ADELAIDE Oval’s new deal for its AFL tenants is already under fire for not delivering the “pots of gold” the SANFL claims are on offer to the Crows and Power.

New AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan will chair a review of the AFL clubs’ deal with the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority in July. The meeting was originally set for June 1.

But already the Crows and Power feel they are being short-changed in the $12 million uplift

projected by the SANFL because of significant cost increases in hosting AFL games at the Oval when compared to Football Park.

Port Adelaide Football Club president David Koch yesterday was forthright in calling for the stadium deal at the Oval to be changed.

“It needs to be looked at because it is not the gold mine that we are being told it is,” Koch said at the Oval. “Some of the costs are way more than AAMI Stadium and way more than we expected — and it’s not just us. It’s the Crows as well.”

These cost increases are in booking stadium rooms, security, cleaning and in managing the traffic around the Oval.

Adelaide Football Club chairman Rob Chapman said his first glance at the receipts from the Oval show “we are incurring increases in our expenses”.

“But I have no axe to grind just yet and I want to see more figures, say from 12 weeks of attendances, revenues and costs to test the stadium model,” Chapman told The Advertiser yesterday.

“And I want to make sure the uplift that comes from Adelaide Oval does indeed go to where it was originally intended — the two AFL clubs.”

SANFL president John Olsen, the new SMA chairman, last month raised the ire of the AFL clubs by saying they would together claim a $12 million increase stadium return by the move to the redeveloped Adelaide Oval when compared to takings at AAMI Stadium.

But the two AFL clubs say that Olsen has ignored the extra costs they are incurring in putting on games at the Oval. Port expects its net benefit to be at $3.9m. Adelaide is expecting a $3m net benefit. The combined $6.9m is far short of Olsen’s $12m prediction.

Koch yesterday acknowledged Port’s net benefit could exceed the $3.9m projection because the Power’s attendances at the Oval are greater than expected.

“We were thinking we would get an average of 32,000-35,000 at Adelaide Oval and we are tracking at well mover 40,000 (44,545) at the moment,” Koch said.

“But forget about the numbers of people turning up. It is what we earn out of the stadium that will determine what we make (as a profit or loss this season).

“Yes, (Adelaide Oval) is a significant benefit to us — there is no doubt about that) — but there have been some surprises (in the costs). The stadium deal is better, but it is not as good as some of the numbers that have been bandied about.”

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