As the Port Adelaide Football Club prepares for its 150th anniversary season, the debate on the Power’s origins ignore how the SANFL settled another saga

Port Adelaide’s push to wear its treasured black-and-white “prison bars” jumper in the AFL next season - the club’s 150th anniversary - is again igniting the debate on the Power’s origins

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IT is almost 25 years since one of the ugliest sagas in SA football ended ... and created a silly fairytale that antagonists, such as Collingwood president Eddie McGuire and Graham Cornes, do not let rest.

In 1994, after decades of debate on SA’s part in a national Australian football competition that ultimately became toxic in 1990, the SANFL’s most powerful men decided the Port Adelaide Football Club would follow the Adelaide Football Club as SA’s entries in the national AFL.

The SANFL held the two AFL licences based in SA. The league sub-let these licences to the Crows ... and a club at Alberton called Port Adelaide.

That is Port Adelaide, founded in 1870, part of the first organised football competition in Adelaide that was badged the SA Football Association (SAFA) in 1877 and then the SA Football League and now the SA National Football League.

The men who were in charge of the Port Adelaide Football Club playing in the SANFL - president Greg Boulton, chief executive Brian Cunningham and coach John Cahill - took Port Adelaide to the AFL in 1997.

Port Adelaide chairman Barry Wilson, president Greg Boulton, chief executive Brian Cunningham and coach John Cahill at meeting of the '96 club at Football Park's Convention Centre in 1994. Picture: Ray Titus

Boulton marched from West Lakes - where the SA Football Commission handed him the ticket to the AFL denied in 1990 - to arrive at the long-standing Port Adelaide Football Club’s base at Alberton to rousing applause. On the upper floor of the social club in the Quinn Stand, Boulton declared: “There will be a Port Adelaide Football Club forever.”

And there has been a debate - misguided one - on just which Port Adelaide Football Club that is? The one that began in 1870 - and did not wear black-and-white jumpers nor become known as “Magpies” until 1902? Or the one refashioned as “the Power” with teal and silver added to the club ensemble in December 1994?

“Let’s be quite clear,” Boulton told The Advertiser.

“The Port Adelaide Football Club that was formed in 1870 won the sub-licence to enter the AFL.

“It was a tender process among SANFL clubs. Port Adelaide won that sub-licence.

“For legal reasons, the club had to change from an ‘incorporated’ to a ‘limited’ entity to accept the sub-licence. There has always been one Port Adelaide Football Club since 1870 - and it won the SANFL’s vote to take up an AFL sub-licence.”

Boulton has provided The Roast with the critical documents. There is the letter from the SANFL, signed by league chief executive Leigh Whicker on December 8, 1994, that informs the “Port Adelaide Football Club” that the SA Football Commission “has now determined to offer the right to participate” in the AFL “to your club”.

To an exisiting club - not a new club.

And Whicker emphasised one of the conditions for handing the sub-licence to Port Adelaide would be a legal change to the corporate structure of the traditional PAFC at Alberton.

Cornes repeatedly argues that legal process created a new Port Adelaide Football Club. In that case, there have been many Port Adelaide football clubs since 1870. After all, it did start as a football and cricket club. It has been reconfigured many times, particularly with a constitution that has been adapted for the times.

Port Adelaide went to the AFL with many conditions. The SANFL insisted on keeping its own version of “Port Adelaide” - the Magpies. And the SANFL clubs demanded the Power and Magpies be separated - with the Power at Alberton and Magpies at Ethelton - until Tim Ginever and George Fiacchi ended the folly with their successful “One Club” campaign in 2011-12.

Port Adelaide Magpies premiership players Tim Ginever and George Fiacchi lead the One Port Adelaide Football Club campaign to merge the AFL and SANFL clubs. Pictured with Port Magpies and Power guerneys.

The AFL insisted Port Adelaide find a new nickname and new colours to avoid a clash - and any battle - with the black-and-white Collingwood Magpies.

If nicknames define a club, then the SANFL Magpies have been around for 117 years ... well short of a 150th party (that will never be once the AFL introduces a national reserves competition within the next decade).

The Port Adelaide Football Club was founded in 1870. It has had many nicknames, played in many competitions, adopted many colours and worn so many jumpers that it could go through Season 2020 - its 150th anniversary year - with a different heritage guernsey each week and still have some left over.

And 25 years ago, the SANFL was quite clear on how it would assign its second AFL sub-licence - to an SANFL club. It was not handing an AFL licence to a made-up entity. This is why Port Adelaide is the only non-Victorian club to have advanced from suburbia to the national competition.

Port Adelaide, since 1870. It has been around for a long time ... and so has the ill-founded debate on some “new” club being formed for the AFL in 1997. New team, yes. New club, no.

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