Port (Blood) Sport

[Big Al]

Adelaide: The North Melbourne of the Commonwealth.

[wolftone57]

The sad thing about that is that I have heard similar about Crows supporters in their early days in the AFL. Must be an Adelaide thing.

In the early days a section of the crowd going to Crows games were Port Magpie Supporters. When Port Power entered the comp most of them went over to the Power. If there is one thing they can't handle it is lack of success. They have been used to winning premierships at Port Magpies and can't stant losing. The funny thing is that Port Magpies are not winning them either anymore. The only clubs to win premierships in the SANFL since 2000 are Central, Eagles and Sturt. Central have won 9 out of 12. This must piss Port supporters off as much of Central District zone used to be Port zone up until redistributions in the '80's &'90's. It was really weird in the '70's that Central Districts, which is based around Elizabeth/Salisbury couldn't pick kids from Salisbury because they were zoned to a club some 25 kilometres away.

[R-1]

In actual fact Footy Park is right in the middle of the SANFL Port Traditional area. Woodville had trouble getting any support after the SANFL introduced them in the Sixties. I don't see that the move is going to make any difference except that it is a smaller ground, fitting less people. At least it will look like they have some support at games at Adelaide Oval I suppose.

It'll make a lot of difference. Footy Park is in West Lakes, sure, and that's in the geographical northeast. But it's a nightmare to get to. No public transport, choked streets, in the middle of nowhere. Footy Park is convenient for, like, five suburbs. For the rest, including much of the Port Adelaide area, Adelaide Oval is easier simply because of the train line. If you live five blocks from Alberton Oval like my grandmother, I think you'd much rather have to get to Adelaide Oval than Footy Park. And being in the city there's far more to do before and after the games.

In addition, Footy Park is cold, windswept and has crap facilities. It's no wonder Port and Crows crowds drop off so dramatically when they're losing. If I had to attend a ground that was more unpleasant than ANZ just to see my team get flogged, I wouldn't do it either. Adelaide Oval will be a huge boost - a lot easier for everyone to get to and lot more pleasant once they're there. It'll raise attendance plenty, and certainly keep Port Adelaide crowds above what the Bulldogs, Demons and Kangaroos draw.

(oh and once it's upgraded it'll hold slightly more than Footy Park currently does)

Port are between a rock and a hard place. The majority of South Australians hate them. Port Adelaide in the SANFL was only loved by their supporters, everyone else hates them. When the AFL insisted on giving Port the second license in South Australia they stuffed up. As an AFL team Port are going to struggle to get enough support to make them viable as 7/8ths of South Australia hate them. A composite team like the Crows would have been preferable. They have managed to wrest some support away from the Crows but not enough to make a difference. It would be like taking Collingwood as one of two Victorian teams and asking Vics to support them, some would but about between 70 & 80% wouldn't.

I actually think they stuffed up by bringing in a de facto state side in 1991. Imagine if it had been Port coming in, in 1991, and Norwood a few years later. There'd probably be room for three sides now if they hadn't created the Crows to screw Port out of the AFL license. We'd probably be talking about the entry of Central Districts right now instead of wondering about the future of South Australian football.

[goswannie14]

I actually think they stuffed up by bringing in a de facto state side in 1991. Imagine if it had been Port coming in, in 1991, and Norwood a few years later. There'd probably be room for three sides now if they hadn't created the Crows to screw Port out of the AFL license. We'd probably be talking about the entry of Central Districts right now instead of wondering about the future of South Australian football.

It was always to stop the Port licence being granted that the SANFL stepped in. I thought it was stupid at the time, possibly now the local league is paying the price for it.

[wolftone57]

It'll make a lot of difference. Footy Park is in West Lakes, sure, and that's in the geographical northeast. But it's a nightmare to get to. No public transport, choked streets, in the middle of nowhere. Footy Park is convenient for, like, five suburbs. For the rest, including much of the Port Adelaide area, Adelaide Oval is easier simply because of the train line. If you live five blocks from Alberton Oval like my grandmother, I think you'd much rather have to get to Adelaide Oval than Footy Park. And being in the city there's far more to do before and after the games.

In addition, Footy Park is cold, windswept and has crap facilities. It's no wonder Port and Crows crowds drop off so dramatically when they're losing. If I had to attend a ground that was more unpleasant than ANZ just to see my team get flogged, I wouldn't do it either. Adelaide Oval will be a huge boost - a lot easier for everyone to get to and lot more pleasant once they're there. It'll raise attendance plenty, and certainly keep Port Adelaide crowds above what the Bulldogs, Demons and Kangaroos draw.

(oh and once it's upgraded it'll hold slightly more than Footy Park currently does)



I actually think they stuffed up by bringing in a de facto state side in 1991. Imagine if it had been Port coming in, in 1991, and Norwood a few years later. There'd probably be room for three sides now if they hadn't created the Crows to screw Port out of the AFL license. We'd probably be talking about the entry of Central Districts right now instead of wondering about the future of South Australian football.

I come from there and I can tell you that if they had have brought Port and Norwood in at the time you could have written off VFL/AFL Footy in SA. The other team supporters would never support those two sides. I'm a Glenelg supporter and ex-member and it was discussed at the time and every supporter I spoke to said they would either follow the team they currently follow or none. Not one said they would follow Port or Norwood. Every person I knew at the time that wasn't a Port or Norwood supporter would not follow them. They are both hated by the opposition supporters. By the way Glenelg has a far greater support base than Norwood and was never hated. Central even greater and even though they are successful no-one hates them they just don't want them to win a premiership for a few years.