AAMI Stadium 39 years old but end is in sight Hawthorn players training at AAMI Stadium - the giant crow kite is designed to keep the birds off the grass Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser AAMI Stadium opened - as Football Park - for league football 39 years ago. And it is now 120 days from its close as an AFL venue. In a season of AFL lasts for AAMI Stadium, the 39th anniversary of the venue's first SANFL game is almost passing without attention. It is a telling footnote of SA football's first real home that was created in 1971 amid frustration from the SA Cricket Association controlling Adelaide Oval. After construction delays stopped the SANFL from opening the season at Football Park with West Torrens and Woodville on April 6, the league - with considerable bills to pay - called North Adelaide and Central District to baptise the venue on May 4, 1974. At that stage the SANFL had put off six games, transferring the matches to Adelaide, Elizabeth, Woodville and Thebarton ovals. The roof on the members' stand was not complete. The foundation members, who had paid $70 for their memberships, were asked to pay to enter. There was concern - as extra staff were called to clean up the work site on the Friday before the opening - whether enough facilities could be put together to appease the fans. But after spending $3 million on the arena, the SANFL needed cash flowing back from its major investment. The opening drew 11,221 curious fans. It was not the biggest crowd of the weekend as Sturt squeezed 15,376 into the tight confines of Unley Oval who watched the Double Blues remain unbeaten while hosting Port Adelaide. There were no floodlights, as will be needed today for the AFL clash between Adelaide and Hawthorn. That feature required a Royal Commission. There were no seats in the outer. Beer could not be taken out of the bars, as is possible today. Smoking was allowed in the terraces, as cannot happen today. And the ground the SANFL steadfastly said would never be the home ground for any club is today the base of the Adelaide Football Club. The second stage of construction - that was to have the upper deck grandstand completely circle the ground - was never started as construction costs went beyond the SANFL's original estimate of $4m. Nor did the ground ever have the 80,000 fans the SANFL wanted to accommodate. However, it came close in the 1976 grand final between Sturt and Port Adelaide when more than 78,000 were ushered into the ground while the SANFL recorded 66,897. For the record, the Bulldogs won the first league game - by 30 points.