Marshall pledges to build new world-class Arena on Adelaide’s Riverbank
A re-elected Marshall Liberal Government will build a new 15,000-seat indoor arena in the Riverbank precinct to replace the existing Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Announced last Friday by the South Australian Premier, the new arena is to be built immediately west of the Morphett Street Bridge and will cost approximately $700 million, with final costings to be released later in 2021 after further consultation and technical work.
However, unlike the earlier proposed arena, it will not cater for rectangular sports including rugby league and soccer. Instead, catering for indoor court sports including basketball and netball, as well as concerts and entertainment events.
“This project will create jobs for South Australians and help cement Adelaide as one of the most liveable cities in the world,” said Premier Steven Marshall.
Sport and entertainment events in South Australia are currently limited by the capacity of the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and its location. The Adelaide Entertainment Centre currently has a total capacity of 11,300, with only 9,600 for basketball and netball. The new arena will seat 15,000 for all events.
An underground tunnel below Morphett Street will provide a direct link with the Adelaide Convention Centre and increase exhibition space by 5,600sqm.
This is a significant new element to the project which is different to previous proposals. This significant increase in exhibition space will allow SA to compete for major international conferences and events that we can’t currently bid for.
Construction of the arena will commence when major works for the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital is estimated to conclude in 2025.
The hefty price tag has raised some eyebrows, with the $700 million figure coming in just under what NSW is spending on the new Sydney Football Stadium which will have a capacity of over 40,000.
The cost of the new facility will be offset by the sale of the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Defunct proposals that included the retractable roof for the soccer pitch ballooned the cost to $1.3 billion, which was persistently opposed by Treasurer Rob Lucas.
The government recently allocated funding to the stage two upgrade of the Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, with work commencing last week, and also for the upgrade of Hindmarsh Stadium.
