Prospect Oval Players Race

Introduction

Incon was engaged by the City of Prospect to undertake a comprehensive structural investigation, condition assessment, and detailed design for the remediation and upgrade of the Players Race at Prospect Oval. This project involved a heritage-listed structure forming a critical access corridor for players and officials within an active sporting venue.

Project
description

The Players Race is a subsurface reinforced concrete and masonry structure located beneath the grandstand at Prospect Oval, serving as the primary access tunnel for the North Adelaide Football Club.

Key structural elements include:

Suspended concrete slab (spectator viewing area above)
Brick retaining walls
Reinforced concrete retaining beam/fascia
Bondek (steel formwork) soffit system
Pumped stormwater drainage infrastructure

Challenge

The project involved complex structural and environmental challenges:

The structure forms part of a State Heritage-listed site, requiring sensitive intervention and coordination with Council
Significant structural deterioration

Vertical cracking in primary concrete retaining beam
Displacement of retaining elements toward the oval
Corrosion of Bondek soffit with section loss
Concrete spalling and edge deterioration
Water ingress and long-term moisture exposure

Geotechnical and soil-related risks

Potential soil movement affecting retaining stability
Inadequate historical detailing for soil pressures

Operational constraints

High usage during football season
Requirement to stage works around match schedules

Safety-critical environment

Structure used by players, staff, and public
Risk of falling concrete, structural instability, and water-related hazards

Solution

Incon implemented a staged, evidence-based engineering methodology:

Conducted detailed site inspections and photographic documentation
Undertook topographic survey to support design modelling
Assessed load paths and structural behaviour
Evaluated:

Soil pressures and retaining wall performance
Slab and beam structural capacity
Effects of corrosion and material degradation

Identified root causes:

Water ingress and drainage failure
Soil movement and pressure build-up
Long-term material deterioration

Developed a condition rating matrix
Designed key interventions including:

Replacement of retaining beam
Slab edge remediation
Brick wall strengthening systems
Bondek repair or slab reconstruction
Drainage and waterproofing upgrades
Temporary works (propping, shoring)

Value
Delivered

Delivered a holistic structural assessment and remediation strategy
Enabled safe continued operation of a critical sporting facility
Provided clear, staged upgrade pathway aligned with budget and operational constraints
Reduced long-term risk through root-cause-based design solutions
Ensured compliance with Australian Standards and heritage requirements
Integrated multi-disciplinary inputs (survey, geotechnical, materials testing) into a single coordinated outcome

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We take pride in delivering innovative and practical solutions which adds real value to our clients and the community. We strive for better outcomes that delivers a best possible solution by employing our technical expertise. We believe the real value in good engineering is breaking down a complex problem into a simple solution which underpins our philosophy of ‘do it right – the first time’.