Motions

Adelaide United Football Club

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. T.J. Stephens:

That this council congratulates Adelaide United Football Club for claiming the A-League premiership and championship in season 2015-16.

(Continued from 25 May 2016.)

The Hon. T.T. NGO (20:19): I rise on behalf of the state government to congratulate the Adelaide United Football Club for its historic FFA Championship and A-League premiership wins. Adelaide United Football Club, also known as 'the Reds', is one of the most successful teams in the history of the Australian Hyundai A-League. The Hyundai A-League commenced in 2005 with Adelaide United Football Club the inaugural premiers. Adelaide United Football Club has also been a grand finalist in the 2006-07 and 2008-09 seasons.

The 13-year wait for Adelaide United to become A-League champions is over after their convincing 3-1 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers, with the visitors disappointed by their third grand final defeat in four seasons. The club came into being at the end of the National Soccer League to unite the city behind one set of colours and, this year, they achieved a dream ending to their season.

The head coach of Adelaide United Football Club, Guillermo Amor, is a Spanish retired footballer and Barcelona legend who played as a versatile midfielder. Building on the work of his coaching predecessor, Josep Gombau, in his first year as head coach of the club, Amor coached Adelaide United to finish the 2014-15 Hyundai A-League season in third place.

In the 2015-16 season, Amor proved his credentials by turning around a season and taking the Adelaide United team all the way to the very top. Guillermo Amor was recognised as the coach of the season for his exceptional leadership and skill in bringing out the very best in his young team. Amor's passion for his team and his sense of responsibility to Adelaide United's fans shone through vividly in the team's respect, trust, affection and commitment to each other and to their coach.

Amor's gift as a coach is the way in which he put the 'united' in Adelaide United's team. The results speak for themselves with the club's win in front of more than 50,000 fans. The fans arrived at Adelaide Oval in their thousands, creating a sea of red as they walked along the city streets. After a predictably tense and physical start, the game burst into life with two goals to the home side midway through the half, handing the Reds a clear advantage going into the break.

The Reds won the game in the first half, going ahead on 22 minutes through Bruce Kamau and then again on 34 minutes after an inch-perfect, world-class free kick by Isaias. It was an exceptional performance by the Reds. Marcelo Carrusca brought the creativity, Kamau provided the spark and Craig Goodwin gave a solid defensive performance at left back. The Reds had the better of the match and, in the final moments of the game, as Adelaide fans prepared to celebrate, Pablo Sanchez, Adelaide United's supersub, drove in a strike which put the result beyond doubt.

Adelaide United Football Club became champions in front of a record crowd for a domestic game in South Australia. As the final whistle blew and the Reds won their first title with a 3-1 triumph over Western Sydney Wanderers at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide United skipper, Eugene Galekovic, and many other Adelaide United players dropped to the ground in tears. Galekovic credited the influence of head coach, Guillermo Amor, as the Reds celebrated their first Hyundai A-League championship

It has been a remarkable turnaround by the side, which was winless after eight rounds but went on an incredible run to clinch a historic double this season both as FFA champions and as A-League premiers. Adelaide United's achievements teach other sports teams a valuable lesson: never give up even when times are tough because, with hard work and perseverance, everything can turn around. With plenty of changes and opportunities for exciting new dynamics, Amor will now be looking to build on the existing team and unearth diamonds in a new Adelaide United line-up for the 2016-17 season.

The government of South Australia is delighted to have played its part in giving so many fans the opportunity to enjoy this incredible moment in our state's sporting history at a fantastic venue. Since the Adelaide Oval was redeveloped two years ago, South Australia has hosted the cricket world cup, the AFL draft, the SANFL grand final, the Rolling Stones concert, a match showcasing Liverpool United and Adelaide United football clubs and now a brilliant moment of football glory for our state, which will go down in Australian soccer history.

Adelaide Oval has even hosted monster truck races. I am glad to tell the house that a few weeks ago, I went to the monster truck races at Adelaide Oval with my son Jayden. He only lasted half an hour because we went up so high that he felt sick and puked over everyone in front of him. People surrounding me were nice enough to help me out and, eventually, I had to take him home early. That was my $200 worth—15 minutes of monster trucks.

The state government's successful Adelaide Oval upgrade has made major events accessible to a new audience of South Australians and visitors, and so, revitalised the CBD. On behalf of the state government, I congratulate the entire Adelaide United Football Club team, coaches, support staff and fans. I wish everyone an exciting season in 2016-17.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (20:28): I rise to commend the Hon. Mr Stephens for bringing the motion to the chamber. I will bring to the council some different matters in relation to the Adelaide United Football Club, particularly in relation to the establishment of their training centre and administration offices in the City of Playford. It is particularly interesting to me that the training centre has been developed at Ridley Reserve in Elizabeth—a relatively basic supporting facility where I have played and watched cricket and also watched softball in the past.

In 2012, the City of Playford commissioned the Playford sports precinct master plan. The plan was endorsed by the council in June 2013 and set out a vision to create high-level facilities for a range of sports while also catering for active recreational opportunities. The plan is consistent with the Playford Community Vision 2043. The master plan provided direction for a regional level football facility featuring four pitches and a club facility but did not identify a specific tenant club. The existing football club located in that precinct at the time was a lower-level amateur club, which was not affiliated with Football Federation SA.

