ONE Port Adelaide Football Club

[Steve Dore]

...... I heard on the news (Ch9, so lots of salt needed) that the merger proposal doesn't need to get approval from the SANFL clubs. Maybe there's a glimmer of hope?

According to Rucci in this am's 'Tiser it does;

... It will again require a joint vote of the SA Football Commission and the nine SANFL clubs to wipe away the 1995 sub-licence agreement which forbids and formal link between (the two clubs) ......

Rucci, M 2010, 'Port, Pies inch closer', Advertiser 20 October, p.87.

 

[Forzaport]

Got an email from the ONE PAFC and it thought it was worth sharing with the BF Port Adelaide community:

RE: ONE Day is Coming!

Hello *Forzaport*,

Since our last update Tim and I have been inundated with suggestions on how to make the Port Adelaide Football Club great again. Obviously the first priority is to UNITE the Port Adelaide Football Club into “ONE”, there has been lots happening behind the scenes with both Clubs working with the SANFL to hopefully realise our “ONE” PAFC dream and the benefits that will come from that for South Australian Football.

There has been a common theme throughout all the feedback, the PAFC heritage must be protected and the Club as “ONE” look forward and reclaim it’s destiny as the best football club in Australia not the franchised club it is currently operating as.

Through our discussions with both Clubs, this is one of the key elements of their desire to re-unite the Port Adelaide Football Club. There will be ONE Port Adelaide Football Club, established in 1870 with 36 SANFL Premierships and 1 AFL Premiership, with teams in the AFL and SANFL. The Port Adelaide Football Club will tell its story proudly on the national stage, as a real, authentic football club and the only football club from outside Victoria to be elevated in its own right into the AFL competition.


Here are the Top 5 suggestions from “ONE” PAFC supporters, should the clubs unite:


1. “ONE” membership for the Port Adelaide Football Club including both SANFL and AFL

• Currently, Port Adelaide SANFL has released their memberships for
• 2011 and Port Adelaide AFL will also release theirs shortly. Until One Club becomes a reality, we need to keep our football clubs as financial as possible and ask that you continue to support both Clubs when their memberships are out, by continuing with your 2010 commitment (at least!)
  
• Should the model be approved, there will be an opportunity to upgrade to a “ONE” PAFC membership and this will be the first time ever you can be a member of an AFL and SANFL team in “ONE” membership with the Port Adelaide Football Club. If “ONE” PAFC becomes a reality, the existing membership base of both clubs is absolutely critical to retain and then we hope to re-engage the many Port Adelaide supporters who for what ever reason have drifted away from the Clubs in recent years. Your membership of either or both clubs as they are structured at the moment is absolutely critical so we urge you to get on Board and continue to support your Club with the same passion you have displayed on the “ONE” PAFC website.
  
• Port AFL and Non Port SANFL supporters will not be disadvantaged and they can still support Port in the AFL and their own SANFL Club.

2. Port Adelaide SANFL to retain their Prison Bar Guernsey in the SANFL and continue to be the ‘Magpies’

• This is non negotiable and the Port Adelaide heritage in the SANFL will be protected. In the SANFL, Port Adelaide will continue to be the ‘Magpies’
  
• A Port AFL reserves side in the SANFL is not on the table
  
• There are plans for a Port Adelaide Football Club museum to be built at the Port Club to display our proud heritage and recognise our past champions for all to see

3. Port Adelaide SANFL to play curtain raisers as pre match day entertainment

• This will be tabled with the SANFL and hopefully they will program SANFL games before the AFL.
  
• More activities and entertainment prior and during games to engage families and supporters

4. A common Port Adelaide Football Club logo

• The common link will be the name the Port Adelaide Football Club, “ONE” in the SANFL and “ONE” in the AFL – we are Port Adelaide
  
• There is much work to do in this area and the members and supporters will be engaged in this process. A simple evolution for 2011 could be that both AFL & SANFL teams have ‘1870’ on the back of their jumpers
  
• Port AFL to apply to wear the prison bar Guernsey for special occasions

5. Re-igniting the passion in Port Adelaide supporters

• “ONE” PAFC is all about people power - making members and supporters feel part of the Port Adelaide Football Club again.
  
