Adelaide Sporting Clubs Guide: The Crows, the Power, and How to Get Involved in Sport in South Australia

Adelaide is one of the world's great AFL cities: the two Adelaide AFL clubs (the Adelaide Crows and the Port Adelaide Power) command fierce tribal loyalties that define South Australian social life to a degree unmatched even by Melbourne's AFL culture, and Adelaide Oval (Australia's most beautiful football and cricket stadium, superbly renovated in 2014 with the unique "catwalk" on the roof of the William Magarey Stand) provides one of the world's finest sporting venues for AFL matches. Beyond AFL, Adelaide's extraordinary wine regions (which provide world-class cycling events including the Tour Down Under), the Glenelg and southern beaches (for surfing, sailing, and ocean swimming), and the Adelaide Hills (for trail running and mountain biking) create a sporting culture with exceptional natural assets.

Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power — the Adelaide Crows (Adelaide Oval, War Memorial Drive) and the Port Adelaide Power (Adelaide Oval) are Adelaide's two AFL clubs and the dominant sporting institutions in SA. The Crows (founded 1991, two premierships in 1997 and 1998) and the Power (founded 1997, one premiership in 2004) are fierce rivals, and the Showdown (the Crows vs Power Derby) is unquestionably the most anticipated single sporting event on Adelaide's annual calendar, consistently drawing 50,000+ to Adelaide Oval. The rivalry is one of Australian sport's most passionate and distinctive, with South Australian families divided along Crows/Power lines that can run across generations.

Adelaide Oval and International Cricket — Adelaide Oval is one of the world's finest cricket venues and hosts the Test, ODI, and T20I matches played in Adelaide. The ground's extraordinary setting (the distinctive heritage scoreboard, the Moreton Bay fig trees on the embankment, and the St Peter's Cathedral as a backdrop) creates an atmospheric test match experience that is universally praised by international visitors. SA Cricket's community programs and the Redbacks Sheffield Shield team provide strong community cricket participation opportunities for Adelaide cricket enthusiasts.

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