Another Footy Civil War?

[Magpiespower]

What the hell's going on?

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/port-adelaide-football-club-runs-out-of-cash-sanfl-may-take-over/story-e6freco3-1226066003365

Lots of emotion online...

[Booney]

Interesting times ahead.

[auto]

Didnt think there was much in it for the "crisis" it was supposed to be.

[RustyCage]

Nothing to see here. Port are in a better position now than 12 months ago, it's the SANFL who are stuffed! Hopefully all this will put Port one step closer to owning its own license, and completely detaching themselves from the SANFL rule.

I've avoided this site for the last 24 hours, I was a little too emotionally wound up, felt like one comment from a non Port person and I could have been facing a lengthy ban

[auto]

Nothing to see here. Port are in a better position now than 12 months ago, it's the SANFL who are stuffed! Hopefully all this will put Port one step closer to owning its own license, and completely detaching themselves from the SANFL rule.

I've avoided this site for the last 24 hours, I was a little too emotionally wound up, felt like one comment from a non Port person and I could have been facing a lengthy ban

Yeah i try not to read the Port forums on safooty cept for this one as its just the same North/Glenelg/Sturt peanuts with the same "jokes" over and over again then high fiving each other. Dont listen to 5AA or read KG's or Cornes's newscolumn or even look in their general direction lest ye turn into stone.
What i took away from the last 24 hours is really "business as usual"....struggling for cash....club will move on. Our club will be around for a very long time and our time to shine will come around again too. Cant wait for the footy to start on the weekend. Not so sure ill be keen for it if we are getting smashed tho.

[Booney]

*My letter to the club*


To the Board and Management of the Port Adelaide Football Club,

Season 2011 has seen the club reach a low point, a low point of which I wished I would never see, but, decades of seeing the club I love reach the heights of repeated SANFL Premierships through to an AFL Premiership give me hope that this can be the time we all look back upon with pride that we were able to see off the tough times to come out the other side a united and stronger club.

With recent support from the clubs AFL licence holder ( SANFL ) and the rallying of sponsors and most importantly members ( 36,000+ ) we, as members, supporters and fans felt the club was heading in the right direction. The "business model", we were told, held us in good stead to turn things around, financially. The "One Club" model was voted on and, much to my delight and satisfaction, passed by the SANFL and the 8 SANFL clubs directors. Finally and for once officially ( not just spiritually ) my Magpies and Power are all under one banner, part of One Club.

With the $4m injection from the SANFL, increased membership, the One Club ticket and a new coach at the helm of our AFL journey we, the members, supporters and fans began to see some positives.

We now hear through absolute media saturation ( and rightly so ) that the club has hit a "cash flow problem" and we have once again put our hand out for help. The SANFL has said no more and, in my opinion, the right people to do this ( the AFL ) have taken over and helped fund our immediate future.

Back to my "business model" comment. My current position with my employer exposes me to day to day running and profitability of a business. When I began in this role I was appointed to assist a relocated Branch Manager ( from Melbourne ) to develop a business model to move from merely a sales branch to a manufacturing facility. In less than 3 years we now have 4 office staff and 9 factory personnel. This is due to sound management, an unrelenting drive to stick to our plan and most importantly, assertive direction from senior management.

What does this have to do with my correspondence today? I fear that our club is being led by people who are not capable of making the tough decisions when needed ( like the choice to reappoint a clearly out of favour Mark Williams ) and by people who do not have the skills to haul our club out of the position we are in.

In my role we do not look to the factory staff to increase our sales, we look to management to set the standards and put procedures and measures in place. This is not happening at Alberton.

I feel that both Brett Duncanson and Mark Haysman are now in an untenable position as they have been given several months to not only implement but use this business model to develop our off field security and have not only failed to do so but have guided us further into a position of instability.

On field the club is at a stand still. Resources afforded to the coaching staff are well publicised as being sub-standard. Thankfully our Allan Scott Headquarters is an astounding facility that at least gives our players and staff a sound platform to work upon. Our off field dilemma has now set our on-field progress back several years and I doubt we will see any finals action in the next 5 or more years. In fact, we could be decades away from being a contender again due to our off field performances.

I am not in a position to demand the resignation of any persons involved in our management team, however I believe the "captain of the ship" has had enough to time to right our course and believe the board should seek to appoint a new CEO and President to lead us into the future.

As a Platinum Member, Season ticket holder, Magpies Member and frequent patron of the Port Club and it facilities I will continue to support the club financially, vehemently defend our honour and heritage and trust the board will make the tough decisions when needed. Now is the time.

