Port Magpies to be dissolved. Is it true?

[FlyingHigh]

So further to the above, if Port weren't willing to accept those conditions, then why did they apply?? (being facetious, I know).

[Macca19]

This is exactly what was alluded to me in conversation. The Magpies have about 2,500 members or thereabouts, surely the Power would be confident of maybe reeling in half of those, another 1,000 members is another $150K in season ticket revenue plus more from other member-related income streams, so while not huge bucks, its all straight onto the bottom line.

Its dependant on how many of those 2500 are PAFC members now anyway. Id say a decent percentage would already be members of both.

[Sojourner]

Here is a copy of the article, for those that dont have access to the other site,

Our Museum Magpies
Thursday 11th June 2009

Tim Ginevar began appearing on election style posters on Stobie Poles across Adelaide almost a decade ago holding a stuffed Magpie, a $2 note and a Lace Up Jumper.

“Two (The note and the Jumper) out of the three are gone, and I don’t want to see the third disappear”, said Ginevar, now the Port Adelaide Magpies Team Coach.

But the battle is indeed lost, the Magpie is indeed Stuffed.

The big mistake made in December 1995 – when the S A Football Commission offered Port Adelaide Football Club promotion from the State League to the AFL – of keeping “The Magpies” in the SANFL has to be cleaned up.

Colleague Michal Macguire declared the Port Adelaide Magpies had to be wound up on July 8th 2007, when he was the Sports Editor at the Sunday Mail.

Chris McDermott went down the same path in the same arena earlier this year.

There was an immediate reaction from the Magpies, from the then chief executive Matthew Richardson – who last week joined the Power – pointing out how hard the faithful were working to keep Port financial, vibrant and meaningful in the SANFL, but the game is up.

The Magpies financial position is difficult, there on field impetus is not of the Magpies. The SANFL now that it has Central District mirroring all that Port Adelaide was in the SANFL – does not need the Magpies.

In fact, SA Football in total does not need the Magpies – and this realisation is dawning both at Alberton where Port Adelaide cannot surivive on soley the passion and devotion of their board, staff and 4 volunteers – and at West Lakes where the SANFL is coming to realise the folly of its 1995 decision.

The benefits are significant.

An Eight Team Competition, the SANFL in these tough economic times cannot consider expanding to 10 teams, no matter how appealing the thought is of sanctioning a new team from Whyalla, Tasmania or the Northern Territory.

Rather the pressure on the SANFL finances which are to be squeezed by both the Power and the Crows with new stadium deals at Football Park – makes an Eight team competition fiscally appealing.

And then there is the benefit of finally removing the bye which came with the nine team SANFL on the merger of Woodville and West Torrens at the end of 1990.

An end to the annoying confusion to which is the “real” Port Adelaide, the one that won promotion to the AFL in 1997 or the one formed in 1996 to continue the “Magpie” Tradition in the SANFL.

This senseless battle about which is “Port Adelaide” has not helped either club in its branding in the commercial market.

The reality is that “Port Adelaide” has moved to the AFL. The original term of reference for the second AFL licence was to have the winning bidder command no presence in the SANFL. This was the instant answer to establishing an 8 team league.

No other competition in the world has a club earn promotion to a higher league and leave a team behind in another league.

Also, no other competition would have taken issue with Port Adelaide’s traditional Black and White Prison Bar Jumper. But then no other league has to deal with Collingwood , which forces its opponents – even when they play at home, such as North Melbourne – as North Melbourne know – to wear their an alternate strip so that Collingwood can continue to wear the Black and White.

The costs of packing away the Port Adelaide Magpies are far from significant,

There will be AFL linked players with allegiances to the Magpies- such as the Burgoyne brothers and Warren Tredrea - to re-assign in the SANFL.

There are recruiting boundaries to shift along Adelaide’s north-western belt where the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles would become a super club to rival Central District. How the meek of 1964 have inherited a treasure in a post-AFL SANFL.

And there will be Magpie traditions, which began when the Port Adelaide football club was 42 years old, to put in the Museum.

Given they are hard work to maintain today, it seems the right thing to do.

