PORT ADELAIDE is refusing to back down from its push to wear its iconic black and white prison bar guernsey in Showdowns going forward.
The AFL on Thursday announced that Port Adelaide would not be allowed to wear the revered jumper in its upcoming Round 8 Showdown.
The Club has expressed its disappointment with the decision but chief executive Matthew Richardson says the issue won’t go away.
“We’re extremely disappointed with the decision. We’re disappointed for the club, but more importantly we’re really disappointed for our fans,” Mr Richardson said during a press conference after the decision came through.
“This decision is not just about Port Adelaide, it’s actually about the passion and connection that all fans have for their clubs and we’re extremely disappointed.
“It’s an issue that is too important for our club and our people so it’s not going to go away.”
In its statement announcing its decision, the AFL made reference to an agreement made between the AFL, Port Adelaide and Collingwood in 2019 to allow Port to wear the guernsey in the 2020 Showdown as part of the club’s 150th anniversary celebration.
But Mr Richardson said it was disappointing the AFL failed to make any mention of a 2007 agreement in which the AFL and Collingwood were happy for the club to wear the guernsey in heritage rounds going forward.
“We feel like in 2007 that everyone was happy for Port Adelaide to wear its prison bar guernsey to celebrate its heritage on an ongoing basis once a year in home games,” he explained.
“(In 2019), both parties agreed to come back to the conversation at a later time and that’s really our frustration because we’ve been trying to come back to that for at least the last 12 months, it’s not a new conversation for us.”
The AFL’s decision, it said was made because “Collingwood has made it clear that, at this time, it does not agree to further use of the guernsey by Port Adelaide including in Showdown matches against Adelaide Crows”.
It has offered to work with both clubs on any potential future use of the guernsey.
Mr Richardson said the club’s frustration was with the AFL and not Collingwood, because it had the authority as the owner of the clubs and their intellectual property to make a decision independent of the clubs.
He said the club would not wear the guernsey in opposition to the AFL’s ruling and risk a fine or points deduction, and it was too soon to say whether legal action could be considered.
“We’ll take up the AFL’s offer to facilitate whatever discussions we need to be having to find a solution on an ongoing basis,” Mr Richardson said.
“What we’re asking for here, we think is reasonable. We’re not asking to wear this as a home and away basis, we’re not asking to wear it every single week, we’re asking to wear it on limited occasions in Showdowns to celebrate the heritage of our football club but also importantly South Australian football.
“We don’t see how it impacts negatively on any other club. We have to be confident (of finding the solution) because it’s not going to go away. It’s something we believe in very strongly and most importantly it’s something we know our people believe in very strongly... and we’ll continue to fight for it.
“It all of us have learnt anything in the last 12 months it’s that the connection we have with our fans and the important of our fans to this game – for every single club – it’s why we exist.”
