dowie were added after over £5000 was raised. The gates include two double-sided bronze reliefs, showing groups of football players competing for the ball and cricketers batting, bowling, and fielding, with the batsman resembling Richardson. Lord Mayor Walter Bridgland led the opening ceremony on 28 October 1967, with Alderman Irwin opening the gates. Sir Donald Bradman and Don Brebner, then SANFL president, attended the ceremony, which was held during a Sheffield Shield lunch break. Players Ian and Greg Chappell, Richardson's grandsons, helped to form the guard of honour. A central bronze plaque was installed after the death of Richardson in 1969.

In 2003, when the Chappell Stands were built, the gates were moved slightly northwards, and precast concrete pillars and a capping beam replaced the original metal framework. After the stands were demolished in April 2012, the Victor Richardson Gates were repositioned in March 2014.

Other features

There are also a number of statues, mainly of sportsmen, at the oval.

Cricket

International cricket

Adelaide Oval hosts some of the many events in the cricketing calendar, including the annual Australia Day One Day International on 26 January (replacing a traditional Australia Day Test) and every four years, one of the five Ashes Test matches against England. The Tests are now normally held in early December and is a clash between Australia and the international touring team of that particular season. Adelaide Oval was the host of the first ever day/night Test match, when Australia played New Zealand on 27 November 2015.

In 2011, Adelaide Oval held its first Twenty20 International between Australia and England, a match which England won by one wicket. The ground was announced as one of the venues for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, and hosted one of the semi-finals.

Domestic cricket

Adelaide Oval is the home ground for the first-class South Australian state cricket team, The West End Southern Redbacks and Twenty20 cricket team, the Adelaide Strikers. The Strikers compete in the Big Bash League. The Southern Redbacks compete in the Sheffield Shield and JLT One Day Cup.

Cricket timeline

* 1873 - 13 December – The first cricket game is played on the ground between Australian born players and players born overseas.
* 1874 - 1 March – England beat South Australia by 7 wickets in the first international cricket match at the ground.
* 1874 - 7 November – South Australia play Victoria on Adelaide Oval for the first time. Victoria won by 15 runs.
* 1877 - 10 November – The first first-class cricket match played at the ground was between South Australia and Tasmania. South Australia was victorious, winning by an innings and 13 runs.
* 1878 - 30 January – The first cricket century at the ground was scored by John Hill, 102 not out for North Adelaide against the Kent Club.
* 1884 - 12 December – The first Test match was played at the Oval. England beat Australia by eight wickets. (Scorecard)
* 1894 - 15 January – Albert Trott collected 8/43 on debut against England, the grounds best single-innings Test match bowling figure.
* 1931 – Donald Bradman scored the highest Test score at the ground, 299 not out, against South Africa. Clarrie Grimmett collected the most Test wickets in a match at the ground, fourteen, against South Africa.
* 1932 – 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 – Arthur Morris of Australia, and Denis Compton of England both made centuries in both innings of the Test.
* 1947 – Australia scored the highest team total in a test match at the ground, 674 runs, against India.
* 1949 - 15 January – The first women's test match held at the ground was between England and Australia. Australia would win by 186 runs.
* 1960 – Australia played the West Indies in the fourth test of the Frank Worrell Trophy. 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 Test cricket hat-trick at the ground in Australia's first innings. (Scorecard)
* 1975 – The first One-Day International match at the ground was between Australia and the West Indies. Australia won by 5 wickets. (Scorecard)
* 1982 – In a Sheffield Shield game against Victoria, David Hookes hit a 43-minute, 34 ball century – by some metrics the fastest hundred in history. (Statistics)
* 1991 – South Australia compiled the highest fourth innings winning total in Sheffield Shield history, reaching 6/506 (set 506 to win) against Queensland.
* 1992 – 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 – The first cricket match under lights was a One Day International between South Africa and New Zealand on 6 December 1997. (Scorecard)
* 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.
* 2006 – During the 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)
* 2014 - 10 December – Michael Clarke scored his 7th century on the ground, the most test cricket centuries at the ground.
* 2015 - 27 November – Adelaide Oval hosted the first ever day/night Test match, when Australia played New Zealand.
* 2017 - 2 December – Adelaide Oval hosted the first day/night Ashes Test, attended by a record crowd for cricket of 55,317.
* 2018 - 4 February – Adelaide Oval hosted its first Big Bash League Grand Final with the Adelaide Strikers defeating the Hobart Hurricanes for the Championship.
* 2019 - 30 November - David Warner breaks the record for most runs scored in a single test innings by an individual player at Adelaide Oval with a score of 335* against Pakistan, surpassing Donald Bradman's 299* in 1932.
*2020 - 19 December – India were all out for 36 on the third day of a test match against Australia in the second innings. This is India's lowest ever test score and the lowest ever test score recorded at the Adelaide Oval.

