Port Magpies to be dissolved. Is it true?

[Mark_Beswick]

Would hate to see this happen (and I dont like Port)

I have more than a dozen friends who are port Magpies supporters and dont follow the Power - If the maggies are wound up then where do these football supporters go - The West Torrens and Woodville experience taught us that many of their supporters gave the game away - Footy and the SANFL cant afford to lose any teams.

[Dutchy]

I was went to the footy on Monday with 2 PAMFC fans from way back, they love the club, and I was absolutely shocked when one said that they will NEVER win another premiership, they will close the doors before they get the chance

Ive known for a while their $$ situation is the worst in the league and with hotels no longer being the gold mine they once were one wonders if we can sustain 9 clubs here

Like others I wouldnt like to see it happen

[Mic]

I don't understand how the Magpies folding would be of any benefit to the Power.

[am Bays]

How the hell is dissolving the Magpies (a supporter base that is 95% power supporters already and 5% hate the Power for what they have done to the what they perceive to be the REAL Port Adelaide) going to do for the growth of Port Power?? basically the same demographic that is alligned to them.

There is only one viable long term option for Port Power and that is to make themselves a club of broader appeal to the SA Football community. Clinging to its roots/mothers apron strings will not allow it to become fully independant in teh big wide professional world of the AFL industry.

Until it wakes up to that fact they are doomed to handouts for survival...

[Hondo]

Taking the emotion out of it, I think it's what should have happened from day one in hindsight. It would have given the PAFC a better platform in the AFL and the SANFL could have made a clean break and moved on. I assume this is what the plan was back in 1990. I assume Bruce Weber had no intention of trying to keep a team in both the AFL and the SANFL.

It would have removed all this stupid debate about who has what heritage. I think the SANFL wanted it's cake (revenue from 11 more AFL games at AAMI) and wanted to eat it too (keep them in the SANFL). It placed a strain on both strands of Port Adelaide. There's no doubt in my mind that part of the current crowd problems is due to more PAM people not following the Power, than was planned.

I know it's hard to fathom in some ways and 5 years ago I would never have thought it. Now I think the remaining 8 clubs can maintain a vibrant, strong competition. And, despite what some SANFL fans think, that second AFL team is vital for the SANFL's financial well-being and there's no way the Power will ever fold. There are other AFL teams in a far worse spot than them.

Having said all that, I still can't see it happening.

[therisingblues]

I would hate to see it happen, mainly because all those years we had to suck it up because the Maggies were dominant, I was dreaming about when we would have the chance to pay it all back to them. That time is now, and I figure we have at least another 25 odd years of ass kicking to even the ledger: that's 27 spoons to Port and a total of 38 flags to Sturt if everything works to plan. But surely it'd take much longer to make those stats a reality, so they have to stick around.
Merging is crap, as has already been mentioned, many supporters would simply give the game away if their side merged; negative for footy.
CK's idea of uniting the Magpies with the Power, and using the Magpies as an AFL reserves side would be much more preferable to them folding or merging with the Eagles IMO.
But the best option would be for them to fight it out. I remember not too long ago Sturt was considered a financial basket case, who always finished bottom and was being coached virtually for free and fielding a side that was too young to be playing league.
When I made my cash donation at the bank to keep the Blues afloat,the teller laughed at me: she thought it was a waste of money and I'd have to donate every year until they inevitably folded. About the same time people were telling me Sturt would never win another premiership, no matter how much was raised by supporters or how hard they tried. It was an impossiblity. Ironically it was mainly Port supporters doing the blabbing back then. My point though is that times change and this period of Port's history won't go on forever. They just need a way to raise funds and manage things a bit better than they have of late and they'll live to fight another day.
Just as Sturt did.
2002 Pemiers! So suck that Ashika if you're reading !!!

[Hondo]

There is only one viable long term option for Port Power and that is to make themselves a club of broader appeal to the SA Football community. Clinging to its roots/mothers apron strings will not allow it to become fully independant in teh big wide professional world of the AFL industry.

Until it wakes up to that fact they are doomed to handouts for survival...

Thread after thread, you keep saying this same thing as though it's fact. As far as I have heard, the Power's marketing has 2 strands. The creed thing is the short term strategy to get 5000 more people to their games NOW. That means specifically targetting Port Adelaide people. I think that's a smart move. It's the quickest and easiest way to get an immediate uplift at the games.

