Strategy Mission "2028": Taking the Club Back

[GremioPower]

A BigFooty thredrea

From Brainstorm to Action to Goal​

There's a clause in the Crows' Constitution which allows their members to regain control of the club after October 31st, 2028. We don't have such a clause in ours. However, this will become a topic in four years time; if not sooner than that.

RussellEbertHandball has been talking about this for a while already. We cannot be unprepared for the moment it happens. Cancelling memberships and praying for stickerman to return are not enough. We must take proper action.

What can we actually do?​

This is a space where we can try answering that question. From all the garbage that inevitably comes up, good ideas will certainly emerge.

People here have different skill sets. We should be able to find ways of combining those for the benefit of the cause.

The 2024 season is over. It's offseason. The best time to discuss such a matter is now. Thus, I'll ask it again:

What can we actually do in order to take the club back for its members?​

 

[GremioPower]

I will start with one.

I've already brought this up. I think that we should get institutionalized (in Leftspeak, "unionized").

I envision some sort of supporters' association established for bringing Port under membership control.

It would also help prepare the members for the task of running the club, because we would already have the experience of running an organization.

 

[El_Scorcho]

The most important thing we can do is to get prominent former players on board driving the campaign. A supporters campaign is easy to ignore. We need prominent people who have the access and platform to get this in the media. One of these people has to take charge and they have to get others on board.

Tredrea is the most obvious one, but Ginever, Erin and Greg Phillips, Choco, as many 2004 Premiership players as we can get, Fiacchi, Abernethy.

If former players are keeping it in the media, it allows the 2nd most important part of the campaign:

Getting Crows fans to give us shit that they're a real football club and we're not. We need them to absolutely delight in it. This is the first time in their history they'll be able to argue authenticity over us. As frustrating as it'll be that they've been afforded that, it'll be very important for the long game of getting control of the club back that it happens.

 

[GremioPower]

Tredrea is the most obvious one, but Ginever, Erin and Greg Phillips, Choco, as many 2004 Premiership players as we can get, Fiacchi, Abernethy.

That's an interesting list. How could we approach them? Do we have people close enough to them? What would we ask from them?

 

[1954]

I will start with one.

I've already brought this up. I think that we should get institutionalized (in Leftspeak, "unionized").

I envision some sort of supporters' association established for bringing Port under membership control.

It would also help prepare the members for the task of running the club, because we would already have the experience of running an organization.

Is there a precedent in any South American soccer club where this has happened and been a success GP?

 

[GremioPower]

I there a precedent in any South American soccer club where this has happened and been a success GP?

Not exactly like that, but the social club of Vasco da Gama (one of Brazil’s biggest clubs) was recently able to recover the control over its football department, which had been sold to a company.

 

[Papa G]

This is the one time we really need the Crows to do the heavy lifting for once. If their docile membership can actually be called to arms to force the club to envoke the right to become member owned (I doubt the current Crows board would be pushing for this) that will be the biggest driver for us to follow that path. If they continue to be shithouse, which I think they can achieve, it must be a matter that is pushed on them to agitate for. We all have Crows supporting mates, members even, it is up to you/us to niggle and goad them, get them fired up about the issue, put it in focus for them, get the riled up, make it an issue that is openly discussed. Otherwise, it will just sail past, and nothing will change.

 

[GremioPower]

This is the one time we really need the Crows to do the heavy lifting for once. If their docile membership can actually be called to arms to force the club to envoke the right to become member owned (I doubt the current Crows board would be pushing for this) that will be the biggest driver for us to follow that path. If they continue to be shithouse, which I think they can achieve, it must be a matter that is pushed on them to agitate for. We all have Crows supporting mates, members even, it is up to you/us to niggle and goad them, get them fired up about the issue, put it in focus for them, get the riled up, make it an issue that is openly discussed. Otherwise, it will just sail past, and nothing will change.

That’s good, but we would need a “Plan B”. We cannot put all of our chips on something others need to do.

 

[ibd77]

Its gonna take public rallies to get awareness. Group meetings at the club or near by the club to arouse public interest. Banners, flags, information leaflets, support from club legends, social media, talk back radio, TV.

 

[ibd77]

if the mods can sticky this thread, it would be much appreciated. I think this matter is more important than the prison bars.

 

[GremioPower]

Banners, flags, information leaflets, support from club legends, social media, talk back radio, TV.

That’s need money. Who would be paying?

 

[chiwigi]

if the mods can sticky this thread, it would be much appreciated. I think this matter is more important than the prison bars.

It is, it is also the same fight.

 

[ibd77]

That’s need money. Who would be paying?

Probably crowd fund, but at this stage lets see who can do what first?

Lets look at the BF community first.

1. Who here has access to meet with club legends, ex administration, persons of club interest is able to discuss matters directly going forward.
2. Who here has access to social media groups or can create groups that would carry weight in the messaging
3. We have a few here that participate well on talk back radio, are they prepared to do more for the cause?
4. Who here has access to making flyers, banners, etc...
5. TV will likely follow if you can drum up enough interest in items 1 to 4.

