Dear Members and Supporters,
It feels good to be preparing for our first home game of the season.
That potent mix of excitement and nervousness is never far away in this game.
And that’s a great thing. It means we care.
The build up to the season was enormous.
High expectations from all and sundry.
On the cusp of 60,000 members.
New partners in Four ‘n Twenty, RAA and OAK Milk.
A new and improved Adelaide Oval deal.
Ken Hinkley signed up until 2018…
And then the loss to Freo! Bugger!
It was universally lauded as a great, finals-like game. We saw it as another opportunity for our team to experience extreme pressure.
On this occasion we fell short, but the lessons learned will be invaluable.
Sydney presents a different challenge and, as always, the boys will confront the task head on.
This time, they’ll have the rest of us there to back ‘em up!
So what can we expect off-field on Saturday night?
Well, our philosophy this year is this:
1. Have fun
2. Honour the rituals
3. Bring some ‘wow’ factor, but don’t overstretch
4. Build for the future
The March from the Mall, Team Entry and Never Tear Us Apart are the rituals. We won’t mess with them!
Just a tweak here and there to make them even more powerful, is all that is needed.
The Southern Plaza will be buzzing!
Look out for the new Game Day Village as you come over the bridge and onto the southern plaza. It is 100% Port Adelaide and gives a chance to listen to some music, grab something to eat or drink and catch up with friends before and after the game.
For those who found the White Marquee Bar in the same spot last year - times that by ten!
You’ll find the Game Day Village on the Memorial Drive courts with entry off the Southern Plaza.
Foodbank
And just a reminder that we are supporting our major charity Partner Foodbank’s Vegemite drive this Saturday night.
The school breakfast program has grown from 240 schools in 2014 to 270 schools this year and there is not enough Vegemite to go around.
We think every South Australian child should have the opportunity to have a Vegemite sandwich so I urge all Port Adelaide supporters to donate a jar of Vegemite to Foodbank volunteers in the Southern Plaza to assist with this great campaign.
Together, we can end hunger here in South Australia.
The Power Playground
Another new feature on the Eastern Plaza will be the Power Playground featuring the Power Pirateers zone. This area is all about the kids, so bring them a little earlier so they can catch Jack and Daisy and the Pirateers show which will be playing every 10 minutes. We know how tough it can be to get young kids to sit and watch a whole game, so there will also be a Parents/Kids break out zone near the Victor Richardson Gates where you can grab a coffee and let the little ones blow off some steam during the game. I really encourage you to wander over to the eastern plaza to check the Power Playground out.
Surprises!!!
We also want to add a little ‘wow’ to the equation. We won’t overdo it, but keep an eye out for some new stuff.
For those of you Marching, look out for a new Adelaide band called At Sunset who will be performing in Rundle Mall just after 5.00pm! These guys are fantastic and passionate Port lads! We hope you enjoy it.
Port Adelaide has been very warmly applauded for its pre-game entertainment in 2014. Tara MacLeod and her events team certainly did do a wonderful job. But just as the on-field team has to climb to another level this year, so does the rest of the team off-field. We have accepted that challenge.
We kick off the weekend with the Magpies playing South Adelaide down at Noarlunga on Friday night.
Summo and the boys are ready to go for their first hit out for the year, but it is a dangerous game against a fellow finallist from last year. We wish the lads well.
Then it’s back to the Adelaide Oval for the Saturday night blockbuster. There’s a few tickets left through Ticketek, but hurry and make sure you get to the ground early!
The Port Adelaide army will be out in force.
See you at the game!
KT
