Football Park demolition

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Greasyrhys

Greasyrhys

Brownlow Medallist
Veteran 10k Posts
May 2, 2011
13,838
7,031
MacDonald Park
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
AUFC, CDFC, MUFC, Redbacks
Well it’s finally gonna happen, demolition of Footy Park/AAMI Stadium is set to start this Sunday (Jan 7). Despite the move to AO, it is a bit sad for it to happen with some great memories as both a Power & Centrals supporter, but these things happen. I think most if not all of the members stand will be retained.
 
Greasyrhys said:
Well it’s finally gonna happen, demolition of Footy Park/AAMI Stadium is set to start this Sunday (Jan 7). Despite the move to AO, it is a bit sad for it to happen with some great memories as both a Power & Centrals supporter, but these things happen. I think most if not all of the members stand will be retained.
Click to expand...
Not sure if its the members stand or just the 2 buildings that are attached to the members stand that will stay. The original 2012 plan from Connor Holmes presented to the council for approval was that the grandstand a bit wider than the building in the picture below would be kept. Is more than half of what I have cropped of the members stand will go. but I don't know if Commercial & General who bought the land in November 2014 and are the developers have made any big changes.

The bit between here ................................ here would remain
upload_2018-1-2_23-18-27.png
 
Despite what everyone says about Footy Park I will be sad to see it go, having watched Port win premierships there in 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999. Even a couple of losing grand finals whilst painful at the time helped forge the steel in Port Adelaide. Not to mention how many great minor round games over all those years as Port were so often scheduled there against the big teams trying to compete with our legend.

Then there was the beginning of our AFL journey, our first game, our first win, the first Showdown, the epic preliminary final in 2004 against St Kilda.

Many many great memories.
 

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That preliminary final against the Saints is still the best game I've seen. I had several near heart attacks that night - it was an extraordinary contest. The noise when Wanganeen put us in front late in the last quarter will live with me forever.

Very glad to call Adelaide Oval home now, but Footy Park does have more than its fair share of fond memories.
 
Even though I did not attend, beating the crers in the final Showdown would certainly be one of our best wins there. Attended 5 Showdown wins & 5 losses overall.
 
I can't see the reason why any of it should be retained, We have enough problems in SA with so-called heritage without protecting part of a 45-year old football stadium. Maybe they could do what they did with Arsenal's old Highbury stadium, convert the stands at one end into apartment blocks but keep the exteriors and at the other end build totally new apartment blocks.
 
It's sad in a sense but it's also probably about bloody time haha!
 
It’s hard, I have fond memories of many games there, but none to the stadium itself. So although I enjoyed many Port games there, for all it represented I’m glad it’s going. My only regret is theres no opportunity for the average fan to bring a sledge hammer and take a whack at it, for a price. s**t the SNAFL missed a money making chance there.
 
Andre said:
It’s hard, I have fond memories of many games there, but none to the stadium itself. So although I enjoyed many Port games there, for all it represented I’m glad it’s going. My only regret is theres no opportunity for the average fan to bring a sledge hammer and take a whack at it, for a price. s**t the SNAFL missed a money making chance there.
Click to expand...

They were afraid only Port barrackers would show up!
 
Greasyrhys said:
Well it’s finally gonna happen, demolition of Footy Park/AAMI Stadium is set to start this Sunday (Jan 7). Despite the move to AO, it is a bit sad for it to happen with some great memories as both a Power & Centrals supporter, but these things happen. I think most if not all of the members stand will be retained.
Click to expand...

Power/Central supporter. I imagined that with PAFC joining AFL, barrackers from other SANFL clubs would begin supporting the Power as well. Still, at the present, I am not aware whether your case would still be an anomally. Has it become more common?
 
GremioPower said:
Power/Central supporter. I imagined that with PAFC joining AFL, barrackers from other SANFL clubs would begin supporting the Power as well. Still, at the present, I am not aware whether your case would still be an anomally. Has it become more common?
Click to expand...

Centrals supporters are all common.
 
I remember epic Port performances in SANFL grand finals and minnow thrashings, the Dire Straits, U2 and Bon Jovi concerts, and quite a few AFL finals. I remember tracking the “Monfries bounce” all the way from Warsaw, Poland. It’s the first place I would have watched Port play, back in 1978-79 or so. And yet the SANFL yoke squeezed any and all nostalgia out of me, like a body rejecting some wound that your worst enemy wants you to internalise.

**** the place, it’s what we did there that counts.

Roll on the bulldozers. That place was a colosseum of sorts but it was never *home*.


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First time I went to Footy Park it was incomplete, in fact it was probably less able to take spectators than it would be now. There was no undercover area and there were no seats on either of the concourses at the goal ends. Me and my mates went to see Glenelg play Richmond in a champions of Australia final, and due to both having yellow sashes on black and Glenelg losing the coin toss, Glenelg were done out like Wolverhampton Wanderers.
At the time I hadn't even selected a team to follow as I was only having my first taste of footy after coming from England. The most fun of the day was giving heaps to a bunch of teenage girl Bay City Rollers fans in trews.
 
mic59 said:
First time I went to Footy Park it was incomplete, in fact it was probably less able to take spectators than it would be now. There was no undercover area and there were no seats on either of the concourses at the goal ends. Me and my mates went to see Glenelg play Richmond in a champions of Australia final, and due to both having yellow sashes on black and Glenelg losing the coin toss, Glenelg were done out like Wolverhampton Wanderers.
At the time I hadn't even selected a team to follow as I was only having my first taste of footy after coming from England. The most fun of the day was giving heaps to a bunch of teenage girl Bay City Rollers fans in trews.
Click to expand...
Glenelg played Richmond at Adelaide oval.
Sturt played Richmond the first year at Footy park. I went to the Surt v East Fremantle game the same weekend.
 
foxport said:
Glenelg played Richmond at Adelaide oval.
Sturt played Richmond the first year at Footy park. I went to the Surt v East Fremantle game the same weekend.
Click to expand...

That’s right

 
mic59 said:
Yes, I must have mixed it up somehow. Although it must have been very early in Footy Park's history.
Click to expand...
Yeah it was the first year.
First game I went to at Footy park was a state game, SA v WA and it was still a construction site.
 
mic59 said:
Yes, I must have mixed it up somehow. Although it must have been very early in Footy Park's history.
Click to expand...
Glenelg did play Richmond at Football Park, but it was in 1976 as part of the NFL series competition.

That is probably the game you're remembering, as the date would also fit better for peak Bay City Rollers hysteria.
 
Yesterday the last of the stands came down!

Goalposts, oval and crows facility is all that remain.

Tumbleweeds were seen rolling across the desolate land that once saw our great game played!

Just turn it back into a swamp?

Fond memories of Port dominating there for 3 decades but the Crow badging of the stadium was shitful.

Any thoughts?

Happy, sad ... Best games seen there? Screenshot_20190305-073616.png
 
Last edited:
Footy Park is like your first car. Its shitful, in terrible condition, so many better cars out there, but you'll always have great memories of it.

It was a terrible stadium. Always felt a mile away from the action. The SANFL and the government just never spent money to upgrade it, but even if they did it wouldn't have fixed the core issues with the place.

But, as a Port fan, how can you not have fond memories of the place! I saw us play in 9 grand finals for 8 premierships there. Saw us rise into the AFL and saw us win many memorable AFL games there. I'm definitely not sad that we don't play there anymore, but i'm sad that its gone. It looks eerie seeing it completely gone now.
 
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