In February 2014, Michael Petrillo, the then Adelaide United Football Club's CEO, held a press conference outlining the challenges the club faced on a weekly basis trying to secure training pitches. The club did not have a home base and was training at multiple locations each week. This was detrimental to their ability to foster an elite training environment. The logistics of moving each day was a challenge and the quality of the pitches varied significantly.

Following the press conference, Mayor Glenn Docherty of the City of Playford and his council administration, invited the Adelaide United Football Club CEO to Ridley Reserve and outlined the City of Playford's vision for the sports precinct. Football or soccer, as many of us have called it, is a huge sport in the northern suburbs and has a high number of clubs and players. This led to ongoing discussions about AUFC's requirements.

In August 2014, the City of Playford and AUFC signed an MOU, which enabled both organisations to work collaboratively together on a proposal to establish the AUFC training centre at Ridley Reserve, and administration offices at the nearby Aquadome. A council report was prepared and in January 2015 council endorsed the allocation of funding to construct both facilities. The council report included an economic analysis of the project and illustrated how attracting the premier football (soccer) club in Adelaide would raise the profile of the Playford City Sports Precinct and increase community pride.

The AUFC training centre was officially opened in September 2015. The training centre features two full-size pitches—of the same dimensions as Hindmarsh Stadium—a meeting room for match analysis, a gym, separate change rooms for players and coaches, a recovery facility, coaches' offices and a laundry. The modular buildings were supplied by local business Ausco. The training facilities were delivered by the City of Playford in approximately 12 months from the first initial meeting with AUFC.

Ausco has been in operation at Elizabeth West, now known as Edinburgh North, for over 50 years. The project provided over 3,000 equivalent working hours for the business, which usually employs about 120 people, many of whom are residents of the City of Playford. The lease agreement for the training centre was established between the City of Playford and AUFC. That lease is for five years, with extension options out to 20 years. The lease agreement includes a community partnership component, which outlines how both parties will work together to benefit each other. This includes a range of community outcomes. Under the lease agreement AUFC is responsible for maintaining the pitches, which ensures they can be maintained to a very high standard suitable for an A-League level team.

In September 2016, the administration offices were completed at the Aquadome. This allows up to 20 staff to be located within the City of Playford's northern CBD development area, while only being 1.5 kilometres from the training centre. This enables staff from the football department to be located close to the training centre, while also creating economic activity in the northern CBD.

In October 2016, the City of Playford applied for funding from the state government to construct female change facilities at the training centre. This will allow both the W-League and A-League teams to train alongside each other. If council is successful in attracting external funding, it aims to construct a synthetic pitch adjacent to the existing AUFC training centre. This vision is for the facility to be shared between local clubs and AUFC youth and women's teams.

Certainly, the presence of the Adelaide United Football Club has raised the profile of the Playford Sports Precinct and this assists in attracting grant funding from both state and federal governments. Having the premier football, or soccer, club in Adelaide call the City of Playford home has contributed to local community pride. Adelaide United is now the third highest profile team in South Australia. Some from the cricket fraternity might argue with that, but I think, in relation to the football codes, that is certainly the case.

The growth of the A-League and participation rates in the sport suggest that this is likely to consolidate or improve. The transfer of staff to the Aquadome will provide significant economic benefits to the city centre. The associated construction activities also resulted in a rise in the output of the City of Playford economy. In addition, Adelaide United Football Club and Playford International College are in the process of formalising a partnership which benefits both parties. This will include an annual tournament and the establishment of a football academy at Playford International College.

Students will also be able to tour the facilities and learn about high-performance sports which link to their classroom activities. Adelaide United runs its professional football schools within the City of Playford, providing participation opportunities for local children. The club has also hosted a family day adjacent to the training base and has held open training sessions for the community. I have witnessed the activities in that area and seen the quality of the development there, and there is no doubt that Adelaide United's presence at the Playford sports precinct has created a continuing and integrated football pathway within the City of Playford and the northern suburbs of Adelaide.

Of course, in the first season that Adelaide United was using its training centre, they won both the Premier's Plate and the A-League championship, and that was a wonderful result. Adelaide United Football Club staff, players and coaches have confirmed that the training centre contributed to this success, as it fostered an elite training environment which was a key ingredient missing from the club's set-up for many years.

In conclusion, I do want to commend Mayor Glenn Docherty and, of course, the entire City of Playford and Adelaide United Football Club for actually working together. It seemed that one had a need and the other had an opportunity, and it has worked very well. I recommend that members, if they have the opportunity, deviate slightly off the Main North Road in Elizabeth and have a look at the precinct, because it is looking very good. Obviously, if the further facilities that I have mentioned are developed there, it will only add to a very good sporting asset for South Australia and particularly for the northern suburbs of Adelaide. I commend the motion to the chamber.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (20:38): I would like to thank honourable members—the Hon. Tung Ngo and the Hon. John Dawkins—for their contributions and indications of support. I know that all in this chamber wish Adelaide United, both their men's and women's teams, every possible success in the coming season and congratulate them for what they have done in the past. Onwards and upwards for the mighty football club!

Motion carried.