Adelaide Oval's Southern Stand ready for Ashes Test fans

The 14,000-seat Southern Stand at the redeveloped Adelaide Oval has been officially handed over to the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority (SMA) ahead of this week's Ashes Test.

Announcing the handover, South Australian Transport and Infrastructure Minister Tom Koutsantonis said it was a significant moment for the $535 million redevelopment with final plans now being put in place for Thursday's official opening.

Minister Koutsantonis explained "the Southern Stand is not only visually stunning but an engineering masterpiece.

"The 140 metre wide 'steel diagrid' roof shell will provide column-free viewing to the playing surface, the north mound fig trees and North Adelaide.

"Now the stand has been handed over to the SMA, the finishing touches are being made in preparation for the 35,000 fans that will stream through the gates this Thursday.

"There is a genuine buzz being creating by this project and it is spreading throughout the city.

"People can sense that big things are happening in Adelaide."

SMA Chief Executive Andrew Daniels said ground and stadium staff were now in force to ensure everything was perfect for Thursday, adding "the place really is a hive of activity.

"We are stocking the fridges and giving the place a final polish before we welcome cricket fans for what will be an historic event."

Daniels said other facts about the Southern Stand include:

• More than 280,000 tonnes of earth had to be removed in order to construct the new Southern and Eastern Stands, much of which has been reused across the project.

• As well as 14,000 bolts, the stand uses approximately 450 tonnes of steel plus connections.

• The stand's roof is a toroid, which means it is not perfectly curved, making each connection unique in geometry.

• The 'top' seat will sit 35 metres high and 50 metres from the fence line at least 10 metres closer to the action than the MCG.

It has also been revealed that a bar at the redeveloped Oval has been named after South Australian cricket legend David Hookes.

Hookes died in an alcohol-related incident in 2004.

Image shows an artists impression of how the Adelaide Oval redevelopment will look when complete.

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