The Adelaide Crows have broken ground on their state-of-the-art facility at Thebarton more than a decade after initial plans were announced, but the project has encountered yet another setback.
Initially slated for September 2023, the Crows' new home, plagued by cost blowouts and construction delays, will now not be ready until at least February 2027 due to objections from local residents and protracted contract negotiations.
Premier Peter Malinauskas, a staunch Port Adelaide supporter, put aside his football allegiances to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.
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"As a Labor premier and a diehard Port supporter, I'm ostensibly signing off on a $25 million investment with [Crows chairman and Liberal Party president] John Olsen for the Adelaide Crows," Malinauskas said.
Adelaide Crows players pose for a selfie. Â Nine
"What is the world coming to?"
Olsen said the contract negotiations would protect the club in the long term.Â
"It was important for us to complete the negotiations and secure a fixed-price contract so that the club wasn't exposed to unreasonable escalations in cost," Olsen said.
The club is seeking a $20 million loan to fund the remaining project costs but Olsen insists it will not jeopardise the club's financial stability.
The players themselves are just hopeful they'll still be on the field by the time it's finally complete.Â
"We've been hearing about this for a long time," said AFLW star Ebony Marinoff.
"Chelsea Randall keeps reminding me that it needs to speed up so that she gets there."
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