• Our charter is to give the Club back to the people – the Port Adelaide Football Community, and rebuild the Port Adelaide Family
  
• There is lots of work still to be done and uniting the club is only the first step, we’ll need everyone’s support to regain our rightful place as the Best Football Club in Australia

There are obviously many other suggestions and priorities which you will hear from the Clubs Presidents shortly.

Once the “ONE” PAFC dream is realised there will be a “thank you” celebration at Alberton Oval to rival any Premiership celebration the “ONE” day is getting closer. ”ONE” day is coming!

 

[Alberton]

That email nearly brings a tear to your eye.

Awesome.

 

[Power Raid]

That email nearly brings a tear to your eye.

Awesome.

I just can't get excited by the letter. maybe I am just not getting it.

but it sounds like a very small step rather than deliver what we need.


I want to see PAFC have its own board, rather than a SANFL appointed board (effectively we are the SANFL in a PORT brand..
I want to see PAFC have its own licence rather than being held to the SANFL.

I want to see PAMFC as part of the PAFC


What is the point of both having 1870 on the back of a guernsey? or
PAMFC "joing" with PAFC whilst PAFC members can not appoint/ control the board?

I see this as white washing


but like I said; maybe I just can't see what they are trying to achieve. That said, I want whatever is best for our club!

 

[Alberton]

These three comments in particular I find heartening:

"There has been a common theme throughout all the feedback, the PAFC heritage must be protected and the Club as “ONE” look forward and reclaim it’s destiny as the best football club in Australia not the franchised club it is currently operating as.

There will be ONE Port Adelaide Football Club, established in 1870 with 36 SANFL Premierships and 1 AFL Premiership, with teams in the AFL and SANFL.

Port Adelaide SANFL to play curtain raisers as pre match day entertainment"

I would be extremely happy with just these steps being instigated in the medium term.

 

[Portia]

Yeah I can't see much to be enthused about there. We don't get a reserves team for the AFL side, we tie ourselves back into the SANFL's decrepit demise, and also make it harder to be a non-Magpies supporting Power fan.

 

[powermacs]

That email nearly brings a tear to your eye.

Awesome.

Yep, I agree. If the powers that be think this is good for the PAFC then let's get it done.

 

[Portology]

There are some good things in there for the short term, Magpies playing a curtain raiser for Port ought to be a win win, especially for SANFL AAMI catering revenue :/ Will it work though if we keep getting Sunday early or late games ? Magpies could be playing at 9:30AM FFS. Can Vlad chuck us and the SANFL a bone with 'better' time slots having every other AFL club asking for a piece of flesh ? Hopefully most current PAMFC folks will see the value in a new (presumably more expensive) PAFC membership that gets them home AFL games and SANFL games. Will it kick off in 2011 under the current proposal ? Maybe its there and I haven't read it. Would want it to start right away, don't give people a year to stew over it and potentially jump off.

We know the reserves concept needs to involve the Cows as well so lets just push that out to be a more medium term objective.

If the article in this morning's paper is correct, the PAMFC loses its vote on the SANFL club directors committee but it isn't replaced by a PAFC representative with a vote. Sounds like we are giving some control away there, with that goes any real say in who gets onto the SA Footy Commission in future.

 

[Portia]

Wait wait wait, so we would be having to field an SANFL side, without an SANFL vote to back it up?

**** that.

 

[bomberclifford]

Wait wait wait, so we would be having to field an SANFL side, without an SANFL vote to back it up?

**** that.

That doesn't sound right. Surely that would be unworkable?

 

[Phhht]

Wait wait wait, so we would be having to field an SANFL side, without an SANFL vote to back it up?

**** that.

And hence if Footy Park was sold one day the PAMFC wouldn't get a slice of the pie?


Yeah if that is right..........f*** 'em.

 

[Portology]

And hence if Footy Park was sold one day the PAMFC wouldn't get a slice of the pie?


Yeah if that is right..........f*** 'em.