Michaelangelo Rucci
The Advertiser

[therisingblues]

There's a lot I disagree with in this article.
The first part just says Port has to disappear from the SANFL because it is the opinion of two or so other people and that they are going through a rough patch. And because Centrals are now successful (WTF type of reasoning is that?)
Next we have a list of "significant benefits" of Port leaving the SANFL, they are:
1: 8 team comp
2: 8 team comp
3: 8 team comp
Okay, there are different aspects pertaining to an 8 team comp'. Maybe he should have just titled that section a little differently.
Then the confusion surrounding Port's identity, (which so far as I can see will result in the Magpie getting wiped out from the Port name completely if the Maggies get pulled from the SANFL. Great way to solve an identity crisis?)
I also don't follow the "No one else has a situation like ours so we've done something wrong" implication, as with the "No other comp leaves a team behind..." remark. There are a lot of things that are unique about Australia and its sport, if there is something weird are wrong about that then there must be other reasons, which he hasn't stated so that line is just fluff.
I guess the beauty of being a journalist is having many people read your thoughts and taking note of them. In this case I'm opposed to them. I suspect that Rucci just wants the Power to prosper and the Magpies to fade, because I am unconvinced of any of his reasoning in the above report.

[csbowes]

Then the confusion surrounding Port's identity, (which so far as I can see will result in the Magpie getting wiped out from the Port name completely if the Maggies get pulled from the SANFL. Great way to solve an identity crisis?)

I couldn't agree more with this statement. Its one reason why I stand by my comments that the only reason there is an identity crisis is because the club refuses to push the Magpie barrow. For some reason, some knobs have got it into the clubs head that by pushing the Magpie barrow, they alienate all the other supporters. You know what, who cares, you make the best of it with the supporters you've got. It sounds short sighted, but look at it this way, no one likes Collingwood, they're arrogant and they push the league around etc but I don't see the club caring about that.

While I don't like how Collingwood gets away with whatever they like (though its worse when my own club accommodates them, geez what were they thinking with that guernsey), I do applaud Collingwood for throwing their weight around, acting like they own the league and all that. Why not, if you can, do it, its not Collingwood's role to do everything fairly, bloody well do what's good for your own club, get advantage and so on. In any case, Port should be pushing that same black and white brand, screw Collingwood and the league, if push came to shove, the league would bend.

What are they going to do? Kick Port out? Yeah right like that would happen...

Its about standing up for yourself.

Port just needs to work out how it can be profitable with a Magpies-based supporter base and just build on that as the years go by and kids are attracted to what the Port Adelaide Magpie brand means. There's just been too much to-ing and fro-ing and trying to be nice to everyone. Port Adelaide never did that in the SANFL. They were arrogant and it was all about them and the rest of us had to put up with it because, well, they earned that right by thrashing everyone. Now Port needs to do that again and I for one would be happy to see Port dominate the AFL.

Why not? If my team can't win the premiership, Port might as well, then everyone loses!

[eaglehaslanded]

eagles and port - you're basically both playing like seagulls and scrounging for wins!!!!!

Spelly will help me here:

Eagles flags since Bays last--

Eagles flags since Souths last--

Port flags since Bays last--

Port flags since Souths last--

Should make for compelling reading...

Eagles won premierships in 1993 & 2006 and played in 5 other GF's since merger and have played in a total of 14 finals series-

Glenelg's last premiership 1986 have played in only 2 GF's since the Eagles merged 1992 & 2008.

South's last premiership 1964 and has only played in 3 finals series since the Eagles merger 1991, 1992 & 2006 with no GF appearances.

Port's last premiership 1999 with a total of 7 GF appearnces and 6 premierships 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 & 1999 since Eagles merger.

[mal]

I think this is a fabricated situation
Just becoz PA are broke and near the bottom that is not a reason to drop them for an 8 team comp
They will get financial and will recruit and will be a force again
Too many diehards and fanatical supPORTters to not be a SANFL entity

FOOTNOTE
They made finals last year, wuz there this mass hysteria bollied about then ?

[dedja]

They made finals last year, wuz there this mass hysteria bollied about then ?

spot on Mal ...

[NO-MERCY]

Laugh all you want you clowns.
PAMFC has been the most respected & successfull club in the SANFL & no-one will take that away from them. ( not even Centrals )
I must say what really worry's me about the PAMFC is that the Power need supporters & the Power will do anything they can to get what they want in the big League & if that means BURNING the Magpies that is what they'll do.
I hope this doesn't happen but the sudden departure of Richardson ( CEO ) is a bit sus as far as i'm concerned, especially to a side thats crying poverty & has no money, how do they create a position from no-where for someone when they're in debt $4m?

