Plea for multi-purpose arena

[aussie2000]

SPORTS administrators want a multi-purpose stadium - similar to Melbourne's $65 million Vodafone Arena - built in Adelaide's west.

The plea from Sport SA follows Civic Trust plans, detailed in The Advertiser, for a major city sports precinct to include a new Clipsal 500 racing circuit.

Vodafone Arena was built seven years ago and can hold up to 10,500 people.

The complex caters for a range of entertainment and sporting events, including tennis, cycling, basketball and netball.

The Office for Recreation and Sport last year released a sporting strategic plan for 2007-2017, stating the need to develop facilities to provide for international competition standards.

Sport SA chief executive Jan Sutherland said the city's ailing facilities barely coped with this month's Masters Games.

That highlighted the need for new development.

"We can't have the big events here with the facilities we've got," she said.

"We need to showcase the best athletes but we don't see them in Adelaide anymore. The facilities were barely managing to cope during the Masters Games and we just scraped through with the World Police and Fire Games."

Ms Sutherland said an "icon" indoor sports stadium could be built in the west parklands, either side of Sir Donald Bradman Drive.

"There's certainly a large sports stadium lacking in Adelaide and if they've got the space in the west parklands it would be great to see one there," she said.

"We need a multi-purpose facility that is very flexible which could, say, be used for indoor tennis but then be convertible to an international netball game."

Australian Civic Trust chairman Darian Hiles is against a stadium being built in the west parklands.

He cited Mile End South as the best option. "The parklands are Adelaide's greatest and most defining asset and our generation would be pilloried if we couldn't take the most basic care of them," he said.

From AdelaideNow

[Paulns]

Wow! this would be awesome for Adelaide, but I just hope it would be built next to existing public transport, such as a rail or tram lline and be within walking distance to Adelaide. The indoor cycling track north of Adelaide is a good example of a great arena in a very bad location.

Location, loacation, location can not be stressed enough if a project like this was ever going to work in Adelaide.

Also would this venue be in direct competion to the Entertainment centre or would it cater for totally different events? Plus netball SA already has their own venue in Mile end I believe, and the Adelaide 36's haver their own venue too... Would they ever agree to this? Would they be willing to form a partnership with this??

How about having a new multi purpose footy stadium and this new venue side by side near the city in like an all out sports precinct like Olympic park in Sydney? Combine all of SA's major sports venues into one area????? With easy, central access and close to all the facilities that the city has to offer? This would have the potential to completly electrify the city of Adelaide. The problem with Adelaide is that we have all these sports facilities that are spread all over the place away from decent public transport... Ie the basktball venue, Football Park, the netball ball venue, cycling venue, athletics venue.

The obvious questions are where and how much??????

Anyway I like the idea though! Now thats thinkin bold for Adelaide!!!!

[Cruise]

If you think AAMI is in a bad location go look at the Distinctive Homes Dome location (adelaide 36ers home stadium) its in a pig of a location.

No stadium (or any thing, for that mater) should be built in the western parklands.

[Shuz]

They shouldn't build a stadium on the western parklands, but if one need be anywhere, it should be central and close to other 'sporting complexes', eg: if the stadium on the railyards ever does get built, then this multi-purpose arena should be located on the site bounded by the railway lines, Port Road and East Tce (James Congdon Drive) just to the north of Bakewell Underpass.

[Splashmo]

Certainly I see potential in beefing up ETSA Park and that side of the railway tracks, but it's on the verge of being too far out of the CBD for some. I wish we could get a good solution on an arena and a new stadium. I think the site for the Marj is the best possible location for any new stadium.

[rhino]

Too far out of the CBD? The rail line goes right past it and a tramline could be laid to it easily. Busses already go right past it too, it's almost the first stop out of the city.

[Norman]

I vote for an upgraded sporting hub next to Santos Stadium over the raillines and touching the parklands, with a new undergrounded train station as Keswick underneath the hub. A bit further south will be an upgraded Adelaide Interstate for GSR trains, with easy access via an underground passageway to the new Keswick station and the sports hub.

