Football history has been written and rewritten, again and again at Alberton Oval. It has been a fortress, a physical and spiritual home for the Port Adelaide Football Club since the first game was played here on May 15, 1880.
Originally named Queen and Alberton Oval, this venue has been a scene of pain and torment for many a side. South Adelaide once endured a 29-year period without winning at Alberton from 1907 to 1936, followed by another 28-year drought from 1939 to 1967.
While the club played its first home games at Buck’s Flat at Glanville, Alberton Oval has become known as an icon in Australian football. Other than a two-year period where the club moved its home games to Adelaide Oval in 1975 and 76 due to a dispute with the local council, Alberton has been home to Port Adelaide for more than 140 years.
If you look to your right, you’ll see the heritage listed Fos Wiliams Family Stand, honouring the contribution made to the club by the Williams family. Between them, Fos, and his sons Anthony, Stephen and Mark have been involved in 23 of Port Adelaide’s 37 premierships. Fos’s wife Von and daughter Jenny also played a part in that legacy. That pavilion was opened in 1903 and has been refurbished several times – most recently in 2022 to provide AFL-standard changerooms, offices and leisure spaces as well as broadcast facilities in time for the club’s foray into the AFLW.
Opposite us, on the eastern flank of Alberton Oval is where the club’s administration offices are, along with the MG High Performance Centre, which includes indoor training spaces, a gym, pool and rehabilitation facilities along with a lecture theatre, locker room and commercial kitchen. The 25-million-dollar redevelopment was opened as a world-class high-performance sports precinct in February 2024 while also providing improved community green space and sports facilities for local junior sports clubs.
We’re currently standing in the Robert B. Quinn M.M Grandstand, which was opened in 1964, and was later named in honour of war hero Bob Quinn – who won two Magarey Medals, three premierships and four club best and fairests along with a Military Medal for bravery during World War two. As well as the museum and remodelled club store you may have seen downstairs, a 2022 redevelopment of this stand saw the opening of a new contemporary bar and kitchen called “The Precinct”, a function room named after former administrator Bob McLean and the creation of this deck, which gives incredible views over Alberton Oval. If you get a chance, it’s a great spot to grab a bite to eat or have a coffee while taking in training or a game.
While our audio tour is almost complete, there is a bonus optional stop down on ground level at a spot behind the goals to the left of the oval. Head down the stairs to your right or go back down the lift and make your way around to the next QR code behind the north-eastern goals to get a view of where the cheer squad traditionally congregates on gamedays to learn more about our supporters.