Don Bradman's power as administrator at centre of football's exit from Adelaide Oval to West Lakes in 1974

The Sir Donald Bradman Pavilion as part of the remodelled Adelaide Oval, with control now shared by both cricket and football. Inset: The former Sir Donald Bradman Stand before Adelaide Oval was remodelled and football returned in 2014.

Don Bradman put Adelaide Oval at the centre of running Australia cricket through his half a century as an administrator, notably as national selector and chairman of the Australian Cricket Board.

Bradman  spent many hours at hundreds of South Australian Cricket Association meetings in roles that ranged from president, treasurer, selector and coach  but also watching games in the committee room at the George Giffen Stand and players at the practice nets.

The reviews on Bradman’s role as administrator are mixed but his attitudes must be seen as shared widely at the time.

At the Australian Cricket Board level, he was involved firstly in the boycott of South Africa. Although he later said he regretted the decision, Bradman as board chairman cancelled the 1971-72 South Africa tour.

His other big national challenge came from the Kerry Packer’s World Series cricket in the 1970s. Refusing to pay the Australian Test players their full market value, Bradman came up against team captain Ian Chappell – the grandson of Vic Richardson, an Australian/South Australian captain whose relationship with Bradman had its strains.

Bradman was also at the centre of the major bitter split in Adelaide, from 1969, between the South Australian Cricket Association and the South Australian National Football League over the use of Adelaide Oval. This caused football to withdraw its finals and set up its own stadium at West Lakes in 1974.

The rift was healed in 2012 with cricket and football sharing the new $535 million Adelaide Oval, largely financed by the South Australian government.