Port Adelaide Football Club unveils mixed-use precinct plans

Port Adelaide Football Club has unveiled concept plans for a commercial, health, community and residential precinct connected to the high-performance and community sport facilities at Alberton Oval, south of Port Adelaide.

According to a release from the club, the project has been in planning for four years. Since 2023, twenty-six residential properties between the oval and Port Road have been purchased to make way for the 20,000-square-metre proposal, which incorporates an existing car park already owned by the club. Funding has been provided by private investors and the Australian Football League (AFL).

The proposed development is aimed at addressing housing demand in Adelaide's western suburbs while providing improved facilities and opportunities for the local community.

Port Adelaide Football Club chairman David Koch said, "The concept of Alberton Square is a vision that has been developed to future-proof Port Adelaide for generations to come, underpin our football programs, enhance the local community and the club's role in it, and ensure Alberton is our home for at least the next 150 years." 

Leading the design, Cox Architecture has looked to reinstate one of the area's historic squares, of which only two of five originally masterplanned in the 1870s remain today.

Club CEO Richardson commented, "The vision with this precinct is that there are also lots of active spaces and plaza areas … providing great facilities for the community."

He said that while the exact mix of the development was not yet confirmed, the proposal could potentially include affordable housing and supported living.

The club will proceed with a planning application through the state government.

Richardson noted that the approvals process would include community consultation as part of a code amendment application to rezone the land.

"This is a commercial project. What we're trying to do is build a business model, so we're self-sufficient," Richardson said. "We think that there's going to be great benefit to the development of Alberton Square for the community … Ultimately, that is what the Port Adelaide Football Club is about."