[Dutchy]

Laugh all you want you clowns.
PAMFC has been the most respected & successfull club in the SANFL & no-one will take that away from them. ( not even Centrals )

2 key words there...

[NO-MERCY]

HAS BEEN Dutchy, pull you head in.

[Barto]

Laugh all you want you clowns.
PAMFC has been the most respected & successfull club in the SANFL & no-one will take that away from them. ( not even Centrals )
I must say what really worry's me about the PAMFC is that the Power need supporters & the Power will do anything they can to get what they want in the big League & if that means BURNING the Magpies that is what they'll do.
I hope this doesn't happen but the sudden departure of Richardson ( CEO ) is a bit sus as far as i'm concerned, especially to a side thats crying poverty & has no money, how do they create a position from no-where for someone when they're in debt $4m?

So which "club" do former Port players identify with most? The teal AFL mob that some supporters claim is the same of PAFC or the 'new' one which still carries the identity they've always had?

[eddie eagle]

For once I actually agree with something rucci has written.
Get rid of one lot of port adelaide filfth.

All my family including children can't stand the port power filfth either. A friends local school at clapham gives away tickets to port power games. His kids bring home the tickets with absolutely no intention of going, but simply because no-one wants them, also to stop anyone that might consider going along.

Other friends have stopped going to the netball to watch thunderbirds simply because of their port power links. Simply go to state league games only.

I think that it will take multi-generational change before port power pick up ANY level of neutral support.

My experience at work is plenty of port power "barrackers" with their shit all around their desks, 90% of these have never been to a game!!

[NO-MERCY]

So which "club" do former Port players identify with most? The teal AFL mob that some supporters claim is the same of PAFC or the 'new' one which still carries the identity they've always had?

The new don't carry the identity of the old & never will, i know they do when it suits them & when its time to use the past of the Magpies to get some recognition.

[Oval Ave]

is this linked to rumor that power havent paid anything from the port club back to magpies? heard that Power in debt to magpies and so money that should be with magpies not in there account because power not paying to magpies?

[bayman]

i can't belive this, they are struggling on & off the field & rucci (port ferret) wants them to just 'dissolve'......look at it this way sturt were way way down & WORKED their way back to be a competitive force over the last 10 or so years.......north did the same thing as did glenelg who were a basket case just 5 or so years ago.....surely it is just ports turn to be struggling & surely when they get the right blokes in place to run it on & off the field they'll be back up there sooner rather than later, they bit the bullet & gave m.knights the gig & the so-called 'gurus' knived him ( and paul belton) & what have these 'gurus' done since ? mistakes have been made surely you try to rectify it rather than just close the doors & finally we have been told year after year that the port people stick through thick & thin yet one of their own want to jump off as soon as it gets too tough, also we've been told PROUD CLUB well mr. rucci if your one of these PROUD CLUB PEOPLE where is your PRIDE to HELP YOUR CLUB RATHER THAN KNIFE IT PUBLICALLY.....perhaps depending on their availability blokes like delaney,fiacchi, hodges & the like can get their supporters emotions up & get this ridiculous 'suggestion' canned, personally the first thing i look at, at the start of the year is when do glenelg play port

we need every club in the competition to not only survive but too flourish.....there will always be a top team & a bottom team mr rucci whether it is a 6,8 or 9 team competition it just happens in the cycle of things that port are struggling atm

i would say you are a provocational journalist except i don't think your a journalist to begin with

[Grahaml]

csbowes, in regard to Port just doing what it wants if the PAFC went against the AFL wishes with regards to their jumper there would be a $50k fine. If Port think it's worth paying $50k a game to wear it then fair enough. I doubt the AFL will stand by though, so perhaps the fines will continue to increase. Eventually, and alternitively the AFL will start to strip the power of premiership points. Try making the finals if you can't get any points even if you win! Futhermore, the AFL could then suspend the power from participating in the first x rounds of the draft. Try getting a decent team together when you can only get the scraps of what's left, and nothing to trade with. Perhaps the AFL wouldn't kick the power out. Perhaps they would. But there are options beyond simply kicking them out of the league. Collingwood get away with it because they get the AFL's blessing, even if the AFL don't like it. Collingwood would not dare do anything unless the AFL had given the green light.

