Football Park - Discussion

Remove this Banner Ad

Red Crow

Red Crow

Modrarator
Veteran Footy Club Survivor 1: Adelaide Voter
Jul 17, 2006
5,272
9,848
Victoria
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Liverpool FC, Melbourne Victory
FOOTBALL PARK, ADELAIDE
(FORMERLY AAMI STADIUM)​


200px-AAMI_Stadium_logo.svg.png


05e9ab36733baf40ac492b74f19d5887



Opened: 1974​

Owner/Operator: SANFL​

Dimensions: 177m x 165m​

Capacity: 51,515​

Record Crowd (AFL): 51,140 - Adelaide v Port Adelaide, Round 5 2003​

Record Crowd (SANFL): 66,897 - Sturt v Port Adelaide, Grand Final 1976​



Major Milestones:
1982 - Seating in the outer; concourse roofing.
1984 - Light towers installed.
1991 - AFL Football played for the first time.
1991 - Original Adelaide Football Club training facilities open.
1997 - Southern End corporate suites open.
1998 - Northern End superscreen installed.
2001 - Northern grandstand opened.
2002 - Naming rights obtained by AAMI.
2004 - Bucket seating installed.
2007 - Southern End superscreen installed.
2009 - Adelaide Football Club training facility opened.
2013 - Final AFL game played.
2016 - AAMI naming rights end.​
 
Last edited:
My first memories of this ground were as a youngster, thinking my team had the best home ground in the country - after all, it was Football Park. Melbourne and Sydney played at cricket grounds, and the other teams all played games at venues named after their location. Ours seemed like the holy grail. When Port entered in 1997, the only thing I cared about was that we now had to share our home ground. I was devestated.

I've seen many classic matches over the years, almost all of them on TV however. One of my favourites would have to be Chad Cornes' "Dream Final" in 2005. The one where we smashed them by 85 points. Good one, Chad!

Unfortunately, I've only been to two games at this ground - against Carlton in 2008 and a showdown in 09. The showdown was an away game and we got fairly easily beaten, so that wasn't an enjoyable game. But the first game was a win and a very memorable occasion for me personally.

As someone so used to being the "away team supporter" in Melbourne, it was great to be at a game where the cheers for your own team are the loudest. Was a fantastic atmosphere.

I was planning on going to the game against Geelong in 2010 but didn't end up going, and I was shattered not to be there when the Crows triumphed. Would have been amazing to be there. I'm definately going to the Geelong game this year though, so hopefully we can repeat the effort.

The stadium itself is rather dated and the move to Adelaide Oval is certainly a positive. As someone so used to jumping on a train and ending up on the doorstep of the MCG or Docklands, the bus ride out to AAMI is certainly no picnic. The bus ride back into the city is even worse.

For the first game, my seats were smack bang centre wing on the outer side, undercover. Great seats! For the second game, i was closer to the southern end pocket, and only a few rows from the front. The "hump" in the middle of the ground certainly made watching the action over the other side rather difficult.

All in all a good stadium that will have served its purpose well for 40 years, but bring on Adelaide Oval! My teams home ground may not be named after our great game, but now it is named after our great club!
 
Briefly, Footy Park came about in the first place due to ongoing disputes with the SACA that only in recent times have been 'resolved' resulting in the move of Adelaide and Port to Adelaide Oval. One thing that irks me though is people making misleading statements about football 'coming to' or 'going back to' Adelaide Oval. It never totally left as SANFL matches continued to be played there, but Footy Park was of course the official headquarters of the league.

Anyway, I reckon the first game I saw at FP was possibly Norwood vs East Fremantle in a pre-season knockout comp game in 1982. Edit: can't believe I forgot about a Norwood vs Port game I was at in 1981 with a near record 35k crowd. Later that year (1982) I would see Norwood win 3 successive finals to claim the premiership against Glenelg. Over time I've seen many Norwood matches at FP: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Also saw some state matches, with SA vs Vic in 1984 being the most memorable. First state game under lights and the ground was absolutely packed. Went with the school footy side in a bus and when we finally arrived, officials just opened a big gate for us and in we went. First view of the game was Kernahan slotting his 1st of 10 that night. Vics won in a thriller, but it was a classic match.

I'll make mention of the record crowd in 1976. There was no seating in the outer at that stage and I assume no real restriction on the number of tickets on offer as the ground became so full, people were directed onto the playing arena, behind the boundary line. This was certainly a legendary day in FP's history.

When the Crows arrived, it was a thrill to go the first pre-season comp match against Geelong and then the first match for premiership points against Hawthorn. In those days most Crows home games were sell outs and people weren't too fussy about aluminium seats or taking ages to get out the car parks.

