SANFL’s new tradition for Chimney Unveiling Ceremony

West End’s famous SANFL Chimney Unveiling Ceremony will continue at a new location – the Brickworks Kiln – after a formal agreement was reached between SANFL, West End and the City of West Torrens.

The new location will see the SANFL Premiers’ colours take pride of place at the top of the iconic heritage-listed chimney, which overlooks the western suburbs of Adelaide.

Tim Moffat, Sponsorship and Events Leader for West End, said the Council, West End and SANFL had been working hard together to ensure the 2021 ceremony goes ahead.

“Given the significance of the Brickworks Kiln, its heritage listing and the engineering challenges of getting the colours to the top of the 42 metre structure, it has been a sprint to get the necessary plans in place for this year’s ceremony,” he said.

“This year’s inaugural ceremony at the Brickworks Kiln will look a bit different, with a smaller unveiling ceremony to take place at the base of the chimney where the Premiers’ colours will be painted on a replica Chimney.

“We’ll then get the colours up on the Hoffmann Kiln as soon as possible – where they will be displayed all year round, in keeping with the tradition.

“We had hoped to be able to put them up straight after the Grand Final on Sunday 3 October, but given the height of the chimney and advice from our engineers that the wind forecast for Monday would make the installation challenging, we will get the Premiers’ colours up as soon as possible in the days following.

“We know how important this tradition is to local footy fans and we were determined to do everything we could to see it continue. Full credit to Mayor Coxon and Council staff for working to make this a reality.”

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s unveiling ceremony on Tuesday 5 October will be ticketed. It will be free to attend and open to approximately 500 fans, who will be allowed entry through an Eventbrite booking system on a first-in-best-dressed basis.

City of West Torrens Mayor Michael Coxon said the Council was in the process of assessing development approval for the SANFL colours to be displayed on the Brickworks Kiln and understood the need to respect the heritage icon while also honouring a well-loved sporting tradition.

“It is important to note that this ceremony has been taking place in West Torrens for more than 40 years and with the closure of the brewery, we wanted to secure its future at its home in the inner west, in West Torrens,” Mayor Coxon said.

“We’re proud to support the continuation of this fantastic tradition that will see the colours of the Premiers – and the runners up – displayed on the Hoffmann Kiln all year round.

“The new plan will ensure no impact to the Kiln’s structure, in line with its state heritage listing.”

Darren Chandler, CEO of the SANFL, said he was excited to see footy fans embrace the renewed tradition.

“This moment is such an important part of the grand final week calendar and SANFL is thrilled it’s able to continue,” he said

“We know how much this means to the players, the clubs and the fans.

“We’d like to thank Mayor Coxon and the Council and West End for working hard to ensure the tradition continues into the future”.

The Brickworks Kiln was constructed in 1913 and restored in 2016 by the Council. It’s located in Torrensville, adjacent to the Brickworks Marketplace, and is the last of the Hoffmann-style kilns still standing in Australia.

The new tradition will see the SANFL Premier’s colours unveiled on an alucobond shell at the top of the kiln, which will be attached to the kiln’s existing metal collars.

The 2021 SANFL Chimney Unveiling Ceremony will take place at 11am, Tuesday 5 October. Approximately 500 tickets for the event have been released via Eventbrite from 6pm on Sunday 3 October via www.westenddraught.com.au