AFL footy is returning to Adelaide Oval and clubs are bracing for double-header weekends, with the SMA on standby

Audiences of up to 25,000 will head to Adelaide Oval when football returns to the venue on July 20. And the door is open for potential double-header weekends, which is music to the ears of Power and Crows fans. The State Government, which has so far rejected calls for Adelaide to become an AFL hub, has given the green light for the Crows to host St Kilda in front of up to 25,000 fans on July 20. The match satisfies SA’s border and quarantine restrictions because St Kilda will have been outside of Victoria – and in Queensland – for at least 14 days. It will be the first AFL game at Adelaide Oval since the Round 2 Showdown, which was played in front of just 2240 people on June 13. An AFL spokesman on Friday confirmed it was considering all fixturing options for the remainder of the 2020 season, including having both SA teams playing at Adelaide Oval on the same weekend. It means up to 25,000 people will be back at an AFL game at Adelaide Oval for the first time since the Round 2 Showdown, which was played in front of just 2240 people on June 13. The Crows and Power will share a flight home from the Gold Coast on Sunday evening and will both return to Queensland for their Round 6 games next weekend. The Power will return to Queensland again for Round 7 when the Crows host their first proper home game of the season, and both clubs then expect to play the majority of their remaining matches at Adelaide Oval having spent the past three weeks in their Queensland quarantine hub. With the SANFL vacating Adelaide Oval after this weekend and returning to their suburban grounds, the Stadium Management Authority confirmed it was capable of hosting two AFL games on the same weekend. “We are ready and look forward to hosting AFL games whenever they are scheduled by the AFL,” an SMA spokesperson said on Friday. Premier Steven Marshall said the government was keen to get AFL back at Adelaide Oval as soon as possible, but not at the expense of risking South Australians’ health as Victoria struggles to contain its latest coronavirus outbreak. “We are working with the AFL, we want to see this season get away, we want to see it completed and the South Australian teams back playing here in South Australia and we look forward to the day where we can have AFL played at Aldeiade Oval to about 50 per cent capacity,” he said. “At this stage there’s no possibility of a hub in the next couple of weeks, but we will explore all options for the remainder of the season and we would love to see AFL at the Adelaide Oval.” Port Adelaide football manager Chris Davies said the Power was already preparing to fly-in and fly-out of Queensland for the next two weeks, then was looking forward to a string of home games. “We’ve said all along we would do whatever we needed to get the season running,” Davies said. “Right now, both the Perth-based teams and us, and Adelaide, have done the hard yards early and I would expect we get some treatment towards the end of the year and receive some games in a row. “Absolutely it’s fair to say our players want to get back home and play at Adelaide Oval, but also for our members who have been incredibly supportive through this period it’s a good thing we get back in front of them and that AFL footy is played in front of crowds.” Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan described Friday’s announcement as “a great step forward” and the club would hold a ballot for members to access tickets to home games. “I think we also acknowledge that things are subject to change and I’m sure we’ll see it again … but we expect now that we will be playing the majority of our games at Adelaide Oval with some fly-in, fly-out matches,” he said. “But that’s all subject to the continued control of COVID-19 and spread around the country, and noting the majority of teams we have left to play are from Victoria.” AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said relocating Victorian clubs interstate was just another hurdle in a challenging year. “I have said on a number of occasions that this would be a season of challenges. And that the one certainty is that before we completed the season there would be more unique challenges along the way,” he said. “I want to thank the governments in NSW, Queensland and WA for their support in helping us set up a series of high-performance centres that will see interstate teams based in their state in accordance with all the strict local protocols and playing games. “I would also like to thank all of our clubs, players, coaches, umpires and officials for their continued support and ability to adapt quickly as we navigate through the changing environment.” Crows fan Cathy Agostinelli said her family was excited about news of the team’s July 20 return with Sam, 11, Rocky, 9, and Laila, 3, hoping to be on the sidelines watching. “They would love to see them play at Adelaide Oval, but everything has been so up in the air until now,” Ms Agostinelli said. “We’ve been watching the games on TV, but it’s not the same, is it. “The boys wear their Crows gear daily, regardless if they win or not. “A few relatives have tried to sway Laila to Port, but she’s adamant she’s a Crow supporter.” ALL PLAYERS SHOULD ‘HUB-UP’: NICKS – Jon Ralph Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks has encouraged Victorian clubs to take their entire list to interstate hubs despite the challenges of catering for 45 players. The AFL has indicated to clubs that they should consider taking the Port Adelaide approach, where only 32 players relocated to the Gold Coast. The Power have a dozen players training back in Adelaide and have been able to spend more time coaching players likely to play senior football with few distractions from those on the periphery of the squad. Clubs will also rack up a massive bill that will extend to tens of millions of dollars that could be minimised if less players travel. But Nicks yesterday said despite the challenges of training groups of nine in contract drills, it was worth the longer training days. “They are definitely not lounging by the pool. The reason we wanted to bring the entire squad is what do you do with the players back at home? If you have 14 of them, they are not able to play footy, they can’t play games from a match fitness perspective,” he said. “I know Port Adelaide went that way and some say it’s worked for them and they are playing out of their skin, but at the same time we are looking at it from the medium and long-term. “What are we saying to the 14 players who aren’t here and might be back in Adelaide with one development coach? “We have halved our football department staff but are under really tight protocols, so it’s been a really tough ask for those young guys. “But we have felt having the entire group has been so beneficial, having 44 players who can all learn.” While Adelaide’s players have lapped up the hub life despite a 0-4 start to the season, Nicks says there is little time to bask in the sunshine. “The challenges are that you have to work within the protocols of groups of nine,” he said. “You go from 8am in the morning to 2pm in the afternoon with those separate groups, so it’s a long day for the staff and people who need to be here from coaches and high performance and GPS guys.” The AFL has also told clubs it will be challenging to house players’ families, with the Crows not having any families in hubs and Port Adelaide housing only Brad Ebert’s family. Clubs in Queensland have been allowed to roam resorts, but for Geelong and Collingwood in harder lockdown in Perth hotels it will be more challenging. Players have told they might have to be in their hotel rooms for almost all of the day apart from training up to three times a week, with little respite and no golf or surfing for the first 14 days.