Test cricket records

Australian rules football

From 1877 until the 1973 SANFL Grand Final, Adelaide Oval was the marquee ground for South Australian National Football League matches. After a dispute between cricket and SANFL administrators, Australian rules football in South Australia was moved to Football Park in the western suburbs of Adelaide until its permanent return to the ground in 2014. Adelaide Oval hosted the 1889 SAFA Grand Final, the first grand final in any Australian rules football competition after Port Adelaide and Norwood finished the 1889 SAFA season with the same win–loss–draw record. The record crowd for an Australian rules football match at Adelaide Oval was set at the 1965 SANFL Grand Final between Sturt and Port Adelaide when 62,543 saw the latter win by three points. After 1973 Australian rules football matches were sporadically held at the ground apart from South Adelaide games as that club continued to use the ground for their home matches after 1973. After the advent of the Australian Football League in 1990 only one AFL match was held at the ground before it was permanently adopted again by the code, with Port Adelaide hosting Melbourne during the last minor round match of the 2011 AFL season. As of 2014, all SANFL Finals Series matches are played at the ground including the SANFL Grand Final. Regular Australian Football League matches at the venue also began in 2014.

Australian rules football timeline

* 1877 May 12 – The first South Australian Football Association match took place on the ground between the Old Adelaide Football Club and the Bankers Football Club. The original Adelaide club won the match 4 goals to 1.
* 1877 August 18 – St Kilda became the first interstate club to play at Adelaide Oval defeating the original Adelaide Football Club by three goals.
* 1885 July 1 – The first football game lit by electric light at the ground was conducted at night.
* 1887 June 20 – After the previous two encounters between Norwood and Port Adelaide were drawn, the South Australia interest in their next meeting set a record for Australian rules football at the time with at least 11,000 spectators present. Attending the match were Chinese General Wong Yung Ho, Consul-General U. Tsing who were both accompanied by Dr. On Lee of Sydney and Mr. Way Lee of Adelaide. The Chinese commissioners were provided the private box of the Governor of South Australia William C. F. Robinson. Norwood won the match by two goals.
* 1889 October 5 – 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).
* 1892 August 20 – A Broken Hill side was the first team from New South Wales to play at Adelaide Oval. Norwood would beat the visitors by four goals.
* 1894 October 6 – The first drawn Grand Final in a major Australian rules football competition took place when Norwood and South Adelaide both finished on 4.8 (4). Norwood won the replay by a goal.
* 1909 July 10 – Boulder City become the first Western Australian club to play at Adelaide Oval. West Adelaide defeated the visitors by 17 points.
* 1911 August 5 – The Australian Football Council Carnival was held at the ground for the first time and was won by South Australia. The competing leagues fielding representative sides were the SANFL, VFL, VFA, WANFL, TSL and NSW. This was the first time a Tasmanian side had played at Adelaide Oval.
* 1914 October 3 – Port Adelaide defeated the Carlton for a record fourth Championship of Australia title defeating the Victorian side by 34 points, 9.16 (70) to 5.6 (36).
* 1929 August – A women's Australian rules football match was witnessed by 41,000 spectators, a record crowd for a women's Australian rules football match. A de Havilland Moth biplane dropped the game ball to start the match.
* 1945 September 29 – Haydn Bunton Sr, triple Brownlow and Sandover medalist, played for Port Adelaide in the 1945 SANFL Grand Final, the only premiership decider of his career. Despite Port Adelaide obtaining a 32-point lead at quarter time, West Torrens would eventually win the match by 13 points.
* 1965 October 2 – The 1965 SANFL Grand Final crowd set the record attendance for a sporting match at the venue with 62,543 people witnessing Port Adelaide defeat Sturt by three points.
* 1972 October 15 – North Adelaide defeated Carlton to be crowned Champions of Australia defeating the Victorian side by one point being the last time a non-Victorian football side won a national championship until the West Coast Eagles won the 1992 AFL premiership.
* 1973 September 29 – The 1973 SANFL Grand Final between North Adelaide and Glenelg was the last SANFL Grand Final at Adelaide Oval until 2014. Due to the advent of the national Australian Football League in 1990, effectively relegating the SANFL to second tier, it remains the last top flight Grand Final hosted at Adelaide Oval.
* 1990 September 8 – The last game at the ground before the presence of an AFL team in South Australia was between West Torrens and Woodville with the latter winning by 45 points. The clubs would merge the following year.
* 1996 July 20 – The last game at the ground involving 's senior team before entering the AFL was against Sturt with the former side winning by 40 points.
* 2011 September 4 – The first Australian Football League match at the venue was played between Port Adelaide and Melbourne. Port Adelaide won the match by 8 points.
* 2014 March 29 – The first Showdown, between and , was played. Port Adelaide won the game by 55 points.
* 2014 September 7 – The first Australian Football League final at the ground, an elimination final, was played between and . Port Adelaide won by 57 points.
*2017 September 22 – The first preliminary final held at the venue brought the largest crowd for an AFL match at the Oval to date. 53,817 watched defeat by 61 points.
*2019 March 31 – The first AFLW Grand Final to be held at the ground featured the Adelaide Crows defeating Carlton by 45 points.
*2023 April 13 – The first AFL Gather Round is held in Adelaide. The venue hosted six of the nine matches across four days.

