CA Reacts to AFL’s Decision to Block Adelaide Oval Final Disappointment Follows Shield Shock for Cricket Australia

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Cricket Australia has confirmed the Sheffield Shield final will take place at Karen Rolton Oval after the AFL blocked South Australia’s bid to host the marquee fixture at Adelaide Oval.

After South Australia secured hosting rights for the Sheffield Shield decider, Premier Peter Malinauskas and SACA pushed for the match to be played at Adelaide Oval, wedged between Port Adelaide’s match against Richmond on Saturday, March 22 and the Adelaide Crows’ game against North Melbourne at the same venue the following Sunday.

The venue’s drop-in pitches have already been removed, but there was a possibility for them to be reinstalled for the five-day contest with minimal impact on the playing surface.

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However, the AFL and Crows expressed concerns about player safety — the venue’s outfield would need to be cut for the Sheffield Shield final and the grass wouldn’t grow back to the league’s usual standard before Adelaide’s match.

Following days of negotiations between the South Australian government, CA, SACA and the AFL, which has rights to the ground from March 15 each year, it was deemed too difficult to transform Adelaide Oval with such a short turnaround.

“After extensive consultation with a range of AFL stakeholders, the AFL has determined that the risks involved in turning around the Adelaide Oval in time to meet the safety and playing standards required for AFL matches are not acceptable,” a league spokesperson said.

“The tight turnaround required to remove the cricket pitch and restore the surface for football, including the Adelaide home game on the Sunday into the demands of Gather Round, where multiple matches will be played over a short period, meant the AFL felt it couldn’t be satisfied.

“This challenge was further heightened by the potential impact of any adverse weather conditions.



“The AFL has explored all reasonable options to make this work, but after extensive discussions and advice this week, was not satisfied that the planned arrangements met the appropriate risk profile for a safe surface.

“The AFL sincerely thanks Premier Peter Malinauskas, the SACA and the South Australian community for their understanding and acknowledges their significant passion for seeing this match played at Adelaide Oval.”

Instead, suburban venue Karen Rolton Oval will host the Sheffield Shield final, with South Australia’s opponent to be determined in the coming days.

“We are disappointed South Australia has been prevented from hosting the Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval,” CA chief executive Todd Greenberg said in a statement.

“The Sheffield Shield final is a significant event for Australia’s national sport, and we believe Adelaide Oval would have been the most appropriate venue.

“I would like to thank Premier Malinauskas for his advocacy in this matter and his passionate support of cricket and the South Australia Cricket Association which made an extremely compelling case to host the final at Adelaide Oval.

“March is a very important month for cricket including the Sheffield Shield and Premier and club cricket finals.

“We will continue to work collaboratively at all levels to ensure cricket gains and provides appropriate access to shared venues across the country.”

SACA chair Will Rayner also released a statement: “SACA is disappointed not to be able to host the Sheffield Shield final at our traditional home of cricket. We were confident in our ability to satisfy every demand made of us with regards to player safety and financial indemnity. However, we respect that the ultimate decision regarding the use of Adelaide Oval in this instance was not ours to make.

“Our focus now turns to the exciting opportunity to become the first SA team to win the one-day and Shield competitions in the same year. We look forward to hosting the final, and welcoming thousands of South Australian cricket fans to Karen Rolton Oval.

“The SACA extends sincere thanks to Premier Malinauskas, Cricket Australia, cricket States and Territories, and the world-class AOSMA team for all their support this week.”

South Australia, formerly known as the Redbacks, has not won a Sheffield Shield title since 1996.