AN informal collaboration has been forged between Port Adelaide and NRL team Penrith Panthers that will help the Power continue to innovate and improve its off-field operations.

Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas says the opportunity to work with Penrith adds to a range of other relationships the Power has forged with clubs from other codes, including another NRL team - Melbourne Storm - and international soccer giant Liverpool.

Still in its infancy, the arrangement will allow leaders at the two clubs to share information that will help the Power, and the Panthers, continue their mission to be engaging and innovative clubs.  

The Power is particularly interested in the Panthers' successful off-field and corporate operations.

"Something we routinely do is keep an eye on other organisations both in sport, and not in sport, to see whether they are doing things that could advantage us in some way," Thomas told portadelaidefc.com.au.

"Penrith, incidentally, has also been looking at us and the progress we've made, and are interested in learning particularly about our membership and other aspects of our business.

"We're currently exploring ways we might be able to share information, but right now there's certainly no partnership - nothing formal - we're really just finding out about each other."

While no formal arrangement has been entered into with the Panthers, Thomas does not expect any future relationship with the Sydney-based team will conflict with what already exists between the Power and Melbourne-based Storm.

"Generally, these things start off quite casually," Thomas said.

"It's not an unusual practice and we're curious about other organisations who are doing good things, and Penrith have a similar recent history to ours.

"The Melbourne Storm relationship has been largely a football one, and a very valuable one.

"We don't think anything that happens with the Panthers should cut over anything we have with the Storm."