Dear Members & Supporters,
I hope you and your families are well.
It’s been a big week at Alberton, so I wanted to write to you to give some more detail on some key announcements we’ve made in recent days.
Ken Hinkley signs two-year deal
This week we confirmed that Ken Hinkley will continue as our AFL Senior Coach for at least a further two seasons.
At the start of the year, we provided Ken and the program the space and time to coach and perform without speculation or distraction.
Across the season we have seen strong progression and development of our playing group, and the football program has continued to evolve and improve.
Ken has reshaped our playing list several times across the last decade, coaching for now and for the future. His support of our list management strategy has been instrumental in shaping our current group.
He has built a connection with the playing group that is very real and powerful, and it is clear our players have bought into Ken’s vision.
Confirming Ken’s extension at this stage of the season provides the players and coaches with certainty and confidence leading into September.
Certainty for what we are aiming to achieve now is important, and certainty for the future is of equal importance as we chase continual improvement of our playing list and program.
With our third top four finish from the past four seasons secure, we now have a strong platform to attack September.
Finals and a top four finish aren’t the pass mark at Port Adelaide. We are all on the same page with this and know the ultimate measure of success are Premierships.
There is a saying on the walls at Alberton, “players win the ball, teams win games, and clubs win Premierships”. To win, you need an outstanding program with great people, with everyone playing their role.
Our football program is far more than just the senior coach. Yes, Ken is the figure head, but we have a football program underpinned by outstanding assistant and development coaches, an elite high-performance program and an expert list management team supporting Ken and the playing group to give us the best chance of success.
All-time membership record
This week we announced an all-time club membership record of 64,817 and counting.
This record number simply would not be possible without you, our highly valued and appreciated members, and is a true testament to your passionate support of our club – thank you.
To achieve our ambitious growth targets of reaching 100,000 members and build the next generation of Port Adelaide we need to do two important things.
The first is to ensure we retain and grow our existing membership, building lifetime value and connections.
And then we must attract new fans and supporters to Port Adelaide who ultimately become our members of the future.
I am pleased to say we’ve experienced significant momentum on both fronts this year. Our membership number is pushing towards 70,000 before the end of this season and we’ve welcomed thousands of new Port Adelaide people to our home games this year.
Our average home match attendance is at a five-year high of 37,083, with almost 100,000 tickets sold so far this season with one game remaining.
A large percentage of those ticket sales are new people, representing an exciting future member opportunity for the club.
Thank you to all of you.
AFLW
The upcoming season of the AFLW competition starts in just a couple weeks.
Last Saturday at Alberton we played Greater Western Sydney in our first pre-season match, and there were some extremely encouraging signs in our five-goal win.
This Friday night we play St Kilda in our second pre-season hit out at Alberton Oval under lights, starting at 7pm.
It’s a non-ticketed free event and is a great opportunity for members and fans to come and enjoy the magnificent new social club and experience night footy at Alberton Oval.
AFLW membership provides access to all ten home and away games this season, including Showdown II in Round 1 at Norwood Oval on Saturday, 2 September.
We’d love your support to help us push past 70,000 members in 2023.
We’re in a strong position
With our AFL finals campaign approaching and the upcoming AFLW season about to kick off, we have a lot to look forward to in the back end of 2023.
Announcing our all-time membership record with strong indications we’re building the next generation of our Port Adelaide community, in addition to strong growth of 22% in our average home game attendance shows promising signs for our ambitious growth goals.
Our commitment to building long-term generational partnerships is on track, and the Alberton Oval precinct is being transformed with completion slated for the end of this year.
There’s a lot to be positive about at Port Adelaide. We are stronger together and I thank you for your support.
Cheers,
Richo
