You may of remembered awhile ago I told you that Adelaide Oval may be getting too expensive for families. Well instead of just whinging about it I decided to do something about it and give you guys some tips on how to save money at Adelaide Oval during this season of the Big Bash.

Tip 1

Bring Your Own Food

Let’s be honest, the food prices at Adelaide Oval can hurt anyone’s budget, especially if your buying for more than one item.

So let’s avoid the heartache and do what most people do at the cinemas, bring food in. As long as it does not break Adelaide Oval’s conditions of entry (like cans of drinks and outside alcohol) it is fine to bring it in. You can check out the full conditions here.

If you don’t feel like carrying food inside why not try some of the local shops or restaurants in the city? Most have lunch specials and even if you are paying for dinner you will get more value for your money, in my opinion.

I recommend:

The Schnithouse (Link)

Bakery on O’Connell (Link)

Adelaide Casino (all restaurants) (18+) (Link)

Don’t feel like going out? Fast food is the way to go then, it may sometimes be unhealthy, but usually it’s the cheapest option.

Tip 2

Use Public Transport

If you worried about fuel costs running you broke try the three forms of public transport

Bus

Train

Tram

You might pleasantly be surprised about the savings you could make and another major positive is that you won’t have to pay for parking just your ticket or the fare on your metro card. Sometimes the public transport can be free, BUT CHECK the website here first!

Please note though, it can be slower than travelling by car so you may have to leave earlier.

Tip 3

Use the free water taps on the side of the bar

Believe it or not, there are some free water taps where you can fill up water bottles or grab a free cup of water. There is one to the right side of the bar in the eastern stand (ground level) and one on the top level bar of the southern stand.

Tip 4

Set a spending limit

This final tip is arguably the hardest of the lot, this is because I call it ‘hurt money’ because it hurts to save it. Once you do save it though you can use it towards other stuff you may want in the future, like that holiday you’ve been dreaming of. I admit it’s even harder with the majority of Adelaide Oval only accepting card now instead of cash. But if you go in there with a strong frame mind that you are only going to spend x amount and no more, you will greatly improve your will power and your budgeting skills.

Do you have money saving tips? Leave them in the comments below!

When people think of The Strikers best moments, they rightfully think of either the BBl07 title or Travis Head’s Century. However, with the Big Bash league (BBL) about to kick off and the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in full swing I thought it would be a good chance for us to reflect on some of the Strikers moments that are just darn underrated.

3. The Men’s making their first BBL Final

It all comes down to the last ball in the semifinal of BBL 07. The Melbourne Renegades are locked in a tough battle with our Strikers, but don’t worry we have our death bowler Ben Laughlin. Laughlin has been around for what feels like a millennium and it is almost as if he can make wickets fall at will. Opposing him is none other than former Adelaide Striker import player Kieron Pollard. Pollard is known for crunching sixes all around the globe and the West Indian international is ready to crush his former sides dreams, but it was not to be. Laughlin bowls the ball and Pollard swings for the hills only to miss which sends the city of Adelaide into ruptures. Relive it all here.

2. 1st Home Women’s Big Bash game

The first of anything is always a special moment and that’s exactly what it was when the Adelaide Strikers Women’s team played their first game at Adelaide Oval. With a strong crowd of 10,500 and a great win by 35 runs the Strikers made sure they didn’t let the state down in what was significant game for South Australian cricket. To top it all off Megan Schutt , the Strikers lethal fast bowler, secured player of the match with an impressive 3 wickets for 11 runs off her 4 overs. Simply outstanding!

1. Jake Lehman Last ball heroics

I want you to Imagine that you have just walked onto the pitch to face your very first delivery of your big bash career. Nervous? You should be, because it’s also the last delivery of the game and you need to hit a 4 to win the match. Oh and you’re also the son of the South Australian cricket great Darren Lehman, who’s the coach of Australia at the time. NO PRESSURE! But none of this fazes you, your Jake Lehman. The bowler comes steaming in and you smash him for six winning the match making you a legend of Adelaide just like your father. Watch that ball here.

