The Adelaide Oval is an oval in Adelaide, South Australia. It is located between the central business district and North Adelaide and has a history which dates back to the 1870s. It is considered to be one of the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia, if not the world.^[1] The oval is managed by the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA). The current curator is Les Burdett.

It currently holds approximately 32,000 - 34,000 spectators ,^[2] but a record attendance of 62,543 people was recorded for the 1965 SANFL Grand Final between Port Adelaide and Sturt.

(from Cricinfo)

The ground opened in 1873 amid bitter local disputes over boundaries and money, and in its early years the pitches were often dreadful. Things gradually improved, although Adelaide's tendency to attract controversy remained. In 1884-85 it staged its first Test, but that was dogged by arguments with the English tourists over appearance money and who would umpire. In 1932-33, the Bodyline affair reached its nadir at The Oval when Bill Woodfull and Bert Oldfield were struck, and on the third day mounted police patrolled to keep the 50, 962 spectators in order. But these days the pitches are true and disputes rarer.

• Established in 1871 after the formation of SACA.
• 12 - 16 December 1884 - first Test match at the Oval. England beat Australia by eight wickets.
• 1900 Picket fence put up surrounding the Oval (then with a cycling track).
• Lights were constructed at the grounds in 1997, allowing sport to be held at night. This was the subject of a lengthy dispute with the Adelaide City Council, due to environmental issues relating to the parklands area. Initial plans to build retractable light towers were scrapped after one collapsed.
• During the 2006/07 Ashes series, many temporary stands were erected to cope with the demand for tickets. Stands were put between the Chappell stands and on the top of the hills. Australia beat England by 6 wickets on a remarkable last day [1]

Adelaide Oval hosts the following major sporting events:

• International cricket — Test and One-day International. There are normally two or three one-day games on the Australia Day weekend in January (replacing a traditional Australia Day test). The test is now normally in December and is Australia against the international touring team of the time. These matches include one test match during The Ashes series.
• Domestic cricket — Adelaide Oval is the home ground of the Southern Redbacks, the South Australian state cricket team. They play in three competitions: Ford Ranger Cup, Pura Cup and occasional domestic twenty20. The 2005/06 ING Cup (now known as the Ford Ranger One Day Cup) was played at Adelaide Oval between SA and NSW.
• Australian rules football — Adelaide Oval hosts SANFL matches, including many of the finals. Australian Football League matches are played at AAMI Stadium.
• Rugby sevens — Starting in 2007, Adelaide Oval will host the new Australia Sevens event in the IRB Sevens World Series.

Adelaide Oval was also home base for most of the Adelaide Rams rugby league team's short history. 16 sports have been played at one time or another at the oval: archery, athletics, baseball, cycling, American football, highland games, hockey, lacrosse, lawn tennis, rugby league, rugby union, quoits and soccer

Adelaide Oval has hosted major concerts during its time, with some of the most famous acts to include Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel and Elton John [2].

The oval is laid out as follows, around the center of the oval. In front of the stands there is plastic seating all the way around the oval.

	North ("Cathedral End")
	The Hill: Created in 1898 with earth from the banks of the River Torrens	The scoreboard: first used in 1911 and is a famous piece of the ground, with original Edwardian architecture. also with a Video Replay Screen and the bar - making this part of the hill the noisiest in the ground.
West There are three stands from around the start of the 20th century: George Giffen stand (1882) Sir Edwin Smith stand (1922) Mostyn Evan stand (1920s)	the playing area (surrounded by picket fence and advertising billboards)	East Two grandstands, named the Chappell Stands, after the famous South Australian cricketing brothers and national captains Ian Chappell, and Greg Chappell, were completed in 2003.
	The Sir Donald Bradman stand: built in 1990 to replace the John Creswell stand, now provides up to date facilities for spectators.	Several open air corporate boxes
	South ("River End")

The scoreboard and the western stands are listed on the City of Adelaide Heritage Register, helping to maintain the charm of the ground.

34°54′56″S 138°35′46″E / 34.91556°S 138.59611°E / -34.91556; 138.59611

v t e Test cricket grounds in Australia
Primary grounds	Adelaide Oval Bellerive Oval The Gabba Manuka Oval Melbourne Cricket Ground Perth Stadium Sydney Cricket Ground
Former grounds	Brisbane Exhibition Ground Cazalys Stadium Marrara Oval WACA Ground