Adelaide Oval welcomes crowd increase for Showdown 49

Crowds of up to 50,000 seated patrons will be welcomed back to Adelaide Oval for Showdown 49 on Saturday 8 May.

Adelaide Oval has worked closely with SA Health to develop a revised Covid Management Plan that allows for crowds to increase while prioritising patron safety.

Key aspects of the revised plan include:

• Increase of seated patrons to 50,000 (100% seated).
• Masks must continue to be worn when entering, exiting and moving around the stadium. Once in their allocated seat, patrons will be free to remove their mask.
• Existing protocols such as QR code check-ins, social distancing and hygiene measures will also remain in place.

These changes will come into effect on Saturday 8 May, with Adelaide Oval’s current Covid Management Plan remaining in place until the Showdown.

Quotes attributable to Adelaide Oval CEO, Andrew Daniels:

“We are delighted that the Showdown will be the first game since 2019 to have 100% of seats available.

“Throughout the pandemic, South Australians have shown they are keen to do the right thing to ensure we can all keep enjoying the events we love.

“On top of that, our staff have gone above and beyond to develop, implement and effectively manage new game day protocols.

“We are grateful to SA Health for recognising our team’s hard work, and the continued compliance of footy fans.”

“We simply can’t wait to hear the sound of 50,000 fans cheering at the biggest game on the South Australian football calendar.”

Quotes attributable to Port Adelaide Football Club CEO, Matthew Richardson:

“This is a fantastic outcome for our people and everyone who wants to get to the footy at Adelaide Oval.

“Our members have had to endure a lot in the last 12 months and have been so understanding of the situation. The return to full capacity is a reward for them and all South Australians who have followed the COVID-19 protocols to ensure our state is in a good place.

“Once again, we thank SA Health and the Government for helping us ensure we have been able to transition back to full capacity from the position we were in last year.”

Quotes attributable to Adelaide Football Club CEO, Tim Silvers:

“This is great news for South Australian footy and it means more fans gets the chance to enjoy the match day experience at Adelaide Oval.

“It is fortunate timing because in coming weeks the fixture has us hosting games against opposition such as Melbourne and Collingwood which normally attract sell-out crowds.

“We will now shift our focus to returning members, who were relocated due to the revised seating model, to what were their normal seats and this will be in place for our Round 10 home game onwards.

“Our State is blessed to be in a position to have a stadium at full capacity and credit must go to the broader community, as well as government and health officials, for their handling of the pandemic.”

Media inquiries: Phil Martin, Michels Warren PR on 0418 817 876