Australian rules football records

The first senior league Australian rules football match was played on Adelaide Oval in 1877 between the original Adelaide club and the Bankers club. The 1990 SANFL season was the last year that the competition was the highest level of Australian rules football in South Australia. In 1991 the newly created Adelaide Crows entered the Australian Football League, subsequently playing the highest level of football in the state. Port Adelaide would join the Australian Football League in 1997.

File:Ken Farmer SANFL.jpg, Ken Farmer
() Most goals outright (347) and equal most goals alongside Neil Hawke () in a single match (15).

File:Port Adelaide 1910 premiership team.jpg,
Port Adelaide won 20 Grand Finals and four Championship of Australia titles at the Oval.
File:South Adelaide 1877 premiership team.png,
The SAFC used Adelaide Oval as its home ground between 1882–1903 and 1905–1994.
File:AlfredTopsyWaldron.JPG, Alfred Waldron
Captain of Norwood for the 1889 SAFA Grand Final, the first Grand Final in a major Australian rules competition.

Soccer

Association football, or soccer, has been played since the early 20th century at the oval.

Adelaide United FC have played a number of A-League home games against Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory FC. Adelaide Oval was the site of an international friendly match between the Socceroos and New Zealand on 5 June 2011. On 25 July 2014, Adelaide United played its first game at the fully re-developed Adelaide Oval when it played host to Spanish La Liga side Málaga CF. In front of 23,254 fans and a television audience in Spain, Málaga defeated the Reds 5–1.