Let’s be honest here, attending a sporting event or a concert is not a cheap experience when you have a family. You have your ticket, which can sometimes seem a rip off because all you did was see your team get flogged. You have the food, which is the same thing you can buy from your supermarket for half the price and get more in it! And just to rub salt into the wound your child is screaming for their favorite players guernsey which costs more than your ticket did in the first place. Ouch.

If that is not painful enough, well more bad news is on the horizon, prices of Adelaide Oval food are set to go up again. Channel Seven is even reporting that we will have the most expensive pies in the nation, not even the humble footy pie is spared in these dark times. Seven has also posted a handy graph detailing the costs compared to other stadiums, you can read the report here.

Now I know some of you who are reading this may not have children or even a partner and may be shouting at the screen saying ‘It’s easy! You just need to budget’. I understand what you are saying and a budget is important, but you have to think of the costs a family pays that others don’t have such as:

• School Fees
• Sport Fees
• Child Care Fees
• Extra Curricular Activities (Music)
• Increased Health Cover
• Increased Food Bills

Anyway you look at it this it is a lot of money and if you have 2 children you have to in some cases double this. I admit there are ways you can make a day out cheaper, in fact you can read the tips I wrote in a post about it here, but sometimes even that isn’t enough.

Now some of you may be wondering what does my opinion have anything to do with it when I am uni student? Well honestly, I know how important events like sports and concerts are to a community. For example, if people don’t attend events we run the risk of loosing the event permanently as the organisers can’t make profit. Want proof? Read this article about the Gaming and Popculture event SupaNova, where the organisers essentially questioned the people of Adelaide if they really wanted the event or not. Loosing events like these hurts tourism which flows onto to affect the economy and jobs and we the public loose an experience.

Look to make a long story short, when people can’t attend such events because of costs it always makes me sad, because they missed out on seeing what potentially makes them happiest. Call me a dreamer if you must, but one day I hope to see sport, concerts and other events alike become cheaper so more can experience the joy of celebrating together.

The Adelaide Oval is set for a jam-packed Big Bash League this season with seven exciting Adelaide Striker home games scheduled the ninth instalment of the competition is sure to thrill SA cricket fans. While we eagerly await for the first home game on December 23^rd (Check out the full Strikers fixture here), we can take the chance to preview the team which is hoping to reach their second title.

BBL 08 Final Ladder Position: 7th

The Squad: (INT) = International Player
Travis Head, Alex Carey, Billy Stanlake, Michael Nesser, Ben Laughlin, Matthew Short Wes Agar, Jono Wells, Jake Lehman, Rashid Kahn (INT), Phill Salt (INT), Liam O’Connor, Harry Nielson, Peter Siddle, Cameron Valente, Jake Weatherald, Cameron White, Nick Winter

The Star:

Alex Carey seems to be on the rise each year with the talented wicketkeeper representing Australia in both T20 and One day formats. His World Cup campaign was simply astonishing, as a late to middle order batsman Carey was able to steady Australia’s innings on many occasions, just look at these highlights here. On top of this his recent century (highlights here) in Sheffield Shield further shows that he is the true star of the Strikers. Opposition teams BEWARE.

The Quiet Achiever:

Jono Wells was the highest run scorer with the bat last season for the Strikers scoring 359 runs from his 14 matches (one of only 3 players from the strikers to play every game last season). The man may be be small in stature, standing at just 170cm, but he has shown on many occasions he can clear the ropes. Don’t believe me? Then check this hit out which went on to land on the SCG Roof in BBL 07. Lets hope he can try and do the same thing at Adelaide Oval this year!   

The Fan Favourite:

When the crowd hear the name ‘Rashid Kahn’ they simply can’t help themselves, but cheer and scream in admiration. The man basically has the keys to the city. Now I could go on and talk about his stats and achievements, like being the leading wicket taker for the Strikers last season and the year before. Instead though I simply implore of you to watch his highlights reel here and see if you don’t fall in love with him like the rest of Adelaide.

Who are you looking forward to seeing for the Strikes next season? Let us know below by commenting!