Dear Members & Supporters,

We were advised today by the AFL that it has not approved our request to wear our heritage black-and-white prison bar guernsey in the upcoming Round 8 Showdown, and in Showdowns ongoing as is our request.

Before I take you through where to from here, let me provide some important background to this issue, and some of it is reinforcing what you already know about our Club and the significance of this guernsey.

What are we asking for?

We are asking to wear our heritage black-and-white prison bars as a special purpose guernsey in all Showdowns to celebrate our heritage.

The prison bars guernsey has elevated significance for Port Adelaide. It is a guernsey of significant heritage in Australian football, It is the most significant icon of the Port Adelaide Football Club, being worn since 1902. When we developed the 150th anniversary logo we conducted extensive research and it showed that when people think of Port Adelaide, the first thing they see is the prison bars guernsey. It is synonymous with Port Adelaide and we are fighting to find a home for it as a heritage special purpose guernsey in the AFL.

A guernsey represents identity, meaning and purpose. It is not just what you wear. It is about who you are and where you’ve come from. It is the symbol that connects fans to their team. For Essendon it’s the red sash, for Richmond it’s yellow and black, for Carlton it’s the crest and for Port Adelaide, it’s the prison bars. Heritage makes our game stronger, connecting our fans uniquely with their clubs. 2020 has proven like never before, we must do all we can to strengthen this connection to build strong Clubs and ultimately a stronger game.

Why in Showdowns?

The prison bars jumper has elevated significance for Port Adelaide and our people, so we believe using it as a special purpose guernsey for heritage reasons is the perfect solution. The Showdown has deep historical significance to South Australian football and our heritage prison bar guernsey is synonymous to Port Adelaide and SA football. The Showdowns bring to the AFL a rivalry whose origins date back long before 1997.

It is a rivalry born out of the prison bars in 1990. Port Adelaide didn’t win the battle in 1990 but the feud reinforced the ‘us against the rest’ cultural divide. Port Adelaide, represented by the prison bars guernsey, was the lightning rod for the greatest upheaval in the history of South Australian football and it continues to stir the emotions of football fans across the State to this day. It’s the perfect recipe for a great rivalry and a heritage with genuine meaning.

Why do we need approval to wear a guernsey that is ours?

I hear the arguments that it’s our guernsey and we should be able to wear what we want. The reality is we chose to join the AFL competition, proudly I might add, as the only authentic football club from outside of Victoria to enter in our own right (not a composite or relocated VFL team). With this, we entered under a series of rules, regulations and licenses which govern the league. This includes intellectual property rights which govern colours, uniforms, and logos, all approved by the AFL. In our view, the role of the AFL is to govern the game in the best interests of ALL clubs of the competition.

What agreements and licenses are in place?

We hear assertions about so called agreements and commitments Port Adelaide made on entering the AFL and since that time regarding our heritage prison bar guernsey and even the history of our club. Much of what I heard today was complete garbage and I am bemused by people who claim to be ‘experts’ about Port Adelaide and our story. More to the point, I take great offence to outsiders trivialising our request, inventing history and patronising our Club and guernsey.

We have never seen or have any knowledge of anything which suggests we are not allowed to wear the guernsey in games of heritage significance … and yes we have spoken with each CEO and President of the Port Adelaide Football Club since 1990.

2007 AFL Heritage Round agreement

The 2007 agreement states clearly that Port Adelaide can wear its heritage prison bar guernsey each year in home AFL Heritage Rounds, except against Collingwood. This agreement was co-signed by the AFL and Collingwood, which clearly indicated that both parties endorsed Port Adelaide wearing this heritage guernsey on a limited but ongoing basis.

We are asking the AFL to apply the spirit of this agreement to all future Showdowns played in Adelaide, to celebrate the significance and heritage of Port Adelaide and South Australian football. Port Adelaide definitely signed that agreement in good faith and without any knowledge that heritage rounds weren’t going to continue.