Soccer timeline

* 1904 July 20 – The South Australian British Football Association beat the crew aboard 9–0.
* 1920 July 5 – During a visit by the Prince of Wales, a soccer match was organised between the ''South Australian British Football Association'' and the crew aboard the visiting with the game resulting in a draw 0–0.
* 1924 October 6 – Over the course of a day three codes were played on Adelaide Oval, Australian rules football, rugby and soccer. The soccer match was between two teams, one called "Adelaide United" and the other "Hindmarsh" with the latter team winning 2–0.
* 1925 – During a tour of Australia, the English football team was prevented from playing on Adelaide Oval by ground administrators.
* 1937 July 29 – England beat South Australia 10–0.
* 1951 June 23 – England beat Australia 13–1. Ike Clarke scored four goals.
* 1958 May 24 – English First Division club Blackpool beat Australia (men) 1–0.
* 1959 June 6 – Heart of Midlothian beat Australia 6–0.
* 2007 December 28 – Adelaide United play Sydney FC in first A-League match held at the ground.
* 2011 June 5 – Australia (men) beat New Zealand 3–0.
* 2014 July 25 – La Liga side Málaga CF beat Adelaide United 5–1.
* 2015 July 20 – Premier League side Liverpool beat Adelaide United 2–0.
* 2016 March 24 – Australia (men) beat Tajikistan 7–0 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.
* 2016 May 1 – The first A-League Grand Final hosted at the ground saw Adelaide United beat Western Sydney Wanderers in front of 50,119 fans.
* 2017 June 8 – Australia (men) beat Saudi Arabia 3–2 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in front of 29,785 spectators.
* 2024 May 31 – Australia (women) drew China 1–1 in an international friendly in front of 52,912 spectators.
* 2024 October 10 – Australia (men) beat China 3–1 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in front of 46,291 spectators.

Cycling

From the first cycling race held at Adelaide Oval in 1882, Adelaide Oval regularly hosted cycling races that attracted tens of thousands of spectators. Cycling races were halted after a fence was erected on the inner side of the asphalt track around 1911.

Cycling timeline

* 1882 – The first bicycle race took place on Adelaide Oval during part of a Scottish sport fete on Easter Monday that attracted a then record 15,000 spectators over the course of the day.
* 1885 – The first time the Intercolonial Bicycle Championship was held at Adelaide Oval. F.H. Shackleford won the premier 10-mile race in 34 minutes 30 seconds. A.L. Henzel won the women's 3-mile bracelet race in 9 minutes 43 seconds.
* 1900 – Ahead of a cycling event held on 24 March, SACA undertook some major renovation of the grounds in order to accommodate a cycling track around the oval. Thousands of loads of earth were carted from the Torrens to create the necessary slope to the track.
* 1903 – American professional cyclist Major Taylor, the first world champion black athlete, wins the Walne Stakes in front of at least 10,000 spectators. He won the half-mile in a time of 57s ± 2.5. He won 11 races out of 14, and was placed second in three. Taylor's trip to Australia to compete in cycling races inspired the 1992 film '' Tracks of Glory''.

Rugby League

In 1991, the NSWRL came to Adelaide Oval when the St. George Dragons played the Balmain Tigers on a cold and wet Friday night under temporary lights in the first of five games that the Dragons would play at the oval over the next five years. That game, with the Dragons winning 16–2, set a rugby league record crowd for the ground when 28,884 people attended, and was in fact the highest minor round attendance for the 1991 NSWRL season (beaten only by four of the six Finals series games including the Grand Final). In 1997 Adelaide got its own side in the much vaunted (but short lived) Super League competition with the Adelaide Rams. Their first home game attracted their record crowd when 27,435 saw the Rams defeat SL's other new team, the Hunter Mariners 10–8. However, after disputes over money (and dwindling crowds due to poor on-field results) they left the ground in 1998 and moved to Hindmarsh Stadium. In the 2010 and 2011 National Rugby League seasons, Sydney club the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs played home games at the Oval against the Melbourne Storm. The Bulldogs had intended to make Adelaide Oval their second "home" (the club plays its home games at Sydney's Olympic Stadium), but the plan was abandoned after 2010. On 20 November 2016, it was announced that the Sydney Roosters will take on the Melbourne Storm in the 2017 NRL season meaning that top level Rugby league returned to Adelaide for the first time since 2011. The Roosters won the game, played on 24 June in Round 16 of the season, 25–24 in golden point extra time in front of a crowd of 21,492 fans.

It was announced in February 2018 that the Oval would host one State of Origin match in 2020.

On 10 November 2022, it was announced that Adelaide Oval would host the first game of the 2023 State of Origin series on 31 May.