I have no idea if the rules re any 'asset distribution' are linked to the change in voting rights, or what other downstream consequences come of the PAMFC entity being sucked into PAFC. I've always suspected the reason the SANFL left the original business certificate with PAMFC (from the late '50s or early '60s I thought) was to make it impossible for the AFL club to ever claim any SANFL assets in future, but what bringing the two entities back together again means... it's too murky for me. I'm no corporate auditor, nor am I a 'conspiracy theory' nutcase

Re my original comment, it is sourced from this Rucci's article. Obviously a definitive answer would come from the club and/or SANFL. These less 'sexy' aspects of the current proposal aren't exactly being highlighted ATM.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/power-magpies-inch-closer-to-unification/story-e6frf3e3-1225941122552

The critical points of the plan are:

EASING the financial strain on SA football by adding $1 million a year to the Power's challenged bottom line.
The "One Port Adelaide" business plan has not only been tested by the SANFL's independent observer on the Power board, John Irving, but also by the AFL's financial hounds.
GIVING the Magpies a seat on the 10-person Power board.
This director will come from the Magpies' management committee that would be established to run the SANFL division of the "One Port Adelaide" model.

However, the Magpies will no longer have an SANFL director. They will have a non-voting representative invited to directors' meetings.

The Magpies' chief executive will be present at monthly meetings of the SANFL clubs' chief executives.

 

[Powersurj]

These are the key things I think...

1. The opportunity to upgrade to a “ONE” PAFC membership and this will be the first time ever you can be a member of an AFL and SANFL team in “ONE” membership with the Port Adelaide Football Club.

2 Port Adelaide SANFL to play curtain raisers as pre match day entertainment.

3 There are plans for a Port Adelaide Football Club museum to be built at the Port Club to display our proud heritage and recognise our past champions for all to see

4 There is much work to do in this area and the members and supporters will be engaged in this process. A simple evolution for 2011 could be that both AFL & SANFL teams have ‘1870’ on the back of their jumpers and Port AFL to apply to wear the prison bar Guernsey for special occasions.

But im worried about number 2, will they charge the supporters who want to see the Magpies play AFL prices ?? If they charge SANFL supporters AFL prices to see the Magpies play they wont go, simple.

 

[FishingRick04]

These are the key things I think...

1. The opportunity to upgrade to a “ONE” PAFC membership and this will be the first time ever you can be a member of an AFL and SANFL team in “ONE” membership with the Port Adelaide Football Club.

2 Port Adelaide SANFL to play curtain raisers as pre match day entertainment.

3 There are plans for a Port Adelaide Football Club museum to be built at the Port Club to display our proud heritage and recognise our past champions for all to see

4 There is much work to do in this area and the members and supporters will be engaged in this process. A simple evolution for 2011 could be that both AFL & SANFL teams have ‘1870’ on the back of their jumpers and Port AFL to apply to wear the prison bar Guernsey for special occasions.

But im worried about number 2, will they charge the supporters who want to see the Magpies play AFL prices ?? If they charge SANFL supporters AFL prices to see the Magpies play they wont go, simple.

that would be ideal to try and reunite members

 

[Phhht]

... it's too murky for me.

and definitely for me too

I'm no corporate auditor, nor am I a 'conspiracy theory' nutcase

Ahhh that's probably my issue. I am!

that would be ideal to try and reunite members

Sounds good but what irks me is that in an effort to get greater numbers to the PAMFC games, who benefits the most? By having a 'One' membership pack available to maybe 12-15k supporters who would regularly attend PAFC games but dont really go to PAMFC games, even if they picked up 30% it would mean an additional 3-5k supporters to PAMFC games.
Thats great but when a supporter base makes an effort to spend what 4, 5 maybe 6 hours at the footy you cant tell me they ain't going to spend more money on food and drinks. And the real shitty part about that is the PAFC probably won't get the full rewards of the loyality and commitment that will be shown. I mean how do they work the revenue split between the SANFL cronies and the PAFC for PAMFC games? I am assuming that the curtain raisers would be PAMFC home games? If the home games were played at Alberton, would the PAMFC receive ALL the revenue from catering/gate etc? What slice will the SANFL syphon off? I really hope I am barking up the wrong tree here but I see the SANFL taking ANOTHER slice out of the existing PAFC supporters.

