AFL to move to redeveloped 50,000-seat Adelaide Oval

The world famous Adelaide Oval will undergo a $450 million redevelopment which will see the iconic field transformed into a 50,000-seat world-class stadium.

In an agreement encompassing the South Australian Government and the state's football league (SANFL) and the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA), which will join to make a new organisation, the proposed stadium will host both cricket and AFL matches.

The new design will retain many of the Adelaide Oval's famous features, including the pavilion-style nature of the ground, the hill at the northern end and the century-old scoreboard.

The deal means Football Park, the traditional home of Australian Rules in South Australia and home ground for both the Port Adelaide Power and Adelaide Crows, will remain as a training and administration base only.

The $100 million that was earmarked for upgrades for Football Park as well as funds for the West Lakes tram extension will now be used towards the Adelaide Oval development.

The deal is not yet legally binding, with the South Australian Government seeking to have the final deal in place by July next year.

South Australian Premier Mike Rann said the negotiations had been tough but had finally brought the two codes together, stating "I said that when the sporting bodies signed off on an agreement to co-locate at Adelaide Oval, then we would sit down and work out how we can help make the redevelopment of the oval happen.

"We are prepared to make this significant investment in the state's best interests, but if any of the parties walk away from the deal, this money is off the table for good."

AFL Chief Executive Andrew Demetriou says the upgrade is a wonderful result for the game, "while there are still a number of key steps to be achieved a refurbished Adelaide Oval, with a capacity of 50,000, would be a fantastic result for fans of our game in South Australia."

The new stadium will also assist in Australia's bid to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cups.

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