AFL blocks Cricket Australia bid to play Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval

Cricket Australia has been left “disappointed” after the AFL’s access to Adelaide Oval was prioritised over South Australian cricketers’ hopes of hosting the Sheffield Shield final at the state’s premier venue.

The final of the men’s domestic red-ball competition will instead be held at Karen Rolton Oval, on the city’s western fringe, starting on 26 March. The AFL has rights to the ground from 15 March each year.

Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg, who took over from Nick Hockley this month, said the sport was barred from access to the ground for the proposed mid-week match between AFL rounds.

“We are disappointed South Australia has been prevented from hosting the Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval,” Greenberg said.

“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.”

Adelaide open their AFL season with a clash against St Kilda at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, and the drop-in pitch has already been removed ahead of the football season.

Port Adelaide play Richmond at the ground on Saturday 22 March before the Crows host the Kangaroos eight days later on Sunday 30 March.

South Australia haven’t won the Sheffield Shield title since 1996 and cricket officials hoped a pitch could be dropped back in between the AFL matches to accommodate the five-day final.

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AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said on Wednesday his code had a “track record of accommodating and working in with other sports” at multi-purpose stadiums but “one thing we won’t compromise on is the safety of the ground”.

“Our key priority, from an AFL point of view, is to make sure that the Adelaide Oval is safe for our players for the Adelaide-North Melbourne game – which is on the Sunday after the proposed Sheffield Shield final – as well as the Port-St Kilda game the next week, and then we’ve got Gather Round the week after so that’s the absolute priority for us,” Dillon said.

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South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas had backed the move by his state’s cricketers to use the ground, and said earlier this week that football officials had sought compensation.

But Dillon said on Wednesday there had been no attempt to seek compensation and that the AFL’s focus had instead been on “risk mitigation”.

A statement from Adelaide Oval said “our team relished the opportunity to be involved” and “threw everything” at the proposal, thanking all parties “for the part they played in these negotiations”.

Despite the unfavourable outcome to negotiations, Greenberg thanked Malinauskas “for his advocacy in this matter and his passionate support of cricket” and said his sport will “continue to work collaboratively at all levels to ensure cricket gains and provides appropriate access to shared venues across the country”.

South Australia’s opponent in the Sheffield Shield final will be decided in the last round of matches beginning on Saturday.

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