Dont know, as more info comes out I'm becoming quite skeptical about the whole merger/acquisition/reunification/whatever it is.

Ultimately if it benefits the PAFC financially LONGTERM then I will probably get behind it. I just have this eerie feeling that in 5 or 6 years time we will be complaining about how this whole scenario doesn't really suit us. As I have mentioned previously, the powers that be better have some decent forecasts of where we are headed as a league, what future TV deals, match scheduling, longterm stadium deals, sponsorship, SANFL control - all the types of issues that will have an impact on us for many many years to come.

And whilst PAFC may publicly be sprouting that the PAMFC won't be our reserves, longterm we MUST push for them to be our reserves side. Otherwise let them fend for themselves and lets push Andy D for the ability to become our own masters AND push forour own reserves side in whatever comp he sees fit.

 

[Spadge]

somehow..... the SANFL clubs will stop this from happening
mark my words

 

[Enviable Tradition]

I hope that this goes through but I won't be too fussed if the SANFl clubs block it. It will just take us one step closer to the AFL wretching us from the SANFL's clutches IMO.

 

[bringbackbucky]

I'm really interested to hear the opinion of any Power supporters who keenly follow another SANFL side other the Magpies... Are you supportive of the merge? How would you feel if the Magpies did one day become Power reserves?

 

[*PAF]

... and also make it harder to be a non-Magpies supporting Power fan.

We went from being too much Port SANFL (not good) to being too little Port SANFL (massively not good).
Hopefully the pendulum will not swing too far back as the future is somewhere between the two.

 

[Macca19]

North Adelaides stance on the matter:

http://www.nafc.com.au/news/2010/p3233.aspx

North Adelaide Football Club does not support the merger or direct association of any SANFL Club with an AFL Club

http://www.nafc.com.au/news/2010/p3233.aspx

 

[Enviable Tradition]

North Adelaides stance on the matter:

http://www.nafc.com.au/news/2010/p3233.aspx



http://www.nafc.com.au/news/2010/p3233.aspx

Be sure to read the rest. That chip on their shoulder could spare the Styx valley.

 

[Malibu#27]

North Adelaides stance on the matter:

http://www.nafc.com.au/news/2010/p3233.aspx



http://www.nafc.com.au/news/2010/p3233.aspx

Six months ago north was on the front foot saying the merger wasn't financially viable and that the numbers didn't stack up - yet now, once again without seeing any details they seem to be complaining that the merger would make the magpies too strong with joint sponsorship opportunities, shared costs etc. (ie for the exact opposite reason they previously argued)

Surely it's one or the other - either the numbers don't add up and the clubs will still be losing money, or they will have an unfair financial advantage. North have ahrued both cases within about 6 months, on both cases without seeing the figures, and they expect up to believe that they have nothing personal against the clubs.

I've never seen such vitriol actually documented by a club in such an official fashion. Why didn't they just say their goal was to ensure port paid for the sins of 1990, it would have saved me so much time reading that horse shit. I guess we now know that they still have one goal in mind - nothings changed since 1989.

They should look at the bright side, if we become one, they will only have one club to hate, fear, and envy.

 

[wapower]

Take away the SANFL funds redistributed to North Adelaide via Adelaide and Port Adelaide and then we'll see how much they love direct association between SANFL and the AFL clubs.

 

[Spadge]

hopefully in a couple of weeks we can do this to North Adelaide

 

[Forzaport]

The beauty about this ONE PAFC effort is that there's no way to lose. If the merger goes ahead, we win. If the SANFL clubs block it, we'll still win as it'll just give the AFL more ammo to wrestle control of football in this state away from the SANFL.

Remember these days, we're watching the SANFL in it's current form coming to an end. 2014 can't come quick enough.

EDIT: for good measure I'd like to see both motlops, d.stewart and moore transfered to other SANFL clubs (preferably the magpies).