The second strand is along the lines of what you suggest and is happening. It's been limited because of a lack of funds but now that's all sorted it sounds like they can give it the funds it's needed all along. But it's longer term and it's success is not dependent on linking back to PAM (or not). It's about working the schools and getting the kids on board. It's about building up numbers 10 years from now. Those kids have little care factor about the issues our generation have with Port Adelaide. They are sponges and some will, in fact, respond to the fact that they have a much longer heritage than the Crows.

You keep muddling both the short and long term strategies into the one. As Macca and GWW keep saying to you, there's not 10,000 20-40 year olds who will be "fooled" into believing PAP and PAM aren't the same and suddenly start turning up to games today. It hasn't worked the last 3 years why keep persisting with it?

[harley d]

How would Port Magpies being " merged " with Power help anything CK ? I realy dont understand this , in fact it just doesnt make sense. So Port are having a dip in their form for a longer period than normal and that happens to all clubs. Why do people panic and want to get rid of clubs when they are going bad ? Why Port , they still draw a decent crowd as was evident again against Glenelg. If the SANFL is serious about having an 8 team comp ( and why anyway ???) have a look at clubs that dont draw crowds and consistently underachieve.

[therisingblues]

I agree with some of your sentiments there Harley, but I think the idea of merging the Maggies with the Power would remove the restrictions placed on both entities by the SANFL. Power also pay a certain percentage of their AFL listed player's payments in the SANFL, so all that money would go straight to the Mags' instead of going to other clubs who sometimes field Power listed players. It would also remove the infighting I have heard exists between the two.
All of the above needs clarification and is based on stuff I think I have read, and the way my memory works these days, that makes it a pretty dodgy source.

[am Bays]

Thread after thread, you keep saying this same thing as though it's fact. As far as I have heard, the Power's marketing has 2 strands. The creed thing is the short term strategy to get 5000 more people to their games NOW. That means specifically targetting Port Adelaide people. I think that's a smart move. It's the quickest and easiest way to get an immediate uplift at the games.

The second strand is along the lines of what you suggest and is happening. It's been limited because of a lack of funds but now that's all sorted it sounds like they can give it the funds it's needed all along. But it's longer term and it's success is not dependent on linking back to PAM (or not). It's about working the schools and getting the kids on board. It's about building up numbers 10 years from now. Those kids have little care factor about the issues our generation have with Port Adelaide. They are sponges and some will, in fact, respond to the fact that they have a much longer heritage than the Crows.

You keep muddling both the short and long term strategies into the one. As Macca and GWW keep saying to you, there's not 10,000 20-40 year olds who will be "fooled" into believing PAP and PAM aren't the same and suddenly start turning up to games today. It hasn't worked the last 3 years why keep persisting with it?

Are they working the kids??? How come at my local Auskick centre the coordiantor asks the local SANFL club DO have you got any Power stuff for the kids that follow the Power? "Nup Port are really hard to get stuff out of" he says, Meanwhile the Crows stickers, rulers and local SANFL club's posters get handed out...

FFS my local SANFL club with a budget 1/14th to size of Port Adelaide does more for kids and football in my zone that Port Adelaide despite the fact there are Port supporters in this area.

I could cop the hand outs and creed crap if i could see some genuine attempt by Port Power to broaden its appeal and plan for teh future supporters but sadly down here (southern Adelaide) it just ain't happening....

<edit>

Seriously other Posters on here who have kids at Auskick centres around Adelaide and/or work at junior clubs do they see Port Power promotional stuff handed out? Do they see Crows stuff handed out?? Which club do they see doing the most capturing the future supporters?? Is there a geographical divide??

Oh BTW our Auskick Coordinator was handing out free invites to the Crows junior Pie and pasty night Monday June 22nd? Do the power do teh same thing?? You just don't hear about it down here?

[Hondo]

Are they working the kids??? How come at my local Auskick centre the coordiantor asks the local SANFL club DO have you got any Power stuff for the kids that follow the Power? "Nup Port are really hard to get stuff out of" he says, Meanwhile the Crows stickers, rulers and local SANFL club's posters get handed out...

