Sector: Sport/recreation Location: Turner Drive, West Lakes SA 5021 Client: SANFL Builder: Marshall and Brougham Pty Ltd Project Value: $12.5 million Construction period: mid 2000 – mid 2001 Football Park, located in suburban West Lakes, is the home of Australian Rules football in South Australia. Built more than 20 years ago, it is the home of the first South Australian football club to enter the Australian Football League (AFL) competition, the Adelaide Football Club – known as the Adelaide Crows. Due to the popularity of the Crows – and particularly since the team won back-to-back grand finals in the late 1990’s – capacity crowds attend almost every one of the Crows’ ‘home’ games. Further, a waiting list of several thousand fans remain unaccommodated. Saccardo Constructions was involved in this landmark project. The extension required 2,500 cubic meters of foundations and 4,000 cubic meters of structure. Features include: disabled persons’ facilities, including lift, male and female toilets on three levels, food and beverage concessions on two levels, a new bistro with seating for 160 patrons and bar facilities. As with most of Saccardo Constructions projects, time was critical as work could not interfere with football games – giving no room for rain or supply delays. Site restrictions demanded all the concrete be placed with boom pumps. As a consequence, the 7000-seat northern grandstand opened during July 2001. It was completed 3½ weeks ahead of the schedule and within the $12.5 million budget. All of the above ground structure was left exposed to public view, which required a high visual as well as structural quality.OVERVIEW
After much debate, the football codes and the South Australian Government agreed to add new grandstand facilities to seat a further 7000 patrons during the 2001 season – increasing capacity from 47,000 to 54,000.
