Kick On
The Precinct at Alberton is Port Adelaide Football Club’s new social club, museum and function space, packed with technology.
27 August 2022
Photos:/ Matthew Sampson/Port Adelaide FC
Adelaide has long been known as the City of Churches, but everyone knows that Australian rules football is the real religion. Port Adelaide Football Club (PAFC) was founded in 1870, making it the oldest professional football club in South Australia, and the fifth oldest club in the Australian Football League. In the 150 years since, if the sacred oval at Alberton was said to have a ‘church’, it would be the Foss Williams building.
The PAFC has performed an ambitious upgrade on the site turning it into a contemporary bar and kitchen experience, along with an interactive museum that celebrates the club’s rich history and meeting/function facilities.
The latest technology is woven throughout all aspects of the venue. Barry Dawson of Dawson Communications was given the AV project: “The main focus was to work in conjunction with the PAFC to get the best outcome within budget.”
SHOUTING THE BAR
The Main Bar presented the biggest challenge. It’s a long, relatively narrow room with one wall comprised entirely of glazing, looking onto the oval. To provide good sightlines for anyone seated anywhere required 10x 75-inch Philips B Line panels located around the room plus a video wall at one end with a matrix of six 55-inch Philips panels. A total of 15x Electrovoice 100V speakers covered the area. A further six speakers are mounted outside on the balcony, supplemented by 4x FBT high-powered foldback speakers. Creston touch panels control the vision and audio, while an iPad allows remote mobile control.
FUNCTIONS & CONFERENCES
These days, football clubs are more than just noisy bars filled with people watching football. The Function Room is an important facility hired out for all manner of occasions; often entirely unrelated to football.
To provide a state-of-the-art room that would appeal to both public and corporate clients, a wall-mounted 86-inch Infocus INF8640e touch display is main technology focus and in keeping with the rest of the network, another 75-inch Phillips B Line panel is provided for private gatherings that want to see the games, or benefit from the in-house digital signage.
WARM RECEPTION
The Reception had a straightforward requirement with two 50-inch Philips BFL panels mounted behind the desk, while the retail/merchandise room, called the Port Store, with an emphasis digital signage displaying bespoke content, was fitted with a 98-inch Philips BDL panel.
Last but certainly not least, the Museum is a space filled with the Holy Grails of PAFC’s achievements plus a ton of historic memorabilia and displays. Most of it, of course, needs protecting behind glass, so to give visitors a more tactile experience and deeper insight, the club installed four Infocus touch displays and an array of ceiling speakers to create a truly immersive picture of the club’s past. A special room with all of PAFC’s famous guernsey designs, again safely in glass cabinets, also has a Philips BFL panel replaying Port Adelaide’s greatest moments. The club wanted to ensure that the stories behind the legends, and the true heart of the club — its past members — were on show for future generations of supporters.
TOP OF THE TABLE
Further upgrades and improvements are planned for the other buildings surrounding Alberton Oval, prompted in part by PAFC fielding its inaugural AFLW team in the coming competition and the increased patronage that’s expected to create.
Perhaps not quite a church in the traditional sense, the Foss Williams building has been transformed into a place to celebrate in style, with the latest in technology, that most passionate of religions, Aussie Rules Footy.
RESPONSES