Glenelg/West merger?

[Panther Pack]

I'm too young to know but why didn't South Adelaide ever play games at St Mary's?

I know they trained there but was there ever a chance to play their home games at the ground also?

I've often wondered if for a lot of supporters Noarlunga is just seen as too far away and too much hassle to go to.

Something I have found interesting is that our membership the last couple of years has basically doubled yet our crowd sizes are smaller.

[Spargo]

I'm too young to know but why didn't South Adelaide ever play games at St Mary's?

I know they trained there but was there ever a chance to play their home games at the ground also?

I've often wondered if for a lot of supporters Noarlunga is just seen as too far away and too much hassle to go to.

Something I have found interesting is that our membership the last couple of years has basically doubled yet our crowd sizes are smaller.

Residents were the biggest problem IIRC. Panther Park would've been ideal, big oval, plenty of room for seating/amenities, change rooms already in place. You also had the club rooms right up the street.
I reckon things would've been a hell of a lot better for South if they could've played there.

[Panther Pack]

I'm too young to know but why didn't South Adelaide ever play games at St Mary's?

I know they trained there but was there ever a chance to play their home games at the ground also?

I've often wondered if for a lot of supporters Noarlunga is just seen as too far away and too much hassle to go to.

Something I have found interesting is that our membership the last couple of years has basically doubled yet our crowd sizes are smaller.

Residents were the biggest problem IIRC. Panther Park would've been ideal, big oval, plenty of room for seating/amenities, change rooms already in place. You also had the club rooms right up the street.
I reckon things would've been a hell of a lot better for South if they could've played there.

Were the club rooms located where the Southern Bar & Bistro is on South Road?

[Spargo]

Yep.

[Wedgie]

Went there once to watch a South v Torrens trial in 1987, it wasn't even close to league standard then.

[Mark_Beswick]

I played an u19s game there. Ground was rock hard and from memory 24yrs ago... it sloped heavily to the northern end. Maybe i am mistaken about the slope but no way near league standard as a venue.

[Brodlach]

Been there plenty of times and I don't remember a slope. The amenities would never have been good enough for SANFL

[darley16]

Wrong about the slope but right about being a hard surface, the club had not built infrastructure at the ground as they were waiting on the SANFL and Council for the ratification to have league footy played there which of course the locals didn't permit. Therefore the only thing the club had built at that stage was a change room, scoreboard and time clock. Plans were in place for terracing and grandstand once approval was granted, should this have happened the South Adelaide story would have a much different one to the one we have today and i dare say much more successful.

[MW]

I played at that ground for a couple of years for Kenilworth. Fittest I've ever been running around on that paddock! No slope at all, not sure what gives you that idea. It is ridiculously big though.

[JK]

I played at that ground for a couple of years for Kenilworth. Fittest I've ever been running around on that paddock! No slope at all, not sure what gives you that idea. It is ridiculously big though.

Yep, one of the worst grounds to play on when hungover is my lasting memory.

[human_torpedo]

I played at that ground for a couple of years for Kenilworth. Fittest I've ever been running around on that paddock! No slope at all, not sure what gives you that idea. It is ridiculously big though.

Yep, one of the worst grounds to play on when hungover is my lasting memory.

Intrigued to find out the best ground to play on hungover?

[heater31]

I played at that ground for a couple of years for Kenilworth. Fittest I've ever been running around on that paddock! No slope at all, not sure what gives you that idea. It is ridiculously big though.

Yep, one of the worst grounds to play on when hungover is my lasting memory.

Intrigued to find out the best ground to play on hungover?

Vaughton Oval, Pulteney......so small I swear the 50m arc is only 45.....

[MW]

I played at that ground for a couple of years for Kenilworth. Fittest I've ever been running around on that paddock! No slope at all, not sure what gives you that idea. It is ridiculously big though.

Yep, one of the worst grounds to play on when hungover is my lasting memory.

Intrigued to find out the best ground to play on hungover?

Probably Morphettville Park for the opposite reason as Panther Park!

[Booney]

I played at that ground for a couple of years for Kenilworth. Fittest I've ever been running around on that paddock! No slope at all, not sure what gives you that idea. It is ridiculously big though.

Yep, one of the worst grounds to play on when hungover is my lasting memory.

Intrigued to find out the best ground to play on hungover?

Not Kilburn when you're playing U17's.

[Wedgie]

I played at that ground for a couple of years for Kenilworth. Fittest I've ever been running around on that paddock! No slope at all, not sure what gives you that idea. It is ridiculously big though.

Yep, one of the worst grounds to play on when hungover is my lasting memory.

Intrigued to find out the best ground to play on hungover?

Probably Morphettville Park for the opposite reason as Panther Park!

Depends what wing you're playing!!

[HH3]

Intrigued to find out the best ground to play on hungover?

Unley Jets ovals about the size of my backyard.

[Panther Pack]

Wrong about the slope but right about being a hard surface, the club had not built infrastructure at the ground as they were waiting on the SANFL and Council for the ratification to have league footy played there which of course the locals didn't permit. Therefore the only thing the club had built at that stage was a change room, scoreboard and time clock. Plans were in place for terracing and grandstand once approval was granted, should this have happened the South Adelaide story would have a much different one to the one we have today and i dare say much more successful.

Darley do you think it was a mistake by the club to move to Noarlunga?

As previously mentioned I often wonder if our ground location contributes to our smaller crowds.

[heater31]

Wrong about the slope but right about being a hard surface, the club had not built infrastructure at the ground as they were waiting on the SANFL and Council for the ratification to have league footy played there which of course the locals didn't permit. Therefore the only thing the club had built at that stage was a change room, scoreboard and time clock. Plans were in place for terracing and grandstand once approval was granted, should this have happened the South Adelaide story would have a much different one to the one we have today and i dare say much more successful.

Darley do you think it was a mistake by the club to move to Noarlunga?

As previously mentioned I often wonder if our ground location contributes to our smaller crowds.

It would have to contribute to the low patronage to the licenced venue.....it's nowhere near anything!

[darley16]

Panther Pack given we couldn't get our own home ground at St Marys which was next to our club rooms on South Rd and given all other clubs had been profitable over decades with their own home grounds for gate takings, food and beverage sales etc South struggled financially to keep up as the SACA took all catering for our home games at Adelaide Oval and the SANFL/SACA took half the gate, how we survived is due to a very loyal albeit small supporter base. In the late 1980's the inevitable happened, we were broke. Again due to a very loyal supporter base and blokes like John Reid as coach we survived, the move to Noarlunga for better or worse was at the time a necessity and after nearly 100 years we finally had a home ground to call our own. So endeth the lesson.

[Dutchy]

Move to Noarlunga was the right one, the positioning of the oval was the mistake IMO