Port Adelaide’s ‘significant’ drop in members could impact on the field, club say
A ‘significant’ reduction in Port Adelaide members was expected at Alberton, but the club says it could impact the Power’s performance on field if not addressed quickly.
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A “significant” drop in Port Adelaide members will hurt the club where it matters the most — on the field — says Power executive general manager Matthew Richardson.
Figures released by the AFL have revealed that Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows were among only four clubs in the competition to record a drop in members from 2018 to this year.
The Crows had a 0.5 per cent drop from 64,739 to 64,437 to sit seventh in the AFL, but the Power had the third largest decrease in members across the league — a 4.5 per cent drop of 2435 from 54,386 to 51,951.
Port Adelaide’s executive general manager Matthew Richardson told The Advertiser as much as the drop was a concern it was not a surprise to those at the club.
But he said if this wasn’t addressed quickly, it could have far-reaching impacts at Alberton.
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“While it’s been a concern, it’s not a surprise. We conduct regular research and monitor all the platforms in which our members and supporters engage with the club directly and indirectly and the indicators were pointing to a drop off in membership,” he said.
“The drop-off in members is significant and it hurts. The reality is that if we don’t turn it around it will impact on our ability to invest in our core business — football.
“We are probably more reliant than most AFL clubs on support from our members, and it is critical we get back to basics when it comes to ensuring our members are engaged and believe in what Port Adelaide has stood for since 1870.”
Richardson said Port would put its members “at the very centre of our thinking moving forward” — echoing what Power chief executive Keith Thomas said in a statement to the club faithful last week — especially with the club’s 150th year coming up.
“We have plans in place for 2020 which will ensure we are focused on providing our members with better value, some milestone moments that our members will be at the heart of and some other major changes to the club in how we look and present ourselves,” he said.
Crows CEO Andrew Fagan said because of the capacity of Adelaide Oval his club needed to try different initiatives to attract new members.
“It is worth noting that AFL figures largely focus on game access memberships and in our case growth is somewhat limited by the capacity issues presented at Adelaide Oval,” he said.
“With this in mind we now offer additional options such as a digital ‘We Fly As One’ membership program which is proving very popular in allowing us to engage with a greater number of our 700,000-plus fans.”
The GWS Giants had the biggest increase in members over the past year, a 19.3 per cent increase to crack the 30,000 barrier.
Fremantle has the biggest drop, 7.6 per cent, followed closely by St Kilda with a 7.1 per cent decrease.
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