SANFL League Directors are considering a One Club proposal put forward by the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club.
One Club: Putting Port Adelaide Back Together
League Directors were briefed on the proposal on Tuesday evening, which was examined by the SA Football Commission last week.
Under the One Club initiative, the commercial, administrative and financial operations of the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club will be combined, and run as One Club, under a single, united Port Adelaide Football Club board.
The united Port Adelaide Football Club will field teams in two competitions - the Power in the AFL and the Magpies in the SANFL (including League, Reserves, U18s, U16s and Zone Development Squads).
The Power will continue to wear its popular new ‘back in black’ jumper, while the Magpies will continue to be called the ‘Magpies’ and wear the traditional ‘prison bar’ jumper.
Importantly, however, the club’s AFL and SANFL football operations will be run independently of each other.
The Magpies will not operate as a Reserves side for the Power. Power players would continue to be distributed throughout the SANFL and play for their aligned SANFL Club. The Magpies would have the same salary cap as all other SANFL clubs, but would also have a total expense cap imposed, recognising the unique relationship with an AFL club. That cap would be commensurate with the average expenditure of other League clubs.
The Port Adelaide situation is unique in Australian football, as since 1997 there have been two Port Adelaide Football Clubs sharing the brand, history and heritage of PAFC but running as separate - and often competing - businesses.
The One Port Adelaide proposal aims to remove this division and recreate one strong, united and financially sustainable Port Adelaide Football Club, a secure future for the Port Adelaide Magpies, and a financially stronger SANFL - all of which are critical to the ongoing prosperity of football in South Australia.
Financial projections tested independently by the AFL and SANFL show the ‘One Club’ initiative would create a positive net cash impact of between $1.4 million and $1.9 million for the united Port Adelaide Football Club entity in 2011, and each year after.
The financial benefits come from bringing together the Port Adelaide football community and the complementary assets held by each club.
To go ahead, the proposal requires the approval of the League Directors and the SA Football Commission as both entities would need to use their separate powers to make changes to the Port Adelaide sub-licence agreement and the SANFL Constitution.
A meeting of the League Directors is planned for Monday, November 15, to vote on the issue.
You can read today’s SANFL statement about the proposal on our One Club page, as well as a new Frequently Asked Questions page which explains more detail about the proposal and its benefits.
An Information Night on the One Club proposal will be held at the Port Club at Alberton from 7pm on Wednesday 3 November.
