BEWARE of freebies.

On Tuesday morning — Melbourne Cup day — South Australians holding $25 tickets to the Morphettville racecourse were told on Adelaide radio that they could reach the track for “free” on public transport.

Where have we heard this before? Since the Footy Express bus service — first to Football Park and this year to Adelaide Oval — began more than a decade ago there was the impression that the ride to an AFL game in Adelaide was free. Simply show your AFL ticket or season pass to the driver, take a seat and enjoy the ride ... for “free”.

Now we learn that Crows and Power members — all of them, regardless of how they moved to Football Park or Adelaide Oval — have been always paying. It was a $6.05 levy each season for the Footy Express. Those buying tickets the gate on game day or on the Internet — even if they drove or walked to the turnstiles — paid $3.30 a match.

In essence, those who chose to drive or walk or car pool paid a “penalty” for passing up on public transport.

The Adelaide and Port Adelaide football clubs this year pitched in $800,000 for public transport, a government-managed service that has carried far more fans to the Oval this season than it ever did to Football Park. The two AFL clubs will increase that commitment to $1.4 million next season ($700,000 each) on the deal they brokered with the State government yesterday.

Thousands of football fans will be taken aback by the thought they have been paying for a service they did not use season after season, either at Football Park or at Adelaide Oval. Pensioners, who are entitled to free public transport, would feel most cheated.

With car parking at a premium around the Oval, the greater appeal of taking a bus, train or tram to an AFL game in Adelaide comes at a greater public cost. The bill is $3.1 million next season — and the State government, in line with its public transport levy for any event drawing 5000 or more, is passing this on to the Stadium Management Authority. The SMA and SANFL is serving up $400,000 while the State Government will pick up the $1.3 million shortfall.

Inevitably, the fan will pay — either directly with the levy already on their tickets or in their taxes.

There is much conjecture on just who first said, “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. But there is no doubt now that there is no such thing as a free ride to the football in Adelaide.

Question is: Who should pick up this $3.1 million bill for AFL games at the Oval?

The State government already has gifted the AFL — and the Crows and Power — with a $535 million refit of the Oval. For all the significant economic benefits that came with more than one million football fans attending the first AFL season at the Oval, the burden on every tax payer cannot be ignored. And at some point, enough is enough.

So what should be done with this $3.1 million public transport levy for AFL games at the Oval?

The State government cannot carry the bill forever, even if renewed confidence in public transport on weekends may encourage more people to use the service during the week.

The SMA says it is working to a tight budget - and $8.9 million debt - and has no capacity to absorb the bill in full.

The Crows and Power are extremely sensitive to adding more costs to their season passes and match-day tickets. So, on the deal struck yesterday, the Adelaide and Port Adelaide football clubs will tighten their belts a bit more to find the extra $600,000 they are sending to the State Government for carrying their fans to the Oval on trains, buses and trams.

The user-pay system — as faced by every Victorian football fan taking trams and trains to the MCG and Etihad Stadium in Melbourne — would seem most appropriate. But it would require a pre-paid ticket, as the process of taking cash from unprepared fans stop after stop would delay the travel to the Oval — and further encourage fans, seeking an alternative, to congest the city with their cars. The State government estimates use of public transport would fall from 54 per cent this season to 25 per cent next year with a user-pay system.

“Our modelling,” says Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan, “shows (user-pay) would make the legislated target at Adelaide Oval of 70 per cent of fans using public transport unachievable and also cause significant congestion around the CBD, delaying patrons and other road users.”

Any change to a user-pay system also challenges the State government and AFL clubs to strike a partnership. If each membership carried the option of buying a season pass for public transport, the supposed benefits would be:

ONLY those who use public transport would pay.

GREATER detail on where the demand for public transport exists and how to organise the Footy Express network.

The inevitable drawback is the cost of this pass. If half of the current fans attending the Oval opt in, the cost would be, according to the government’s analysis, $7.60 for each game or $83.60 on an 11-game season ticket. Is that running the risk of making fans stay at home? No wonder the real cost of the Footy Express has been hidden to the fan for so long.

It is status quo for next season, but remember there is no such thing as a free ride to Adelaide Oval. Or to any other public event drawing 5000 or more patrons.

REALITY BITES

EMPTY BUS

WHILE the State Government tries to shuffle the $3.1 million public transport bill from AFL football at Adelaide Oval, the Opposition likes to stir up the issue by dubbing the public transport levy as a “fun tax”.

Any event that draws 5000 or more patrons is subject to a bill from the State government for putting on public transport for the show. It is then up to the promoter to either absorb the cost or add it to the ticket price, as has become patently clear with the Footy Express system.

But when the Bill went through the House of Assembly on August 5 and the Legislative Council on September 22 was there any outcry from the Opposition? Did the recently elected Corey Wingard, who took to the airwaves on Saturday to debate the levy on AFL tickets, speak up in the Lower House on North Terrace? Did Rob Lucas, a former State Treasurer, protest at another levy being put on the Stadium Management Authority’s books to stand alongside his $1 million tax for community sport?

Hansard records silence.

Only Vicki Chapman spoke. She said: “I do not have any problem with people who operate private events when they secure the services of a government resource, whether it is transport or whether it is extra security like police at major events, that there is a user-pays contribution.

“I do not have any problem with that at all.”

So a change of State Government will not bring an end to this debate.

OUT OF TOUCH

ADELAIDE premiership captain MARK BICKLEY made his FIVEaa Sports Show debut on Monday with the public transport levy a keen point of discussion. But the revelation from Bickley that his calls to the Crows — presumably to commercial chief and former teammate Nigel Smart — on this topic were met with bewilderment leaves a serious question.

The levy, that applies to all events with 5000 or more patrons, was detailed in the State Budget months ago and had much media attention in July and August. The impression left by Bickley that the Crows have been blindsided by the levy — while trying to price their season tickets for next year — suggests it may pay for some at West Lakes to read the front end of the newspapers too.

A DAY MORE

ALMOST a century has passed since the Sheffield Shield domestic cricket calendar demanded first-class cricket games in Australia be played on a four-day schedule rather than five. But with professional cricketers and the ease offered by plane travel — rather than train — the question of why Shield cricket does not return to five-day play to resemble the Test arena has greater merit.

Cricket Australia has for more than a year had a paper prepared by high performance chief Pat Howard that recommended “as much of what is happening at international level (should) be mirrored at domestic level”.

Extending Shield play beyond four days to five (and not just for the final) is not without precedent. From 1892 and 1927, Shield games were played to their end, regularly reaching a fifth day. Between 1927-28 and 1930, the contest was formally tied to five-day timelines. Since 1930-31, Shield games were reduced to a maximum of four days (the final excluded).

The pros and cons of having the Shield work to the same time limits as a Test match may be swinging more towards approving a change.

VALE

SPORT is often praising great partnerships. SA sport is offering its most sincere condolences to West Adelaide premiership hero, former State ruckman and former Advertiser sports editor Merv Agars whose success on the field and in the media was strongly supported by his wife Margaret. She died on October 31 aged 87. Even away from the limelight of SA sport, Merv and Margaret enjoyed a marvellous partnership while working against serious health challenges.

A memorial service will begin at 2pm on Monday at the Holy Trinity Church on North Tce.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“WE want to keep some things in house.”

CROWS assistant coach SCOTT CAMPOREALE on Adelaide deciding to keep the times run in pre-season training out of the public domain. Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson is now on high alert.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

“JUST love horse racing ... spent a full day around the house fixing my lawns.”

CROWS ruckman SAM JACOBS proving the Melbourne Cup is the race that stops the nation but not his lawnmower.