There will also be a shuttle train from Keswick to AAMI Stadium (or wherever it will be) for interstate travellers to get to AFL games fast and easy, while still providing an open area for the interstate terminal and the diesel cars that drive the GSR trains to spill most of their fumes in open air. When the GSR trains continue on the track to Islington or Outer Harbor or wherever, air movement will be sustained and fumes removed using advanced tunnel fume removal technologies, such as high capacity fans.

The suburban railway will be electrified in stages, firstly on the southern lines to accommodate for the underground hub tunnel, with a depot in Lonsdale serving the Noarlunga, Flinders and Belair lines. The Tonsley line will be upgraded into a (possibly) underground line from Ascot Park, serving the same stops as now but underground. This will further the rejuvination of the suburbs of Clovelly and Mitchell Parks. The line will then be extended to Flinders Interchange/Medical Centre, with a loop bus serving the Uni. The loop buses will be at a 10 minute frequency buring the day, served by 2 Rosas (small, powerful buses). This will provide a better service to Flinders Uni at all parts of the uni, including the upper buildings such as the Law, Commerce and IT buildings. There will also be a new connecting track at Goodwood to allow Belair Trains to travel to Lonsdale.

The second stage will rejuvinate the Outer Harbor and Gawler lines. There will be a depot at Islington, with the track between Glanville and Dry Creek to be rejuvinated to allow trains at Outer Harbor to quickly head to Islington.

That's how I would like to see it anyway.

[Will409]

The second stage will rejuvinate the Outer Harbor and Gawler lines. There will be a depot at Islington, with the track between Glanville and Dry Creek to be rejuvinated to allow trains at Outer Harbor to quickly head to Islington.

Bit late with the Port Loop idea from Port Adelaide to Dry Creek. The section from Gilman Junction through Rosewater to the junction of the Outer Harbour line just south of the Commercial Road Viaduct will be pulled up in only 4 months or so, whenever the rail bridge over the Port River is finished.

[crawf]

This would be great for Keswick and give it more of a boast to have mid/high rise residential apartments, shops and cafes. Though it shouldn't be built on the Western parklands (as that would start WW3) but on the proposed race track site.

[rhino]

I don't see why the Clipsal race circuit would need to be moved to the western side of the city. I think the circuit is great where it is, and the Hutt St and Rundle St precincts really benefit from it. Once the new Victoria Park structure is built, I can't see the race moving from that venue, which is good IMO.

[Paulns]

but it's on the verge of being too far out of the CBD for some. I wish we could get a good solution on an arena and a new stadium. I think the site for the Marj is the best possible location for any new stadium.

Agree, the new, "Royal Adelaide hospital", should be built but just somewhere else. A Sports stadium would provide much more benefit to the city of Adelaide then a depressing hospital no matter how new and advanced it is...
The railway site would be the perfect site for this arena and a stadium side by side for Adelaide. A development like this would have the potential to really vitalise the city. The flow on effects would reach out far beyond the venues themselves. (Ie - city, pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes, business, shopping malls, etc, etc), would all benefit from the flow on effects that potentially thousands of people would bring into the city from sporting events and entertainment provided by these venues.

Also I think that the ETSA park area is still to far out of the city for a lotta people to be bothered going there before and after a match/event.

I don't see why the Clipsal race circuit would need to be moved to the western side of the city. I think the circuit is great where it is, and the Hutt St and Rundle St precincts really benefit from it. Once the new Victoria Park structure is built, I can't see the race moving from that venue, which is good IMO.

Totally agree, leave the Clipsal 500 where it is and get on with building the stand!!

[omada]

Paulns said: Totally agree, leave the Clipsal 500 where it is and get on with building the stand!!

Sorry I know this issue has been covered in considerable detail in this forum: http://www.sensational-adelaide.com/for ... ?f=7&t=637 , but can I again say that building this grandstand in its current form is folly... I do agree however, that Vic Park should be redeveloped, ie demolish existing buildings etc... Look at streetjumpers comments in particular... (on page 14 of the forum)