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MELBOURNE: Australia's iconic Adelaide Oval is to undergo a A$535 million ($585 million) redevelopment into a multi-purpose stadium that its custodians hope will be finished in time for England's next Ashes tour.
Members of the South Australia Cricket Association (SACA)have endorsed the plan, paving the way for construction which could see the picturesque ground boosted from its current seating capacity of around 32,000 to 50,000.
SACA president Ian McLachlan welcomed Monday's vote, in which more than 80 percent of SACA's members approved the plan, surpassing a minimum 75 percent requirement.
“Adelaide will have the most modern sporting venue in the country with world-class facilities in the best location in any capital city,” McLachlan said in a statement on SACA's website (cricketsa.com.au).
“It will enable Adelaide to compete more effectively with other interstate and international venues to attract major events, whether sporting or cultural such as concerts.”
The redevelopment will include the construction of a new southern stand and deliver an additional economic benefit of more than A$100 million to state government coffers ever year, SACA said in a note to its members on its website.
The plans retain the heritage scoreboard, grassed northern mound, views of the St. Peters Cathedral and the Moreton Bay fig trees that have become synonymous with the ground.
Overlooking the city from the north bank of the city's Torrens River, the Adelaide Oval hosted its first test cricket match in 1884 and remains a regular fixture on Ashes tours.
The development would allow the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide teams to bring top flight Australian Rules football to the Oval.
