Dear members and supporters,
I have some quite remarkable news to share with you today.
This morning, the AFL announced the industry membership stats for season 2015.
The official AFL-audited result shows Port Adelaide ahead of the Adelaide Crows in member number for the first time in our club’s history.
This is an extraordinary result for many reasons.
- It wasn’t long ago we were told Port Adelaide’s brand couldn’t attract enough members and supporters to remain sustainable.
- This result justifies our ‘One Club’ unification model that we pushed so hard for - a united, engaged Port Adelaide community can be very powerful.
- The result justifies our club’s move from AAMI Stadium to Adelaide Oval – since returning to the Adelaide Oval, our membership numbers have soared by over 14,000 or 36%.
- For the first time in our AFL history, Port Adelaide has the most club members in South Australia… many observers and commentators thought this day would never arrive. It is a credit to the strength of the Port Adelaide community.
- The 8,000 Adelaide Oval members are still being allocated at the same ratio as was applied at AAMI Stadium (64% Crows to 36% PAFC). We suspect this is no longer accurate, but won’t know for sure until this system changes in season 2016.
- Our growth is largely coming in the younger demographics (18-35 and children). A very promising reinforcement of our future position in the market.
Key stats:
- Membership up over 10% on last year.
- Since returning to the Adelaide Oval in 2014 membership is up 36%.
- Since unifying the Magpies and the Power at the end of 2010, club membership has risen 86% from 29,029 to 54,057.
Make no mistake, this is one of our club’s proudest moments.
In the face of enormous challenge, the Port Adelaide community has rallied and supported its club in every conceivable way… It is a remarkable story of loyalty, devotion and resilience that is recognised throughout the AFL industry.
All we can say is thank you.
Our journey is far from complete, and we look forward to sharing more of these milestone moments with you as we continue to grow.
Wins over the Gold Coast and West Adelaide this weekend would be a great place to start!
See you at the footy!
