Tornado terrifies footy players and fans

A freak tornado, with winds of up to 150km/h, has terrified footy fans in suburban Adelaide, flinging sheets of iron and shards of glass across a busy sports ground.

Cars around the Port Noarlunga football ground were shunted off their parking spaces during the Southern Football League game on Saturday, while players were injured by flying debris as they dashed from the field.

Port Noarlunga football club president Glenn Russell said so much glass and debris remained on the field that it was not known when it could be used again.

"It was the scariest thing I've ever experienced," Mr Russell told ABC Radio on Sunday.

"It was lucky nobody was actually killed."

The incident came just before half-time in the match between Port Noarlunga and Reynella. Mr Russell said it started with a heavy shower of rain followed by a brief hail storm that fortunately brought many spectators from the oval and under the shelter of the club.

"Then this noise was like a jet flying about 10 feet above you - very, very loud," he said.

"Then these building materials and debris just came from nowhere and completely covered the oval with material - timber, window frames, glass, everything."

The debris was believed to have come from building sites on higher ground behind the clubhouse, he said.

"We had probably 10 to 12 cars fairly badly damaged - some were actually moved out of their parking position," Mr Russell said.

He said the players did their best to flee the field but some suffered minor injuries, with at least one sent to hospital for stitches to a wound on the back of his leg.

"I reckon it would be lucky if it was 10 seconds - it was that quick," he said.

"It didn't give you any time to do a lot, really. You just had to try and run and hope you didn't get hit by any of the debris."

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Mark Anolak confirmed the field was struck by a winter tornado. He said the extent of the damage suggested it was hit by 100-150km/h winds.

Mr Anolak said probably between three and five such tornadoes struck South Australia each year.

Mr Russell said shards of glass 10-12cm long were still being plucked from the oval and it was unknown when football would again be played there.

Saturday's match was abandoned.