Times have changes and attitudes are different.
Matches are now live against the gate and season ticket holders seem to pick and choose more about which games they go to. In any case, the decision has been made, Footy Park is in it's final years.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

As a kid growing up, I have a lot of very fond memories of footy park. We used to arrive at the game hours early to avoid paying parking fees (Man my Dad was a stinge), and sit in the stands watching the U18 curtain raisers, listening to the radio pre-game discussions and reading the footy record. We'd pack a thermas full of soup and a sealable container with chicken and salad for dinner, and eat it as the stadium slowly filled to the brim with our fellow Crows supporters. During games everyone had a portable radio plugged into one ear, and at quarter, half, and three-quarter time strangers would turn to each other to discuss the match, amid the smell of thermas-stored coffee and tea being poured. After games the long drive home was spent listening to the post-game talk-back on the radio and discussing who played well, who should be dropped next week, and bemoaning the bias of those 'bloody Victorian umpires'. I'll take these fond memories with me to the grave, but as an adult it's not hard to see the issues that have driven AFL footy back into the city:

Footy Park's cold as balls, a hideous concrete nightmare, food and toilet lines border on the farcical, it's in the middle of nowhere, takes FOREVER to get home, has stretched low-def replay screens, an awful PA system, hardly any covered seats, you're crammed in like sardines, and the views from the stands are too far away from the action.

A small part of me will really miss Footy Park, but it's time has long passed. Bring on 2014 :thumbsu:
 
I know the South Aussies love this ground but I HATE it! I went to about 10 games over seven years in Adelaide. After deciding to not take the bus (too long and dangerous a trip - I was in the northern suburbs) I soon discovered that trying to get there via car was not a good option either. Minimal parking at maximum cost. I totally understand Westfield's concerns about leasing their car park, afterall, they are still trying to run a business.

Once you get into the ground there are some good features - old fashion bookies! I loved those guys.

After that mild lift in spirits I usually went to buy a beer. I must have had the most stunned look on my face when I was first told I couldn't take my beer to my seat. "What sort of backwards place is this?" I thought. Fortunately this changed about three years ago. You just need a polar lid while walking to your seat. Keeps all the beer in.

Once in your seat it isn't too bad. Yes, the locals are hostile but I would expect the same at Subiaco as well (haven't been there). The only real problem is when it rains. There is no cover for the general admission. I mean none! I was at Richmond's first win of 2009 (I think) where they belted Port. It bucketed down and there was no place to stay dry. Even when you leave the seating area there is no covers behind the seats! Unless you paid for the higher priced ticket you got wet regardless of where you went. Nice nude drive home that day!

Although the busses are a good idea the fact they still need to drive on Adelaide roads soon loses the value. The fact that there is only one road in and out of the place doesn't bode well. No train either so your only option is car or bus. The poor residents of West Lakes must have hated having random people parking in their streets every weekend. I always got there early to park in the Westfield carpark as I know how I would have felt being in one of the residents shoes.

No 4&20's. Hated that as well. Not a huge problem though.

I guess after having my first sports viewing at the MCG and Colonial meant my expectations were pretty high. I could get there easily and stay dry. Since moving back to Victoria I have also realised I much prefer the higher up viewing positions offered at the two Melbourne stadiums than the ground level at AAMI, but I think that is a personal opinion.

By the end I had such a poor opinion of AAMI (and Adelaide) that I didn't bother going to the last match I was in Adelaide for. I didn't enjoy going to AAMI at all. I only went to support Richmond but everyone has their limits. Mine was AAMI.
 
Does anybody know what's with the "Chicken Salt" sign on the 1 tiered grandstand end? You can sort of see in between the goalposts in this picture...

l.jpg


What business would pay for a sign that simply says Chicken Salt?
 
jethro11 said:
Does anybody know what's with the "Chicken Salt" sign on the 1 tiered grandstand end? You can sort of see in between the goalposts in this picture...

l.jpg


What business would pay for a sign that simply says Chicken Salt?
Click to expand...
It's Mitani Chicken salt. You can only just make out their "Mitani" logo on either side of the words "chicken salt". There's also a target over the "E" in "chicken" because it's directly behind the goals.
 
Just read on the Footy Park Wikipedia page that a local legend is that a grader could not be retrieved when they were constructing the place because it fell into the swamp, as the area was an unused swamp. Found this quite funny!
 
nick1408 said:
I know the South Aussies love this ground but I HATE it! I went to about 10 games over seven years in Adelaide. After deciding to not take the bus (too long and dangerous a trip - I was in the northern suburbs)
Click to expand...

Your gripes in general about Football Park are well founded... There is a good reason for the move to Adelaide Oval.

