Dear Members and Supporters,

Earlier this week, as I sat in Sydney waiting for a meeting with a potential new commercial partner, my mind wandered back to my first week as CEO.
August 2011.
We were having a pretty ordinary year…just 3 wins, and many beltings in the AFL.
The Magpies were really struggling.
There was a lot of planning going on to leave Footy Park and get to Adelaide Oval, but the actual stadium deal was a long way from being resolved.
We were suffering heavy financial losses.
The club only had 29,000 members and the home crowds in 2011 were the lowest recorded in our AFL history.
And then we got the news that our two major partners at the time, My ATM and Soaring Securities were ending their association with the Club, effective immediately!

Financially vulnerable, and heavily divided as a result of regulatory constraints imposed upon us as a result of playing in both the AFL and SANFL competitions, Port Adelaide’s very identity was being challenged.
In the corridors of power at the time, there was growing support for the idea that the Port Adelaide Football Club may not be viable in its current form. 
With perhaps the lowest funded football program in the AFL, it’s not difficult to understand why.
A sobering introduction to the club that I had idolized as a child!

Fast forward to 2019, and thankfully much has changed.
We arrived at Adelaide Oval in 2014 with a bang, realizing the dream of those brave, visionary saviors who risked everything to put us on a path that would ensure Port Adelaide would not only survive, but prosper.
60,000 members.
40,000 people there every week to enjoy the best home game experience in the AFL.
A fully funded, unified football program.
Three AFL finals series and a preliminary final.
Three SANFL Grand Finals.
A China strategy designed to expand our commercial opportunities beyond the boundaries of Australia.
A deep commitment to making a difference in our community.
Profitable.
Not quite where we want to be, but a hell of a lot better than where we were!

This restoration has been achieved because we chose, as a club, to celebrate being Port Adelaide.
We decided that being Port Adelaide is enough. More than enough.
We learned that when we stick together, we are a powerful force.
Of all the lessons learned, putting our members at the heart of everything we do, has been the most profound.
At our lowest point, we decided ‘We Are Port Adelaide’.
And it saved us.

Earlier this month, I sat down with David and informed him that 2020 will be my last season as the CEO of the Port Adelaide Football Club.
It is the final year of my existing contract, and for my wife Patti and I, it feels like the natural end point.
The football program is energized with the exuberance of youth, financially the club is stable and the Executive team have just delivered an exciting strategic plan for the next five years.
And with it being a special anniversary year for the club, it just feels like the stars have aligned! 
It has been an enormous privilege to serve this great club, and we will be forever grateful for the love and support we have felt since arriving.
The Board and I will ensure that the transition to new leadership is orderly and smooth, as great clubs do.
Most importantly, we will be aiming to shoot the lights out in 2020!
Far from being a farewell tour…it will be the start of the next great chapter of our magnificent club.

I look forward to enjoying it with you.

KT