In regards to the power and this "identity crisis", what people seem to not realise is that even if some sections think they know exactly what the identity of the PAFC club is (ahem, Mr Cornes) there can still be an identity crisis. There can still be an identity crisis when everyone in the world knows the "identity" of the club. Often crises arise as a result of something very well known becoming untenable, and one of the core problems of the Power is that their identity is so strongly linked to the Port Adelaide magpies of the SANFL.

Neither organisation would have any issues if they had the supporter base, so there is the source of the crisis. Both need more fans to exist. And so the challenge is to gain new fans, and here is what I believe to be the identity crisis of the Port Adelaide football clubs.

People don't change footy allegiences very often. They add to existing ones, but most footy fans in SA who are interested in AFL have an allegience, and most interested in SANFL also have an allegience. Futhermore, the greatest source of new fans is kids. And kids generally inherit the allegience of their parents. So the challenge to increase a fan base is tough, expecially when all other league footy clubs are fighting to not only keep their own base, but erode into other clubs' bases. And it is from this point of view that Port Adelaide suffers from it's identity. They are linked to a limited geographic region, inherently tied to a certain era of South Australian football (an era of pain and prejudice for many opposition fans) and both Port Adelaide are inherently linked. Thus, either entity wanting to gain as a fan an opposition of the other will be fighting more than any other club in the same position. Ie, anyone who is a Centrals fan is more likely to follow the crows because they play no team linked with them, and won't have to compromise their allegiences.

In other words, I don't think the "identity crisis" is because of any confusion surrounding who the real Port Adelaide is, but rather because the identity is too limiting.

[Grahaml]

But I'm not entirely sold that the solution is to pull the magpies out of the comp. We lose any club, we lose fans. PAMFC members won't just shift to a new club, many will be lost to footy. And the network for juniors will be damaged, and the club will be lost forever. No club should be lost unless it's a basketcase.

[CUTTERMAN]

Then the confusion surrounding Port's identity, (which so far as I can see will result in the Magpie getting wiped out from the Port name completely if the Maggies get pulled from the SANFL. Great way to solve an identity crisis?)

I couldn't agree more with this statement. Its one reason why I stand by my comments that the only reason there is an identity crisis is because the club refuses to push the Magpie barrow. For some reason, some knobs have got it into the clubs head that by pushing the Magpie barrow, they alienate all the other supporters. You know what, who cares, you make the best of it with the supporters you've got. It sounds short sighted, but look at it this way, no one likes Collingwood, they're arrogant and they push the league around etc but I don't see the club caring about that.

While I don't like how Collingwood gets away with whatever they like (though its worse when my own club accommodates them, geez what were they thinking with that guernsey), I do applaud Collingwood for throwing their weight around, acting like they own the league and all that. Why not, if you can, do it, its not Collingwood's role to do everything fairly, bloody well do what's good for your own club, get advantage and so on. In any case, Port should be pushing that same black and white brand, screw Collingwood and the league, if push came to shove, the league would bend.
Cs, well said, while I don't like the Power and I hate Port, I hear what your saying and it's said very well. It just about sums it up for me.

What are they going to do? Kick Port out? Yeah right like that would happen...

Its about standing up for yourself.

Port just needs to work out how it can be profitable with a Magpies-based supporter base and just build on that as the years go by and kids are attracted to what the Port Adelaide Magpie brand means. There's just been too much to-ing and fro-ing and trying to be nice to everyone. Port Adelaide never did that in the SANFL. They were arrogant and it was all about them and the rest of us had to put up with it because, well, they earned that right by thrashing everyone. Now Port needs to do that again and I for one would be happy to see Port dominate the AFL.

Why not? If my team can't win the premiership, Port might as well, then everyone loses!

Well, that sucks, everything I wrote was gone and I'm stuffed if I'm gonna do it all again,

[pipers]

Here's a thought...

How about we wind the Power up.

A nasty little monster spawned from a dirty rendevous between greed and arrogance. Its foul teal and silver should never have been given a chance at life.

There were some who could never bring themselves to love it, or even to look at it, and many of those that thought they could love this half-retarded, mutant creation have grown weary at its prevaricating between "true Port Adelaide tradition" and being "the other team for South Australia". Its many tounges are outnumbered only by its faces.

If it is indeed suffering ailment from which it will not recover, then it should take itself away now, to die out of the sight of the rest of the community.