Chappell In To Bat For Oval Development

The redevelopment will ensure AFL matches move to the historic city venue in a sharing arrangement with cricket.

Around 19,500 members of the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) will effectively vote on Monday to determine if the redevelopment proceeds.
Only 25 per cent of SACA members need to vote no to block the state government-funded proposal.

The members will vote at a special general meeting to allow a change to the SACA constitution which permits the cricket body to facilitate the redevelopment, slated for completion in 2014.

South Australia-born Chappell implored SACA members to vote for the plan.
"If you're not regenerating ... it's going backwards, and I think Adelaide Oval needs to be constantly regenerated and upgraded," Chappell said at the ground on Friday.

"And if it doesn't, I would be more worried about it becoming a ghost town in the long term."

Chappell was asked by SACA hierarchy to publicly support the redevelopment, which would replace the eastern Chappell Stands, named after he and brothers Ian and Trevor.

The redevelopment would raise the ground's capacity to 50,000 from the current 36,000, with AFL clubs Adelaide and Port Adelaide supporting a move.
Both clubs posted financial losses last year and ranked last and second last in the AFL for monetary yields from deals with their current playing venue, Football Park.

Adelaide and Port Adelaide believe they could benefit by up to $8 million a year from moving games to the inner city oval.

The government will also pay the SACA $85 million to retire debt.
"We'll have an absolutely world class venue in Adelaide which will be great for any of the sports and any other activities that take place here," Chappell said.
"It's very difficult, particularly with a population the size of Adelaide, to have single purpose venues, you need multi purpose venues.

"I grew up with Adelaide Oval being a football venue and a cricket venue and to see the two of them playing here again, I would see as a positive thing.
"If the opportunity is missed it may never happen again."

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