First day/night Tests, big concerts, football finals make redeveloped Adelaide Oval a city epicentre from 2013-14
Adelaide Oval made more history by hosting the first day/night cricket Test match, using a pink ball, in 2015.
Adelaide Oval’s redevelopment in 2013-14 retained important elements of the ground's heritage and the $600 million cost was honoured with awards and record attendances for concerts, Australian Football League (AFL) and cricket matches.
The oval became the centrepiece of the Adelaide city's revitalised Riverbank precinct and a major boost for the city’s economy. The venue continued to be a history maker by hosting the first day/night Test cricket match, using a pink ball, in 2015 when Australia played New Zealand – followed by the first day/night Ashes Test in 2017 that attracted a record crowd of 199,760 over five days.
The oval also hosted the ICC (International CRicket Council) world T20 men’s cricket semi final and a State of Origin rugby league game in 2020.
The new-look Adelaide Oval received state, national and international awards including an excellence gong in structural design by the Institution of Structural Engineers in London and Event of the Year award for the 2016 Hyundai A-League soccer grand final, attended by 51,000, between Adelaide United and the Western Sydney Wanderers by the global Stadium Business Awards, presented in Dublin.
The oval also hosted World Cup qualifier games for the the Socceroos and a showcase game between Liverpool and Adelaide United.
Australian Football League crowds jumped by more than 60% since games were moved from Football Park at West Lakes. The Phil Walsh memorial match in July 2015 remained the largest attended, with 54,468 watching Port Adelaide take on the Adelaide Crows.
In September 2014, the ground hosted its first AFL finals game: an elimination won by Port Adelaide by 57 points over Richmond in front of 50,618. South Australian National Football League finals also returned to Adelaide Oval.
Cricket attendance also rose across the bigger range of games: Tests, one-day internationals, T20, the Big Bash league and the India-Pakistan World Cup match.
Cricket’s record crowd was 55,317 for the second Ashes Test in December 2017. Adelaide Oval hosted its first Big Bash League grand final in February 2018, with the Adelaide Strikers defeating the Hobart Hurricanes.
Champion boxers Anthony Mundine and Danny Green added to the oval’s sporting versatility with their rematch in October 2017.
Adele’s oval concert set a new 70,000-plus record for the largest attendance at an Adelaide show, with other big nights for the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses.
The oval was used as a festivals venue with Groupe F’s launch of the 2016 Adelaide Festival of Arts and, for the Fringe, LIVE on 5 built a world-first special stage high into the Level 5 seating bowl, allowing acts to stage performances with the oval as a backdrop.
