Adelaide Oval - Major Sporting Events

Major Sporting Events

Adelaide Oval hosts the following major sporting events:

• International cricket — Test and One Day International. The Adelaide Oval hosts some of the many exciting events in the cricketing calendar — including the annual Australia Day One Day International on 26 January (replacing a traditional Australia Day test) and every 4 years, one of the 5 Ashes test matches against England. The tests are now normally held in early December and is a clash between Australia and the international touring team of that particular season. In 2011, The Adelaide Oval held its first Twenty20 International between Australia and England, a match which England won by 1 wicket.
• Domestic cricket — Adelaide Oval is the home ground of the West End Southern Redbacks, the South Australian state cricket team. They play in three competitions: Sheffield Shield (first-class), Ryobi One Day Cup (one-day) and KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. The 2005/06 ING Cup (now known as the Ryobi One Day Cup) final was played at Adelaide Oval between SA and NSW.

• Australian rules football — Adelaide Oval hosts SANFL matches, including many of the finals. Traditional fixtures include a "Grand Final rematch" between last year's Grand Finalists on the afternoon of ANZAC Day, which is well attended due to the venue's close proximity to the Torrens Parade Ground, the end of the ANZAC Day Parade in Adelaide, and the Finals in the first 3 weeks of the SANFL Finals Series, with only the Grand Final being played at AAMI Stadium. Australian Football League matches are played at AAMI Stadium, although this will change in 2014 when AFL games will be shifted to a redeveloped and expanded Adelaide Oval. The first AFL game that took place at the venue was Port Adelaide v Melbourne in Round 24 of the 2011 AFL Season, with Port Adelaide winning by 8 points.
• Rugby sevens — Starting in 2007, Adelaide Oval has hosted the Australia Sevens event in the IRB Sevens World Series.

• Soccer — Adelaide United FC have played a number of A-League home games against Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory FC. Adelaide Oval was the site of an international friendly match between the Socceroos and New Zealand on 5 June 2011.
• Rugby League - In 1991 NSWRL came to the Adelaide Oval when the St. George Dragons played the Balmain Tigers on a cold and wet Friday night under temporary lights in the first of five games that the Dragons would play at the oval over the next five years. That game set a rugby league record crowd for the ground when 28,884 people attended. In 1997 Adelaide got its own side in the much vaunted (but short lived) Super League competition with the Adelaide Rams. Their first home game attracted their record crowd when 27,435 saw the Rams beat the Hunter Mariners 10-8, however, they left the ground in 1998 and went to Hindmarsh Stadium. In 2010 and 2011 the Canterbury Bulldogs played the Melbourne Storm at Adelaide Oval and will do so again in 2012.

16 sports have been played at one time or another at the oval: archery, athletics, baseball, cycling, gridion, highland games, hockey, lacrosse, lawn tennis, rugby league, rugby union, quoits and soccer.