Here is a chronological fact file regarding our heritage prison bar guernsey and the information we do have, noting that we have worn this guernsey only five times in 24 years in the AFL;

  • As part of our first AFL bid in 1990, Port Adelaide (PAFC) and the AFL signed a heads of agreement for the club to enter the 1991 AFL competition wearing its black-and-white prison bar guernsey as a home and away jumper, except in games against Collingwood (CFC). PAFC agreed to develop a new club emblem and not use the Magpie in the AFL competition.
  • In October 1996, PAFC signed a license agreement to enter the AFL competition. There is nothing in that license agreement outside of the intellectual property rights assigned to the AFL which govern colours, uniforms, and logos, for all AFL Clubs equally, and certainly nothing that states another club needs to provide consent in any way.
  • In 2003, the AFL introduced the annual Heritage Round. PAFC wore a replica black-and-white 1914 guernsey to celebrate its undefeated Champions of Australia team from that year. The AFL and Collingwood Football Club (CFC) prevented PAFC from selling the replica guernsey at retail.
  • In 2004, PAFC wore an 1897 magenta and blue heritage guernsey for AFL Heritage Round
  • In 2005, PAFC wore an 1870 blue-and-white hooped guernsey for AFL Heritage Round
  • In 2006, PAFC did not participate in the 1980s inspired AFL Heritage Round as the AFL asserted that the club could only wear a black-and-white training guernsey, and not its 1980s heritage prison bar design.
  • In May 2007, PAFC, CFC and the AFL signed a joint agreement granting PAFC permission to wear its black-and-white prison bar guernsey in all future home AFL Heritage Rounds, except when fixtured to play Collingwood. In July, PAFC wore a 1977 inspired black-and-white prison bar guernsey in AFL Heritage Round. AFL Heritage Rounds did not continue in 2008 or beyond. Port Adelaide agreed not to develop a retail line of 1977 black-and-white striped heritage jumpers as part of this agreement, and it did not.
  • In 2013, PAFC wore a heritage prison bar guernsey to commemorate the final game at Football Park.
  • In 2014, PAFC wore a heritage prison bar guernsey in its home elimination final against Richmond, after the AFL declared PAFC could not wear its home guernsey due to a jumper clash with Richmond. This was approved by the AFL on the Monday of the week of that game.
  • In 2019, PAFC sought permission to wear the heritage prison bars guernsey for both Showdowns as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations in 2020. The AFL and CFC advised we could, on the condition that PAFC agreed to sign an agreement not to wear it again in the AFL. PAFC rejected this and it was agreed we could wear it in the home Showdown only, with both parties agreeing to continue the conversation post that game to reach a long-term solution to this issue.
  • In February 2021, PAFC presented to the AFL and requested again to wear its heritage prison bar guernsey in all Showdowns ongoing, but also its home Round 8 Showdown as a goodwill request because of COVID impacting the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2020. The AFL declined the club permission, noting that it was hopeful of finding a solution long term, but it was not for this year.

Why is this so important and where to from here?

The impact of COVID has given us permission to try new things and to determine what will strengthen the game moving forward. The strongest sports teams around the world invest in their heritage. When you have authentic history and heritage, like we do, it can be a significant advantage. There is a great saying, “NO HISTORY, NO FUTURE”. This is not about living in the past but is a statement about making your heritage relevant and important to future generations. If you can achieve this it is a powerful connection that drives generational growth. At Port Adelaide, this is

We will continue to fight for this opportunity. It won’t distract us from the main game of winning this week and next week, but we understand how important it is to our people and our Club and if anything changes, you will be first to know.

Most importantly, our team is focused on the challenge this Saturday night with Brisbane at the GABBA, and then next Saturday night at Adelaide Oval becomes one of those Port Adelaide moments you won’t want to miss. There will definitely be an extra edge that night !

Thanks

Richo