Rugby League timeline

* 1991 June 28 – The St. George Dragons defeated the Balmain Tigers in front of 28,884 spectators during the 1991 NSWRL season.
* 1997 March 14 – The short-lived Adelaide Rams won their first home game 10–8 against the Hunter Mariners in the 1997 Super League.
* 2010 July 10 - The first game of first-grade rugby league is played since the Rams dissolved, with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs taking down the Melbourne Storm 20–18, in front of a crowd of 10,350.
* 2020 November 4 – A NRL State of Origin match was scheduled to be held at Adelaide Oval on 1 June for the opening leg of the 2020 NRL State of Origin series but was postponed due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the 2020 NRL season. Queensland ended up winning the rescheduled game 18–14.

Rugby union

Adelaide Oval hosted two games of the 2003 Rugby World Cup. On 25 October, Australia played their first international game in Adelaide when they defeated Namibia 142–0 in front of 28,196 fans. The next day Ireland defeated Argentina 16–15 in front of 30,203 fans.

On 3 July 2004, Australia hosted the Pacific Islanders at Adelaide Oval, winning 29–14 before a crowd of 19,266.

Adelaide Oval did not host another rugby union match until 27 August 2022, when Australia defeated South Africa 25–17 in a Rugby Championship test match in front of a crowd of 36,336.

Rugby Sevens

From 2007 until 2010, Adelaide Oval hosted the Australia Sevens event in the IRB Sevens World Series.

Rugby Union timeline

* 1888 July 16 – England defeated South Australia 28–3 in a Rugby Union match.
* 2003 October 25 – The first of two matches of the Rugby World Cup were played at Adelaide Oval. The first match saw Australia thrash Namibia 142–0. The following day Ireland defeated Argentina by one point.

Baseball

In 1888, American Baseball administrator Albert Spalding brought the Chicago team and an additional composite team called the All-Americans to Australia and would play a series of three exhibition matches at Adelaide Oval. Chicago would win the Adelaide series 2–1. Following on from this exhibition of the match in Australia, over the next few years intercolonial matches were commonly played against other states on the ground.

Baseball timeline

* 1888 December – American Baseball administrator Albert Spalding brought the Chicago team and an additional composite team called the All-American team to Australia and played a series of three exhibition matches at the ground. Chicago would win the series 2–1.
* 1934 August 12 – The final game of the inaugural 1934 Claxton Shield series was played between Victoria and South Australia with the latter state winning 5–8.
* 1947 – Adelaide Oval was used for some matches of the 1947 Claxton Shield.
* 1951 – Adelaide Oval was used for some matches of the 1951 Claxton Shield.

American football

During World War II an American football match was held by American soldiers stationed in Adelaide on Independence Day. At least 25,000 spectators attended the match that was staged between teams referred to as the "Packers" and "Bears" with the latter winning the match.

American football timeline

* 13 June 1938 – During an interval of a Port Adelaide and Norwood SANFL match with 27,764 spectators present, a long distance kicking contest was held using American footballs. Measurements of kicks were then compared to College footballers in the United States. Robert Elliott of North Adelaide won the competition kicking an Australian football 67 metres. Robert Elliott kicked the American football 62 metres, 13 centimetres short of the top American figure set by Jack Cohen from the UCLA Bruins using the American ball.
* 4 July 1942 – An exhibition match was held by American soldiers.

Tennis

The Adelaide Oval grounds have maintained a long tradition of holding tennis tournaments.

Tennis timeline

* 1889 – The inaugural South Australian Tennis Championships are staged at the Oval tennis courts.
* 1910 – The Australasian Tennis Championships are staged for the first time at the oval the title is won by Rodney Heath.
* 1920 – Australasian Tennis Championships are staged at the oval for the second time, won by Pat O'Hara Wood.
*1959 - Ampol world professional championship tournament, Hoad defeated Rosewall in the final to win the South Australian Pro title.

Field hockey

Hockey was first played at Adelaide Oval in the early 1900s.

Field hockey timeline

*1904 September 3 – The premiers of the South Australian Hockey Association played a composite team of the best players from the remaining clubs.
*1905 July 15 – The first women's hockey match held at the ground was played.
*1926 – The Indian army hockey team defeat South Australia 14–0.
*1939 August 22 – Australian state hockey championship held at Adelaide Oval.