 

[ibd77]

It is, it is also the same fight.

Nope, fight over cloth vs governance are two separate matters and need to be treated as such.

 

[Fizzler]

This is precisely what I was planning with the Take Back Port Adelaide movement which has since stagnated due to a plethora of reasons. Not living in SA made it virtually impossible to run on my own since I wouldn’t be able to organise events or campaign outside our home games. Throw in recent issues like having to move interstate and minor mental health issues and a lack of time, plus a declining passion for the club under Koch and Hinkley and it became difficult to keep myself motivated.
That being said, if we’re able to get this going as a group endeavour, count me in. In terms of what I can bring to the table, I’m moderately skilled with the graphics side of things and I have a decent amount of experience in journalism (uni as well as real experience in the footy scene), plus I’ve got my TikTok account where there’s a nice little audience of people who are pretty tapped in when it comes to Port Adelaide and keen to see change.
In all honesty, I think the Take Back Port Adelaide name is catchy enough and I can envision a “Take Back Port” chant catching on, and the logo I made had a lot of symbolism to it. All the social accounts and email address are all pretty barebones but they exist nonetheless, and I had that petition that’s sitting at 167 signatures. Not a lot, but considering it doesn’t take much to sign a petition, being able to say “x amount of fans support the cause” is handy and hopefully could grow. All that stuff is available for use if it can help the cause.
This is obviously an issue I’m very passionate about and have plenty of ideas for in terms of strategy and the line of messaging we could go for that I just wasn’t prepared to execute on my own. Feel free to hit me with a message GremioPower and I’d be very keen to share what I already had in mind. I applaud your efforts especially considering how much I talk about being too far from Adelaide to sort of execute all this, yet here you are half a world away and arguably even more dedicated to this cause than I am!

 

[chiwigi]

Nope, fight over cloth vs governance are two separate matters and need to be treated as such.

They are both about the soul of the club.
A clubs guernsey is not a 'piece of cloth' and a clubs governance is not 'irrelevant to most fans'.

 

[ibd77]

They are both about the soul of the club.
A clubs guernsey is not a 'piece of cloth' and a clubs governance is not 'irrelevant to most fans'.

They probably go hand in hand. But the governance issues must take priority as you can elect the board who will be more passionate about your cause. Cant do much if we have a board suckling the teat of the AFL.

 

[chiwigi]

They probably go hand in hand. But the governance issues must take priority as you can elect the board who will be more passionate about your cause. Cant do much if we have a board suckling the teat of the AFL.

I agree, and agreed in my first reply to you.

 

[GremioPower]

Feel free to hit me with a message @GremioPower and I’d be very keen to share what I already had in mind. I applaud your efforts especially considering how much I talk about being too far from Adelaide to sort of execute all this, yet here you are half a world away and arguably even more dedicated to this cause than I am!

Thanks, Fizz. I certainly will.

 

[Interstater]

Well I would buy a membership again for a start.

Anyone that is not currently a member but would become one should choose money (or both) in the poll.

 

[GremioPower]

Someone liked the OP after all these days.

 

[Jimmy Unchained]

When Tredrea won the board vote, there were 10,405 members who voted. That probably represents the current pool of engaged members that you could appeal to.

I'm unsure about the efficacy of initially appealing to lapsed members, it frankly wouldn't be that compelling to have a group who have already thrown the toys out of the cot onboard. Having to placate the fringes of that would be more burdensome than beneficial.

I would say go grass roots before you get a former player/administrator to lead it.

Using myself as an example, I'm a club member and have bought a baby membership for my newborn. So currently 1 legitimate membership, if I feel genuinely engaged with the club and less cynical about decisions made at the higher levels, I would be motivated to upgrade my membership to a 3 game membership and make the effort to travel across ($125-$150), or an interstate membership ($155). I would convince my partner to join as well as she's more of a casual supporter currently ($155). When my child grows up I would do the same with them ($155 from 2028).

These may be small beans compared to other members capable of attending all home games, but my family could contribute $178 annually and attend 1 game (club membership for me and my son), or $465 and attend 3-4 games every year.

An increased membership revenue of $287 annually in addition to merch ($200 p/a), gameday purchases ($75 per game between 3 people) as well as visiting the precinct when in town ($100 per visit p/a), I represent $1,000 of potential revenue to the Port Adelaide football club annually.

10,000 current members is miles away, but if you could get 500-1000 members like myself who could potentially represent 1500-3000 memberships and $500,000-$1,000,000 of increased revenue, getting someone of note to lead a greater movement would be the easy step.

Our memberships are closer to Costco than Collingwood right now, so money talks.

 

[Contested Marx]

Someone liked the OP after all these days.

Not gonna lie I'm so fatigued from all of this I skimmed your post like it was a Janus essay and only popped in to vote CBF