FFS my local SANFL club with a budget 1/14th to size of Port Adelaide does more for kids and football in my zone that Port Adelaide despite the fact there are Port supporters in this area.

I could cop the hand outs and creed crap if i could see some genuine attempt by Port Power to broaden its appeal and plan for teh future supporters but sadly down here (southern Adelaide) it just ain't happening....

I think the club would agree with you.

As I heard it, it's been the cash flow problems that have forced them to scale back their "longer term" marketing strategies (working the kids) as you have seen first hand. As I said before, part of the new business plan apparently involves putting the funds into the junior development that should have been there the last 5 years.

I think you'll see a big change in the next 12 months now that their financial situation is sorted.

Disclosure: my "source" for all this is Rucci via his articles and explanations on the Sat sport show! Don't want to imply I have some inside scoop .... although I do know someone who would know a fair bit, just don't catch up with him enough to get the goss!

[Strawb]

No matter what the name it all is Port Adelaide. Only Port People will go for the Port plain and simple. The SANFL made a mistake handing them the license for the AFL and allowing them to keep the SANFL team. It should have been one or the other. But if Port had of got in, in 1991 we could easily be talking about the crows here if port had the leg up before hand.

[csbowes]

I still suspect this thread is a fishing expedition but it didn't get the bite it expected.

Definitely wasn't a fishing exercise. When I heard this news from some friends who travel in circles where this sort of information comes to hand, I was shocked. As such, I thought I'd throw it up in here, because surely there are people in this forum who have connections with the SANFL or PAMFC who might be able to shed some light on it. As we know, these rumours can sometimes be just that and for some reason you hear it enough, people think its true, but on the other hand, they can also sometimes have some substance to them. So it was a fishing exercise, but only from the point of view that I really wanted to know if there was any truth behind it.

[csbowes]

It is an interesting point.

Take the emotion out of it and it makes a good business proposition.
Would ALL PAFC Magpies supporters truck across to the POWER?
Having supported Collingwood in the past, I would like to see the POWER be given it's PRISON BAR jumper for all BUT Collingwood games. That would surely set PAFC POWER as the real Port Adelaide - no identity crisis any more?
Eight teams in SANFL - better zone distribution?

It would be as big of an emotional issue to "disband" the Magpies as it was when they first mooted to enter the AFL way back when - but we all lived and got on with our lives - so why wouldn't it work?

But - emotion - that what makes the game!

It won't happen.

This is exactly what was alluded to me in conversation. The Magpies have about 2,500 members or thereabouts, surely the Power would be confident of maybe reeling in half of those, another 1,000 members is another $150K in season ticket revenue plus more from other member-related income streams, so while not huge bucks, its all straight onto the bottom line.

Certainly I would never think Port are doing this purely for financial reasons, but that must be part of it. I don't know how dire the situation is at Alberton for the Magpies, maybe its not as bad as one is led to believe, but if it is bad or worse than is commonly known, maybe the club is looking into the near future and wondering how it will survive.

I don't know. I don't want to scaremonger, that's not my intention, I really just want to know if anyone else has heard this rumour.

[Psyber]

Redress past wrongs and merge the Magpies and WWT into one club called "West Torrens" for me!
There have been too many teams in the western region for a long time as the population growth has moved to the north and south.
As I said in another thread though, the SANFL need to do something about making it easier for casual and new attenders to find out when and where matches are.
At present it looks like only the relatively few die hard supporters attend SANFL matches at all.

[csbowes]

First off the current situation with the way the Port Adelaide Magpies is financed is not working and it shows no signs of changing in the medium term which places the club at a massive financial disadvantage which they are going to struggle to overcome. A leased hotel on Port Rd and a % of the takings through the Power club is not enough to finance the club to the level required in the SANFL and Port must find other income streams if they are to survive. The club has debts which put them well and truly in problems which they dont have the luxury of having a few years to sort out.

Firstly, excellent post Sojourner...

It must be said that the Port Magpies are not alone in facing financial crisis. Sturt is geared up the zing zang and it too needs to sort itself out with regards where income is going to come from long term and where money is to spent and how it is going to keep its costs minimised, but maximise its return. The SANFL probably needs to look at the finances of all clubs in quite some detail, not gloss over them and with those clubs that have done well, try and help the others reproduce that winning feeling off the field so we have 9 clubs pulling in big "Central District"-like income.

