Dear Members and Supporters,
It has been a big day for many Port Adelaide members after the South Australian Government announced a seven-day lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I also acknowledge that our members in Melbourne and Sydney are continuing their lockdown, in what is a difficult time for all. I sincerely hope you and your families are safe and well.
This evening our players and staff from our Club have flown to Melbourne after the decision was taken this afternoon to relocate due to the South Australian lockdown.
The club was unable to secure an exemption to enable its players to train and when it became clear that AFL games would also not go ahead in Adelaide this weekend, there was no choice but to leave to ensure the AFL season continues. The relocation to Melbourne was an absolute last resort but as we worked through the scenarios it become clear this was the only option which would ensure we didn’t get caught in behind a hard border and could ensure the AFL season continued.
As our football club has done for the last 18 months, we have had an "any game, anywhere" attitude and our all of our players and staff have been incredible in driving that. Today presented a different set of challenges and it’s our turn to act swiftly and relocate to keep the AFL competition going. I’d like to acknowledge and thank our players, coaches, staff and just as importantly their families for their incredible support and understanding.
It is a big week for our football club, with Travis Boak playing his 300th game and I know the group are driven to ensure we honour that appropriately on Friday night. Travis is a very special person to our football club and also our fans. I know how disappointed they are about not having the opportunity now to get along to Adelaide Oval on Friday night to thank Travis for what he’s done for them and our Club. Over the coming days there will be some fantastic tributes to Travis and I know the Port Adelaide family will be out in force the next opportunity they get at Adelaide Oval to celebrate Travis from the terraces.
It has been a challenging day for everyone involved. The Government and SA Health have done an amazing job keeping us safe in South Australia and we have great trust in the decisions and actions they are taking.
The AFL have done and continue to do an incredible job behind the scenes in keeping the season going and we thank them for this and for their support today in finding this solution.
It’s times like this when the strength of the Port Adelaide community shines through. I can’t thank you enough for your ongoing loyalty and support as we navigate our way through this challenging period and we will update you further over the coming days.
Please take care of each other. We are Port Adelaide.
Regards,
Matthew
