Adelaide Oval is one of the prettiest grounds in the country to watch footy or cricket โ right on the River Torrens, a short walk from the CBD, with St Peterโs Cathedral over your shoulder View on Google Maps. But โprettyโ doesnโt help you at 4pm in February when the sun is hammering one side of the ground and youโre squinting through every over. This guide gives you the judgment the official site wonโt: where the good seats actually are, which side to book if you burn easily, and how to arrive without going near a car park.
A quick honesty note: Adelaide Oval doesnโt publish a public shade map or a stand-by-stand sun chart, so anything venue-specific below that we couldnโt verify is flagged โunverified โ check the official source.โ The sun physics, though, isnโt a mystery โ we commit to that plainly.
Best seats at Adelaide Oval
Thereโs no single โbest seatโ โ it depends on whether youโre there for AFL, cricket, or a concert, and what youโre optimising for. Hereโs how weโd rank the trade-offs.
| If you wantโฆ | Aim for | Why | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best all-round footy view | Along the wing, middle tier, back from the fence | You see the whole ground shape and the ball in flight | Premium pricing; exact tier/section names unverified โ check the official source |
| Best cricket view | Behind the bowlerโs arm (ends of the ground) | You read line and length the way the batter does | Long boundary means distant square play |
| Cheapest decent view | Upper areas on the side, not behind a goal/end | Height beats closeness for following play | More stairs; more exposure to weather/sun |
| Shade and comfort | Under a roof, eastern side (see next section) | Covered + on the shaded side late in the day | Roofing coverage by section is unverified โ check the official source |
| Atmosphere | Membersโ and active-support ends | Loudest, most engaged crowd | Can be standing/partisan |
Two rules that hold at almost every oval-shaped ground:
- Height beats proximity. A mid-height seat on the wing shows you play developing; a front-row fence seat behind a goal shows you a wall of backs.
- Behind the play, not beside it, for cricket. Ends-of-ground seats (behind the bowlerโs arm) are the ones locals fight for.
Exact stand names, section numbers, seat pricing and capacity are unverified โ check the official source โ Adelaide Oval sells through the event organiser (AFL clubs, SACA, promoters), so pricing and the seat map change per event.
Which side to sit to avoid the afternoon sun
Hereโs the part you can plan around, because itโs just geometry. Adelaide is in the Southern Hemisphere, so through the afternoon the sun sits in the north-west and drops toward the west. That has two practical consequences at any open-air ground:
- The western side of the ground cops the most direct late-day sun and heat. Seats out in the open on the western/north-western side get the sun on their backs and shoulders through the hottest part of the afternoon.
- The eastern side falls into shade earliest. As the sun drops in the west, the tall western grandstands throw their shadow eastward across the ground โ so the eastern side is where the shade arrives first.
So if you burn easily, or youโre taking kids or older relatives to a day match: book the eastern side of the ground, and get under a roof if you can. Youโll trade a little into-the-sun glare early for real shade as the afternoon wears on. If glare while watching bothers you more than heat, note that eastern-side seats look back toward the west and into the lowering sun โ a hat and sunnies sort that out.
| Concern | Better side (day match) | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Sunburn / heat on you | Eastern side, under cover | Falls into the western standsโ shadow late afternoon |
| Squinting into the sun | Western side (sun behind you) | You look east, away from the low sun |
| Best of both | Upper deck under a roof | Roof handles overhead sun; pick side by the two rows above |
Which specific stands are roofed and how deep the cover runs is unverified โ check the official source (the official stadium map is the place to confirm your exact section before you buy). For evening matches and concerts under lights, sun side is a non-issue โ pick for view and price instead.
We ran the same sun logic for other capitals if youโre comparing grounds โ see Suncorp Stadium: which side to sit to avoid the afternoon sun and Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Getting there without parking
Adelaide Oval is genuinely one of the easiest big stadiums in Australia to reach without a car, because itโs wedged against the CBD. The venue itself โstrongly encouragesโ public transport on event days (source: Getting Here).
| Mode | The useful detail | Cost on AFL days |
|---|---|---|
| Train | Adelaide Railway Station is 600m from the ground โ exit and cross the Riverbank Bridge View on Google Maps | Free for AFL matches with a game-day ticket |
| Tram | Closest stop is Festival Plaza Tram Stop on King William Road, 500m from the ground | Free for AFL matches with a game-day ticket |
| Bus | Regular Adelaide Metro services stop near the ground; Footy Express services stop right outside on King William Road | Free for AFL matches with a game-day ticket |
| Car | Event-day parking โvariesโ โ check the Whatโs On page for that specific event | See official; nearby CBD parking fills fast |
Source for all four rows: Getting Here.
Key takeaways:
- For AFL, your ticket is your fare. The Footy Express (bus, train and tram) runs before and after Adelaide and Port home games and is free for anyone with a game-day ticket โ so thereโs no reason to pay for city parking. For non-AFL events itโs free โif stated,โ so check your event.
- Coming by train is the simplest arrival: off at Adelaide Railway Station, over the Riverbank Bridge, and youโre there in under 10 minutes on foot.
- Accessibility drop-off: disability drop-off and pick-up is on War Memorial Drive (out front of Next Gen Health Clubs and Tennis SA, adjacent to Pinky Flat), accessed from the western side via Montefiore Road or the Morphett Street Bridge โ permit holders only (source: Getting Here).
- Exact car-park locations and prices are event-specific and therefore โunverified โ check the official sourceโ on the Whatโs On page.
Membership vs a general-admission ticket
For most visitors, a single GA ticket per event is all you need. Memberships make sense if you go often or want premium hospitality. Adelaide Ovalโs top corporate tier is the MTX Club, and its benefits are worth knowing even if you decide against it (source: MTX Club Membership):
- Tickets to all events at Adelaide Oval โ but this excludes AFL finals, State Events and internationals such as World Cups and Commonwealth Games (members get priority to purchase those).
- One north car park pass for every four tickets purchased โ the one path to guaranteed on-site parking.
- Premium dining and bar access, personal business signage on your seats, two networking events a year, and reciprocal rights at other stadiums around Australia.
- 15% off the best available rate at Oval Hotel and 50% off function room hire.
The honest read: MTX is a corporate/entertaining product, not a value play for a family who goes twice a year โ for that, GA plus the free Footy Express is the smarter spend. Exact MTX pricing is unverified โ check the official source. Club-specific football and cricket memberships (Adelaide Oval Football Membership, SACA) are separate products โ pricing and inclusions unverified โ check the official source.
FAQ
Which side of Adelaide Oval has the most shade in the afternoon? The eastern side falls into shade earliest, because the sun drops in the north-west and the western stands cast their shadow east across the ground. Under a roof on the eastern side is your best bet for a hot day match. Exact roof coverage by section is unverified โ check the official stadium map.
Is public transport really free to Adelaide Oval? For AFL matches, yes โ regular Adelaide Metro trains, trams and buses, plus the dedicated Footy Express, are free with a valid game-day ticket. For other events itโs free โif stated,โ so confirm for your specific event (source: Getting Here).
Whatโs the closest station and how far is the walk? Adelaide Railway Station, about 600m away โ exit and cross the Riverbank Bridge. The nearest tram stop, Festival Plaza on King William Road, is about 500m (source: Getting Here).
Sources & last updated
- https://www.adelaideoval.com.au/getting-here/ โ last updated: unverified โ accessed 24/07/2026
- https://www.adelaideoval.com.au/mtx-club-membership/ โ last updated: unverified โ accessed 24/07/2026