Its fairly clear something has to happen, if people just stick their heads in the sand then its very likely that an SANFL club will go bankrupt, I have no doubt no shortage of Fitzroy or VFL supporters didnt think it would ever happen to them, because they took no action there club was lost to the competition despite how people might like to think it continues in the Brisbane Lions. Its for this reason that I do feel that we have to take action and make the right decisions to ensure the integrity of the competition and its financial support in the longer term.

100% agree. Look at WWT. That team is West Torrens and we all know it.

Certainly agree that the link between the two Port clubs is crucial. While Port Power is unable to turn over huge profits each year, you can't help but feel that bad karma washes over the Magpies and puts them in an increasingly difficult position. The Power should never be expected to have the same crowds as the Crows, when the SANFL was at its height, Port fans made up around 1/3 of the fan base, so it stands to reason that their crowds should be around half the Crows. As years go by, no doubt they need to increase their attendances to 30,000 each game, but it will take time.

Personally I think Port Power should be pushing the Port Magpies history in the AFL. People like Cornsey and Co are against this and think it alienates new fans, but I don't think that's necessarily the case. The Magpies and that latent fan base is what made Port Adelaide the power club it was in the SANFL and I see no reason to hide that, discourage that or whatever just so that the club can pull in some disgruntled Norwood or Glenelg fans. By doing so, I think it confuses the identity of the club, Port should push Port, push the Magpies and get those prison bars on the field.

Even as a Sturt fan, I'd be pleased to see the prison bars in the AFL.

[csbowes]

Taking the emotion out of it, I think it's what should have happened from day one in hindsight. It would have given the PAFC a better platform in the AFL and the SANFL could have made a clean break and moved on. I assume this is what the plan was back in 1990. I assume Bruce Weber had no intention of trying to keep a team in both the AFL and the SANFL.

Agreed. I would expect that was the plan and if it wasn't it 100%, then I'm sure Port Adelaide were only thinking of keeping a team in the SANFL to appears the SANFL, not because it was something they were hellbent on doing.

I know it's hard to fathom in some ways and 5 years ago I would never have thought it. Now I think the remaining 8 clubs can maintain a vibrant, strong competition. And, despite what some SANFL fans think, that second AFL team is vital for the SANFL's financial well-being and there's no way the Power will ever fold. There are other AFL teams in a far worse spot than them.

Absolutely spot on. My team, North Melbourne are in a much dire situation. No one likes my team, not even the other league teams. At least Port Adelaide is respected in the AFL, my team is like Oliver in that movie, please sir can I have some more, don't get me started on North Melbourne, I love that club, but geez I reckon we've been run by Commander Cookoo-Bananas for quite some time and its no wonder we're where we are now. If the league had any balls it would merge us with Melbourne and make the Melbourne Kanagaroos, bring in Gold Coast and we'd still have a 16-team league.

Anyway, that's off topic...

[Psyber]

... Even as a Sturt fan, I'd be pleased to see the prison bars in the AFL.

They're a fine Port Adelaide tradition!
Seriously, so long as the Power survive I think they should be able to wear their traditional guernsey, and Collingwood should be required to have an alternative strip.

[Barto]

No matter what the name it all is Port Adelaide. Only Port People will go for the Port plain and simple. The SANFL made a mistake handing them the license for the AFL and allowing them to keep the SANFL team. It should have been one or the other. But if Port had of got in, in 1991 we could easily be talking about the crows here if port had the leg up before hand.

I doubt we'd be talking about the Crows in the same we're talking about Port now, but I do suspect in a sliding doors world had Port made it in in 1991 and the Crows 5 years later, both clubs would have closer to a 50/50 market place.

[csbowes]

I was dreaming about when we would have the chance to pay it all back to them. That time is now, and I figure we have at least another 25 odd years of ass kicking to even the ledger: that's 27 spoons to Port and a total of 38 flags to Sturt if everything works to plan.

Finally, someone who knows what should be going on in this league...

I remember not too long ago Sturt was considered a financial basket case, who always finished bottom and was being coached virtually for free and fielding a side that was too young to be playing league.

I think Sturt has proven you can literally come back from the Abyss and regain your reputation in the league as a strong onfield performer...