I was just wondering, however, how exactly is the bus trip from the nothern suburbs to Footy Park dangerous? Tedious, yes - long and ardous, certainly. Just not sure how it is dangerous though - !
 
radiojake said:
Your gripes in general about Football Park are well founded... There is a good reason for the move to Adelaide Oval.

I was just wondering, however, how exactly is the bus trip from the nothern suburbs to Footy Park dangerous? Tedious, yes - long and ardous, certainly. Just not sure how it is dangerous though - !
Click to expand...


Being from Victoria and supporting a Victorian team was not looked kindly upon. I didn't feel safe and as such chose not to take the bus again.

In saying that I cannot support the move to Adelaide Oval enough. Great venue in a central location with far better transport options.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

My first memories of going to "Football Park" was to watch "Shentools" being beaten by Port back in '95. Had seats behind the Northern goals. The following year, sat in the outer. 17 years later, my family and I now sit in the undercover concourse on the outer watching the Power (get beaten most games this year, and last...) we also spent a year up in the Northern Grandstand for the atmosphere and tet a tet with opposition supporters. We do not like AAMI Stadium, it is old, cold, the AAMI Stadium goons (security) spoil any harmless fun spectators are having, demanding they remain quiet and not make too much noise. The food at AAMI is exorbitantly priced, getting there via bus sucks (the buses from Brighton for Port games always leave 10-15 minutes before their scheduled time, we have seen many supPORTers left behind), parking sucks too. To take my family of 5, a game at AAMI usually costs us about $100, that's not counting our entry with our membership cards. We've been hassled at the gate by AAMI goons wanting to check out everything in our carry in bags. The PA/sound system is a joke, the replay screens, when working, are of crappy quality, and, as a Port fan, I don't see why Port aren't allowed to have a huge Tommy Thunda Power on the side of the place like the Crows have with their Claud. It is supposed to be Port's home ground too.
We've been saying it for years, FLICK AAMI, bring on the Oval.
 
Hi folks, heading to my first game at Footy Park (actually it'll be my first time in Adelaide) in August for the final Crows home showdown before the relocation to Adelaide Oval.

I am an 'interstate' member so I don't have a reserved seat but when tickets go on sale which of the below seating options will I be able to purchase from? I'm guessing anything not in red? And what is regarded as the best place(s) to sit?

Thanks.



47497s.gif
 
Best seats in the house are bay 229-231

Bay 230 is dead centre but there are a number of idiots who sit around there (I sat in that section for 4 seasons, and the idiots in that section motivated me to take up an Essential Crows membership), so if you want to enjoy your football experience at AAMI, best to try 229 or 231.
 
Excellent, thanks. I'd love an Essential Crows membership myself, but living in QLD I simply can't justify it. Perhaps if/when I move to Melbourne and I'm able to get to a fair few games.

Safe to say though for this game most Crows supporters will be in the members' reserve and I might be sitting around a fair few PAFC supporters?
 
MrCrow said:
Excellent, thanks. I'd love an Essential Crows membership myself, but living in QLD I simply can't justify it. Perhaps if/when I move to Melbourne and I'm able to get to a fair few games.

Safe to say though for this game most Crows supporters will be in the members' reserve and I might be sitting around a fair few PAFC supporters?
Click to expand...

It's a Crows 'home' Showdown, so the majority of the ground will be Crows supporters. You'll be in safe hands :D
 
MrCrow said:
Excellent, thanks. I'd love an Essential Crows membership myself, but living in QLD I simply can't justify it. Perhaps if/when I move to Melbourne and I'm able to get to a fair few games.

Safe to say though for this game most Crows supporters will be in the members' reserve and I might be sitting around a fair few PAFC supporters?
Click to expand...
Crows will be everywhere, but there will be 2 major groupings of Port fans.
The cheersquad + Bay 118 guys (So bay 119-118)
Then the 'outer army'. They generally get about 124ish.

There will also likely be a fair amount of Porties floating around the members reserve.

You know, the Northern Stand generally has alot of empty seats. So general admin will likely be there. So alot of Porties might be through there.

Personally I'd recommend ~132-135 and 227-236
 
You wont get in the members reserve as thats for us SANFL/AAMI MEMBERS. Your seats will be in the outer with the General Gold and Sliver Crows members
 
crows dude said:
You wont get in the members reserve as thats for us SANFL/AAMI MEMBERS. Your seats will be in the outer with the General Gold and Sliver Crows members
Click to expand...
Depends on who you know. Throughout most of the 2008 season I used Barrie Robran's tickets.
 
Barely any discussion regarding the end of this ground. I mean, aren't people more attached?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The_Wookie
Summit Sport and Recreation Park (Mt Barker, SA)
Replies
10
Views
2K
glengowan
G

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top