Adelaide Football Club’s vision to transform Thebarton Oval and Kings Reserve into a sporting and community precinct inches closer, as the club eagerly awaits to receive final sign-off from South Australia’s peak development body.
Under the proposal, the $100 million high-performance training and administration facility (TAF) will house indoor training, offices, and game-day support. TAF will also have cafe, museum, function space, and retail shop – all accessible by the public via a plaza space and lobby.
The plans, designed by City Collective, also show a rejuvenated Kings Reserve community space with new landscaping and paths to improve access to the Thebarton Oval.
“This development is the biggest undertaking in the club’s history,” Adelaide Football Club CEO Tim Silvers told Club Management.
“It has been a long time coming and there’s still quite a bit of work to do. We aspire to be a destination club and this facility – which will have a main oval and secondary training field – is a crucial pillar when it comes to making us a club of choice for players, coaches, high performance experts, and sports administrators.
“Put simply, we want our people to have all they need to fulfil their potential and deliver the type of success all of us, and in particular our members and supporters, so desperately want. There will also be benefits for the local residents, such as more and improved open greenspace, and it’ll be home to our community outreach programs.”
The plans have also been developed so that the Adelaide Football Club’s women’s team will be able to play matches at Thebarton Oval and take part in training programs across the two sporting fields.
“There is a big focus on gender equity and there will be custom built resources for both our male and female athletes,” Silvers added.
The club has secured a 42-year lease, with an option for a further 42 years, from the City of West Torrens.
In February, the club lodged two development applications with the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) proposing the commencement of preliminary site work, including the demolition of the existing Thebarton Oval surface and seating, as well as the realignment and resurfacing of the oval and installation of a training oval at Kings Reserve.
Silvers expects to receive sign-off from the SCAP in late April.
“From there, we’ll look to turn soil at Thebarton in the middle of the year,” he said.
“While we would love to be based there as soon as possible, the realistic aim is to have transitioned to the new site in mid-2026.”