SA players defend Football Park

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Adelaide Crows forward Brett Burton has defended Football Park, saying AFL players do not want to move to any proposed new multi-purpose sports stadium in Adelaide.

Soccer administrators and the South Australia Opposition want the option of a new sports stadium investigated.

Burton, who is also a spokesman for the AFL Players Association, says Football Park is the home of football and AFL players want to stay there.

"We wanna give firstly the players the best opportunity to play at a stadium that's, you know, looks after the duty of care of players, we obviously get good crowds here every week," he said.

"I know we haven't been selling out every game this year, so from that point of view it's hard to demand a bigger ground when you can't sell out, you know sell out the stadium anyway."

Unlikely, says AFL

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou says he doubts there is any investor willing to build a new major sporting venue.

"I don't think there is an investor out there that will spend a billion dollars and I'm certainly of a mind, having spoken to the State Government, that they're not keen to spend a billion dollars," he said.

"So I don't think you can justify spending that sort of money if you're not going to get the return."

SA Treasurer Kevin Foley says the government's rejection of the new stadium idea, coupled with the AFL view, should send a clear message to Liberal leader Martin Hamilton-Smith.

"His stadium proposal is now dead and buried if an AFL won't commit to it, footy won't be played at it and we've got high priorities for our $1 billion it would cost to build," he said.

"It really does, in my view, make it clear that it's the end of the line for that particular issue."