[auto]

Dont agree with ya on that one Booney. I think in the last 12 months weve come along way off-field and that should be attributed to the leaders of the club. My take on the last few days has been the SANFL were in agreement to hand over some cash, which was agreed to last year or wateva, but at this stage decided not to in the hope of a "takeover" of sorts of the club. The SANFL appointed board member Irving or wateva his name is has backed Port's board against the SANFL even though they appointed him because he believes we are on the right track. The fact we are struggling for funds ATM was a known issue last year, and that we will struggle for a few years yet. As far as im concerned off field we are headed in the right direction. Go Port(s).

[Booney]

We have no cash. At this time last year, we had no cash. How are we in a better spot?

[valleys07]

*My letter to the club*


To the Board and Management of the Port Adelaide Football Club,

Season 2011 has seen the club reach a low point, a low point of which I wished I would never see, but, decades of seeing the club I love reach the heights of repeated SANFL Premierships through to an AFL Premiership give me hope that this can be the time we all look back upon with pride that we were able to see off the tough times to come out the other side a united and stronger club.

With recent support from the clubs AFL licence holder ( SANFL ) and the rallying of sponsors and most importantly members ( 36,000+ ) we, as members, supporters and fans felt the club was heading in the right direction. The "business model", we were told, held us in good stead to turn things around, financially. The "One Club" model was voted on and, much to my delight and satisfaction, passed by the SANFL and the 8 SANFL clubs directors. Finally and for once officially ( not just spiritually ) my Magpies and Power are all under one banner, part of One Club.

With the $4m injection from the SANFL, increased membership, the One Club ticket and a new coach at the helm of our AFL journey we, the members, supporters and fans began to see some positives.

We now hear through absolute media saturation ( and rightly so ) that the club has hit a "cash flow problem" and we have once again put our hand out for help. The SANFL has said no more and, in my opinion, the right people to do this ( the AFL ) have taken over and helped fund our immediate future.

Back to my "business model" comment. My current position with my employer exposes me to day to day running and profitability of a business. When I began in this role I was appointed to assist a relocated Branch Manager ( from Melbourne ) to develop a business model to move from merely a sales branch to a manufacturing facility. In less than 3 years we now have 4 office staff and 9 factory personnel. This is due to sound management, an unrelenting drive to stick to our plan and most importantly, assertive direction from senior management.

What does this have to do with my correspondence today? I fear that our club is being led by people who are not capable of making the tough decisions when needed ( like the choice to reappoint a clearly out of favour Mark Williams ) and by people who do not have the skills to haul our club out of the position we are in.

In my role we do not look to the factory staff to increase our sales, we look to management to set the standards and put procedures and measures in place. This is not happening at Alberton.

I feel that both Brett Duncanson and Mark Haysman are now in an untenable position as they have been given several months to not only implement but use this business model to develop our off field security and have not only failed to do so but have guided us further into a position of instability.

On field the club is at a stand still. Resources afforded to the coaching staff are well publicised as being sub-standard. Thankfully our Allan Scott Headquarters is an astounding facility that at least gives our players and staff a sound platform to work upon. Our off field dilemma has now set our on-field progress back several years and I doubt we will see any finals action in the next 5 or more years. In fact, we could be decades away from being a contender again due to our off field performances.

I am not in a position to demand the resignation of any persons involved in our management team, however I believe the "captain of the ship" has had enough to time to right our course and believe the board should seek to appoint a new CEO and President to lead us into the future.

As a Platinum Member, Season ticket holder, Magpies Member and frequent patron of the Port Club and it facilities I will continue to support the club financially, vehemently defend our honour and heritage and trust the board will make the tough decisions when needed. Now is the time.

Couldnt agree more there booney. To hear that we are a staggering $6 million behind collingwood in terms of expenditure within our football department, so much to the extent that we dont even have a full time midfield coach, is astounding. Tough times ahead for the PAFC unless crunch decisions are made.

[RustyCage]

I dont think Duncanson and Haysman are the two to go, I think they have inherited a lot of issues from previous people.

[auto]

We have no cash. At this time last year, we had no cash. How are we in a better spot?

I believe we were always gonna need a cash injection at this time of year. This was known last year. Having no cash last year and no cash this year is not an improvement per se however...

A medium term plan to reduce debt is progressing nicely and is half way(?) to its $3m target.
We have become one club against a backdrop of bitter and angry SANFL clubs, no mean feat
Dont know much about the long term plan but have heard it mentioned in the media by Rucci and several Port people, so cant say much about that..

So in my book, and with limited inside knowledge of everything that is happening, i believe the 2 guys you mentioned have done a very good job to begin a very steep climb out of the quagmire previous management left us in. They deserve a chance to turn things around and already have to an extent.