AFL @ Adelaide's Oval - That time is now.

[Cap]

Typical 1991-2013 Weekend: Saturday: drive to FP, have a beer, watch the game, drive home. Sunday: Catch up for breakfast with a friends on Semaphore Rd, lunch with the GF and arvo movie on the Parade and/or drinks somewhere.

Typical 2014 Weekend: Saturday: drive to Nth Adel with GF, pre-game lunch/drinks with others I go with, walk to the ground, have a beer, watch the game, more beers, wait for the GF to pick me up, head into town, dinner out, movie and/or drinks somewhere. Sunday: veg at home.

Am helping the City traders out (who have done nothing but bitch up lack of trade for the last 20 years)? Yes. Am I spending any more money? No, because I have a weekly amount I budget for entertainment and when it's gone it's gone. So do the suburban traders now get a bit short changed because I am not spending it there? Yes.

Gain to the economy = $0

And I am 40 with no kids, no rent or mortgage to pay. So I can only imagine (and know for a fact) that family unit's are pretty much doing the same thing, are they consolidating their days around CBD footy, absolutely, you have the museum, the zoo, any number of things that you can do in the city prior to and sometimes after some games but not too many of them are backing it up the next day at Marion taking the tribe to the movies and the like, people don't live beyond their means just because we have a great CBD stadium.

The only boost is from interstaters spending their money here, not locals.

40 with no kids and you have an entertainment budget....

 

[aneale]

40 with no kids and you have an entertainment budget....

it's pretty high

 

[King Elvis]

Typical visit to Football Park: Get on bus, watch game, get on bus.
Typical visit to AO: Lunch at city restaurant, watch game, drinks at a bar, dinner at city restaurant.

I'm basing this only on my personal experience, but I can't be the only one that's spending more money in the local economy when I attend matches than I used to.

I've been to 3 games so far (been away for 3 weeks); went out for dinner/drinks after two of them. This Saturday, 6 of us are going to the footy, then dinner for 8 of us (couple of partners not keen on the footy, but coming out afterwards), then into the city afterwards.

 

[AFC3000]

Not the typical situation I know but I live a flight out of Adelaide in SA, without the upgrade I probably would of went to a game in Melbourne and spent extra spare money overseas online. Instead I have booked my second trip to Adelaide for the Collingwood game and likely one later in the year.

 

[Crow54]

Maybe the CBD's better off, but West Lakes (and particularly Seaton High) will be worse off.

I'm probably an exception, but I just go to the footy and go straight home. Years ago when my daughter came to Footy Park with me, we'd always go to McDonalds before the game. I bet they're noticing the drop-off in business.

 

[JP Sauce]

No one will weep for McDonalds.

And Seaton High will just go back to being like almost every other school without bonus income for 22+ weeks of the year.

 

[Tex200]

I'm meeting up after the game with a group from interstate who are on a sporting club trip. The original itinerary didn't include the footy but such is the AO hype they changed the tour to include Saturdays game.

It's certainly created a national buzz

 

[Rusty Crow]

In todays SMA email the Riverbank dining is closing in a couple of weeks due to other options being more affordable ( lack of interest they said )

Crazy Horse may of had a boost in trade, maybe enough to make them try to cash out now that it is for sale.

O Hotel business is for sale, I think it needs some love though it looks deserted even on game days.

The money I used to spend with the SANFL now gets spent where I have an interest.

 

[hellboy1975]

So what happened to all the Food Trucks in the members area? The only thing there this week was Beyond India...

 

[Rusty Crow]

So what happened to all the Food Trucks in the members area? The only thing there this week was Beyond India...

SMA greed.

 

[Justinpa1]

For christ sake! No matter how good or bad we play, the Adelaide oval is the best thing to happen to our club and SA Football! (Why change the name of the thread)

If last night's game was played at AAMI Stadium we would have got about 25,000, we got 44,216 after 36 hours of rain and on a bitterly cold windy evening!

That says it all. We have the best stadium to go to in the world at the moment.

 

[Tex200]

For christ sake! No matter how good or bad we play, the Adelaide oval is the best thing to happen to our club and SA Football! (Why change the name of the thread)

If last night's game was played at AAMI Stadium we would have got about 25,000, we got 44,216 after 36 hours of rain and on a bitterly cold windy evening!

That says it all. We have the best stadium to go to in the world at the moment.

The benefits in the western stand have really dipped since the first game. There is less food choice now that AAMI, less service and its been chronically oversold.

The stadium itself is great but it's not all positive

 

[Geoffa32]

The benefits in the western stand have really dipped since the first game. There is less food choice now that AAMI, less service and its been chronically oversold.

The stadium itself is great but it's not all positive

For me the only real benefit is watching the game in front of the window of the Ridings bar and no direct sun.

It seems that all of the "niceties" of being an Essential Crow/Power member in that stand have slowly gone.

