The Adelaide Oval will this weekend welcome the four millionth visitor since its award-winning redevelopment two years ago, which has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefits and supported hundreds of jobs.
Premier Jay Weatherill said the new figures underlined the overwhelming success of the revitalised stadium as it celebrated its second anniversary with a weekend of major sporting events.
“The redeveloped Adelaide Oval has become the centrepiece of the revitalisation of our city,” Mr Weatherill said.
“This weekend, the Oval will see its four millionth patron come through the turnstiles – with more than seven per cent coming from interstate or overseas.
“What’s more that economic activity is conservatively estimated to have created the equivalent of about 700 jobs in the city, generating wages and business incomes of $158 million.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Stephen Mullighan said the analysis also concluded that events at the redeveloped stadium had almost doubled the number of interstate and international visitors who attended the Oval.
“The assessment found that of the 305,000 visitors who came to events at the Oval, about 145,000 would not have come if not for events that the revitalised oval has attracted,” Mr Mullighan said.
“Attracting international events such as tonight’s Socceroos World Cup qualifier was the reason we redeveloped our iconic stadium in the heart of Adelaide.
“The huge turnout expected for tonight’s Socceroos versus Tajikistan clash will mark a fitting start to the celebrations, after two years of record-breaking crowds.”
Stadium Management Authority Chief Executive Andrew Daniels said the first two years of the new stadium had seen sporting attendance records broken across codes, well above predictions.
“AFL crowds jumped by about 60 percent when games were moved to Adelaide Oval from AAMI Stadium and spectator records have been hit for six across domestic and international cricket codes,” Mr Daniels said.
“The stadium was in the international spotlight when it hosted the first day-night Test match in history last year and who could forget the atmosphere at the India and Pakistan World Cup clash.
“This group match was one of the most-watched cricket games of all time, estimated to have been seen by more than a billion people worldwide.”
Other major highlights of the first two years of the redeveloped Adelaide Oval have included:
- The Rolling Stones & ACDC concerts
- Liverpool versus Adelaide United
- Groupe F’s launch of the 2016 Festival of Arts
The anniversary weekend will be capped off with the first round of the 2016 AFL season on Sunday when Port Adelaide hosts St Kilda, ahead of another expected sell-out crowd for the Round 2 Showdown.
This Sunday’s match also marks the start of MAC Footy Express services offering free travel for AFL fans on all Adelaide Metro buses, trains and trams.
