SOME of my earliest memories are of Saturday afternoons at Alberton Oval where my father played reserves footy for Port Adelaide during the Fos Williams era.

In fact, my connection to this great club goes back even further than memory permits because mum tells me I saw my first Magpies game when I was only six weeks old. She tells me it was against Sturt, but we don’t remember the score.

I was raised in Seafield Street at Largs North and have never been anything but Port Adelaide and I never will be.

That’s the way it’s been in my family for generations.

So I’m proud at becoming Chairman of this great club, but even prouder for the honour on behalf of my family and the club’s thousands supporters.

I know what it means to love Port Adelaide and that is what will guide me in this role.

I’ve been asked repeatedly how I can fulfil the role of Chairman when I live in Sydney.

To be honest, I asked the same question when I was first approached about the role by Port Adelaide’s Deputy Chairman Kevin Osborn.

The answer went a long way to convincing me to say yes. The fact I live in Sydney was exactly why I was a candidate for the job.

I’m not the first AFL club Chairman to do it that way and I’m sure that I won’t be the last.

Having a Chairman based in Sydney is an advantage for Port Adelaide, just like it will be having a director in Melbourne.

On the field, Port Adelaide plays a national game and more than ever it’s important we compete nationally off the footy oval as well.

To the credit of the club’s board, it has recognised the need to look wider.

We continue to have fantastic financial support from companies based in South Australia, but we need to lift our eyes to ensure Port Adelaide gets back to the position where we all want it to be.

Many key decision makers are based out of South Australia and we are building a structure that will position Port Adelaide to be able to take advantage of that.

One of my first initiatives will be to establish a national advisory board made up of passionate Port Adelaide people who live interstate and who can help us make the club stronger.

I do not need to be in Adelaide to be an effective Chairman.

My day-to-day activities revolve around technology.

I use video conferencing in my role at Channel 7, in our own small media business and in my personal life.

Thanks to the wonders of modern communication, I get to see my grandchildren in Ho Chi Min City, in Vietnam, daily.

Multi-billion dollar businesses do it this way and there is no reason why a football club can’t.

More importantly, I have absolute faith in the on-the-ground presence of the Deputy Chairman together with Chief Executive Officer Keith Thomas, who I believe has shown himself to be an extraordinary leader of Port Adelaide in some very challenging times.

In fact, my agreeing to take on the job was based on both of those men committing to the club for the long-term.

Through this change, we will never forget our history and traditions at Port Adelaide.

I will chair a board which will build on the work of previous directors whom I would like to thank and whose efforts I acknowledge on behalf of the entire Port Adelaide community.

This is a great club and we have exciting times ahead, but it will take work and commitment from a great number of people both within the club and outside in the form our supporters.

First and foremost I am a supporter, too, and I look forward to sharing the journey with the many other Port Adelaide people who I know love this club as much me.