Thebarton Oval Precinct

Concept image by City Collective ©

Updated -1 July 2024

The Adelaide Football Club (AFC) has reached an agreement with the SANFL which will see the State League's governing body vacate its lease at Thebarton Oval.

This will allow the AFC to push ahead with plans to build a new headquarters and home ground at the site.

Council approved the AFC's Thebarton Oval Precinct Masterplan at a special meeting on 19 December 2023 following a period of community consultation. A development application by the AFC was then submitted to the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP), which was approved subject to conditions, on 3 June 2024.

The Thebarton Oval precinct will remain the property of the Council as it is community land; the AFC has a 42-year lease over the site with the option for another 42.  

Background

In 2022 Council was approached by the AFC to enter a long-term lease of the Thebarton Oval Precinct.

The lease of the Precinct, which includes part of Kings Reserve, will enable the Club to redevelop the area for its home grounds and provide the community with more usable community space.

The AFC developed a Master Plan which identified a number of elements to the community including:

• removal of barriers to activate community spaces
• preservation of pedestrian and cycling accessibility
• a unified community precinct approach
• enablement of community-based facilities
• improving the existing sporting infrastructure
• allowing for passive recreation.

As part of the Master Plan development process, a Thebarton Oval Precinct Masterplan Advisory Group (MAG) was established to progress plans for the area. This group included 4 community members, a Kaurna representative, 3 Elected Members of Council, 3 Adelaide Football Club representatives and 2 Council officers. The final meeting of the MAG was Monday 16 October 2023.

Notes from these meetings are published below.