Other uses

Other sports

Aside from the main sports of cricket and Australian rules football, other sports have been played at one time or another at the oval: Highland games, lacrosse, quoits, and motorcycle racing.

Miscellaneous events

The largest spectator event of the 19th century at the Adelaide Oval was the "Grand Corroboree", a corroboree performed by around 100 Aboriginal men and women from Point MacLeay mission and Yorke Peninsula on Friday 30 May and Saturday 1 June 1885. They had been invited to Adelaide by the colonial government to perform as part of the Queen's Birthday celebrations. After organisers expected a crowd of around 5,000, approximately 20,000 spectators (around a sixth of Adelaide's population) turned up. The crowd became rowdy and police had to clear the performance space before the event could begin. Profits from the show were assigned to the Aboriginal people. The corroboree was so successful that other performances were arranged at other venues. Also at this time, the first football match held between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teams in Adelaide was organised by Football and Cricketing Association secretary John Creswell, and a second followed at the oval on 2 June 1885.

As part of the 1927 Royal Tour, the Duke and Duchess of York had a motorcade through Adelaide Oval with many people present for the event.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Australia, the Adelaide Christmas Pageant was held at Adelaide Oval to a permitted audience of 25,000 in 2020, and 16,000 in 2021. Tickets were drawn from a raffle, and the pageant was held in the evening. The 2022 pageant returned to the streets, although Adelaide Oval was reserved in the event of another variant.

Concerts

Adelaide Oval has regularly been host to large outdoor concerts. The first major international act to perform at the Oval was Fleetwood Mac, in 1977. Many big names have performed there since, including David Bowie, Linda Ronstadt, KISS, Simon and Garfunkel, Paul McCartney and Wings, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Pearl Jam, AC/DC, Metallica and the Foo Fighters.

Attendance records

A concert by Adele in March 2017, attracting an audience of 70,000, was "the largest ever attendance for a concert in South Australia".

Other notable record-setting events at the Adelaide Oval include:

* The " Grand Corroboree", on Friday 30 May and Saturday 1 June 1885, witnessed by 20,000 spectators
* The motorcade for the 1927 Royal Tour of Australia by the Duke and Duchess of York, attracting between 60 and 70,000 spectators
*A 1942 American football match, attracting 25,000 locals, as part of American Independence Day celebrations
* The 1965 SANFL Grand Final, witnessing Port Adelaide 12.8 (80) defeat Sturt 12.5 (77), attracting 62,543 spectators

File:Corroboree 1885 Adelaide Oval.jpg, Aboriginal corroboree (1885)

File:Adelaide_Oval_Royal_Motorcade_1927.jpg, Motorcade, 1927 Royal Tour
File:Gridiron in Adelaide 1942.jpg, American football (1942)

File:1965 SANFL Grand Final Port Adelaide Sturt Sunday Mail.jpg, 1965 SANFL Grand Final
File:ADELE LIVE 2017 at ADELAIDE OVAL - Sweet Devotion.jpg, 2017 Adele concert

Statues

Transport access

Adelaide Metro offers free 'Footy Express' services on AFL game days, abbreviated 'AO' and 'AOX' services.

See also

* Disappearance of Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon
* List of Australian Football League grounds
* List of Test cricket grounds
* List of international cricket five-wicket hauls at the Adelaide Oval
* List of Australian rules football statues, a list of Australian rules football-related statues across Australia

References

External links

*

Adelaide Oval historical time line 1871 to present

{{Authority control

1871 establishments in Australia
Test cricket grounds in Australia
Rugby union stadiums in Australia
Sports venues in Adelaide
Rugby league stadiums in Australia
Australian Football League grounds
Multi-purpose stadiums in Australia
Sports venues completed in 1871
Boxing venues in Australia
Adelaide Strikers (WBBL)
Adelaide Park Lands
Adelaide Strikers
Soccer venues in South Australia
Adelaide Rams
Cricket grounds in South Australia
South Australian National Football League grounds
Rugby union in South Australia
Rugby league in South Australia