AFL prevents South Australia from hosting Shield final at Adelaide Oval
"We are disappointed South Australia has been prevented from hosting the Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval," Greenberg said.
The Australian Football League (AFL) has denied South Australia’s request to host the Sheffield Shield final at the iconic Adelaide Oval, citing concerns over player safety and ground conditions. Instead, the decider will be played at Karen Rolton Oval, disappointing Cricket Australia (CA) and South Australian officials who had pushed for the cricket fixture to be held at the state’s most iconic stadium.
South Australia secured the right to host the Sheffield Shield final after defeating Victoria last Sunday. The South Australia Cricket Association (SACA) and state Premier Peter Malinauskas launched a public push to move the final from Karen Rolton Oval to Adelaide Oval, believing the latter to be the most fitting venue for the prestigious match.
CA had initially expected that the final would be played at Karen Rolton Oval, starting on March 26. The drop-in pitches had already been removed from Adelaide Oval to accommodate the AFL season. However, the board was open to supporting Malinauskas and the SACA’s proposal to shift the game to Adelaide Oval.
The plan required the match to start on March 24, allowing ground staff to install a single pitch immediately after an AFL match on March 22. This pitch would then be removed following the five-day final to prepare the surface for another AFL match scheduled for March 30.
Would like to thank Premier Malinauskas for his advocacy in this matter: Todd Greenberg
Initially, the AFL showed their desire to cooperate, but concerns arose over the impact of a temporary cricket pitch on the playing surface for footballers. The AFL ultimately refused the request due to health and safety risks for players if the cricket pitch were dropped in and removed within a short timeframe.
"We are disappointed South Australia has been prevented from hosting the Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval. 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," CA chief executive Todd Greenberg said in a statement.
Furthermore, Premier Malinauskas was frustrated over an undisclosed AFL entity's demand for financial insurance to cover potential injuries to AFL players due to the playing surface’s instability.
"We have received a request, it's not from cricket, I won't say what entity it is in footy. What I would say is we are asking for people to act rationally and pragmatically in the interest of fans. I've got to say it's a little bit galling that people are trying to use an opportunity to look after fans as an opportunity to slug the taxpayer and I won't be having it. I'm not naming any names, I'm just saying my government is not going to be giving cash so they get out of the way of something everybody thinks should happen," Malinauskas said.
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