 

[Hank93]

For me the only real benefit is watching the game in front of the window of the Ridings bar and no direct sun.

It seems that all of the "niceties" of being an Essential Crow/Power member in that stand have slowly gone.

A lot of the benefit is being able to go to basically any game at the MCG for free. Unless you travel to Melbourne a lot, you lose that major bonus on your membership.

 

[Geoffa32]

A lot of the benefit is being able to go to basically any game at the MCG for free. Unless you travel to Melbourne a lot, you lose that major bonus on your membership.

Yes that is true, and I do make use of that. But the SACA area was a lot better than the outer with those vans and that area where people could eat. I personally never used it, but for those that did you may as well just be in the "outer" now as their vendors are newer and better now.

 

[Tex200]

Yes that is true, and I do make use of that. But the SACA area was a lot better than the outer with those vans and that area where people could eat. I personally never used it, but for those that did you may as well just be in the "outer" now as their vendors are newer and better now.

Spot on. Against Sydney there was all the tables and chairs, food stalls, outside bar - we are thinking wow - how goods this.

Pretty low act

 

[AFC3000]

A question meant without any offence... is it that Western Stand members feel like they deserve more than other stand members? from what I can tell in comparison to the Eastern Stand at most Essential Crow members are paying $10 more compared in the cheaper seats and $25 less than the Eastern stands better seats, and several hundred less than the Legends seats.

I can see cricket members getting the benefit as I think the rest of the ground is general public for them, but we are all members so I don't see the need for a difference.

The argument should be why aren't we all getting access to better quality food etc.

 

[brucetiki]

I wonder if Tasting Australia played a part in the lack of food stands in the Village Green. At least one of the mobile food vendors at previous games was at Tasting Australia.

We'll find out next match I suppose.

Nonetheless it's absolute madness that there was only Beyond India there last night - last night was the perfect timeslot for people to eat, and frankly, the food options in the usual kiosks aren't overly adequate.

 

[Tex200]

A question meant without any offence... is it that Western Stand members feel like they deserve more than other stand members? we should complaining that those kind services aren't available to everyone no matter where you sit. I suppose there is an argument that SMA members should get some benefits but from what I can tell in comparison to the Eastern Stand at most Essential Crow members are paying $10 more compared in the cheaper seats and $25 less than the Eastern stands better seats, and several hundred less than the Legends seats.

Fair post.

If I have to point to one thing which is making it a worse experience its the extent to which its been oversold. Sat all half decent seats were gone by about 315 - almost an hour before the game.

 

[hellboy1975]

The argument should be why aren't we all getting access to better quality food etc.

I don't strongly disagree, but better quality food would somewhat make up for the poorly designed toilets and the lack of bar space in the members area. Each game I wander into the non-members area and am generally amazed at how much better they have it.

I still think it's a great oval, and miles better then AAMI.

 

[BundyJack]

So what happened to all the Food Trucks in the members area? The only thing there this week was Beyond India...

There was only one coffee shop, 40 minutes in the queue to get a cup. What a joke!

 

[AFC3000]

I don't strongly disagree, but better quality food would somewhat make up for the poorly designed toilets and the lack of bar space in the members area. Each game I wander into the non-members area and am generally amazed at how much better they have it.

I still think it's a great oval, and miles better then AAMI.

That's a fair enough point. I always had a feeling those in the Western Stand would be disappointed, toilets and bars always seemed like an issue, those areas definitely need to be improved, haven't been over there myself so don't know that there is the space, hopefully there is.

My point was just that from a footy point of view we are all equally contributing and the grounds pretty much all a "members" area, unlike cricket who have all members in that area, would of been good to allow maybe Gold members in there at least or have something set up on the other side, disappointing to hear that everyone, even those in the West now seem to be missing out.

 

[King Elvis]

I wonder if Tasting Australia played a part in the lack of food stands in the Village Green. At least one of the mobile food vendors at previous games was at Tasting Australia.

We'll find out next match I suppose.

Nonetheless it's absolute madness that there was only Beyond India there last night - last night was the perfect timeslot for people to eat, and frankly, the food options in the usual kiosks aren't overly adequate.

Could be a factor.

I'd encourage everyone to ask the SMA about this - give them as much feedback as possible, maybe they'll listen.

 

[Rusty Crow]

Will see if next week it improves, early game so will need lunch at the ground.

I do like the pulled pork and just tried the hot dog, the wait for chips was a problem holding up the food lines, you would think on a cold day that they would of learnt by now that people eat more chips.

 

[Jakko]

Nonetheless it's absolute madness that there was only Beyond India there last night - last night was the perfect timeslot for people to eat, and frankly, the food options in the usual kiosks aren't overly adequate.

Hah! I cant access the western stand area, but good to hear that Beyond India van is over there, lost count of the amount of times I have stained my clothes/scarfe from their curries over the past couple of years at footy park!