Port Adelaide CEO Keith Thomas has said the Magpies’ future in the SANFL is uncertain amid coronavirus pandemic

Port Adelaide boss Keith Thomas has admitted the Magpies’ future in the SANFL is up in the air as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Port Adelaide CEO Keith Thomas. Picture: AAP/Mike Burton.

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Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas has said the future of the Magpies in the SANFL is uncertain amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking on SEN SA Breakfast on Monday morning, Thomas said despite the uncertainty the club is ‘committed’ to seeing it through in the SANFL.

“I would hate to contemplate that the Port Magpies won’t get through. We are committed to it in the SANFL, but we’ll have to wait and see.’’ Thomas said.

“The reality is we have to see where this lands, I don’t know how the SANFL is planning to move through it.

“It’s too early in the conversation to fully understand what’s going to happen to football in general.

“There is going to be a lot of structural conversations in the next few months.”

It comes as Thomas was forced to stand down 80 per cent of the club staff, which he said has been the toughest decision he’s made.

“The impact on their families going into a pretty uncertain time weighs pretty heavily on you to be honest’’ Thomas said.

“The majority are what we call stand downs, for the period until that job returns, most were in the category and that’s without pay.

“There were eight redundancies, permanent roles that we removed from the club.

Port Adelaide CEO Keith Thomas. Picture: AAP/Mike Burton.

“What does the club look like when you come back? It will look different, it will look smaller,’’ he said.

Thomas is in his final year as chief executive, but he’s had support from fans to remain at the helm beyond this year.

“I absolutely understand that and the need for leadership, calmness, people are looking for that through this period,’’ Thomas said.

“It’s really early days I haven’t for a minute thought about my personal situation.

“We need to think about all those leadership questions. Right now we’re just dealing with the shock and trying to absorb that.”

Thomas added the AFL will look very different if and when football resumes post coronavirus.

“In the new world what do we believe is absolute essential? That’s going to change,’’ Thomas said

Gillon McLachlan is determined to ensure there’s AFL football in 2020, and Thomas said the club was buoyed by it.

“The club will get through,’’ Thomas said.

“Gil is showing great determination to ensure a season of some for occurs later in the year, that will be dictated as to how this virus plays out and our ability as a community to manage it, I like the determination, I like the flexibility.

“That gives us as an industry focus and purpose and enables us to keep pointing people I the right direction

“I am confident we’ll get to that point, it’s important we do.”

Originally published as Port Adelaide CEO Keith Thomas has said the Magpies’ future in the SANFL is uncertain amid coronavirus pandemic