Dear True Believers,

Can you feel the excitement?

AFLX may not have ticked all the boxes, but it certainly got me searching the calendar for the date of our season opener!

It can’t come quick enough!

To say it’s been hectic at the Club would be an understatement.

Since the moment Crippa and Chris Davies started announcing that Tom, Steven, Lindsay, Trent and the pair of Jacks – Watts and Trengove - had all chosen Port Adelaide as their preferred Club, we’ve had our running spikes on! The excitement has been palpable.

We have embraced the new energy.

Kenny and his team are up and about, deflecting questions about expectation like the seasoned pro’s they are, whilst Macca (Head of Fitness, Ian McKeown) and Stu Graham have quietly gone about the job of getting the full squad into the best possible condition for our next campaign. It has been an utterly impressive summer, and everyone is raring to go.

Off-field, there is also a lot going on.

Membership has climbed past 54,000 already, well past last year’s figure at the same time, no doubt fueled by the resurgence of performance in 2017 and the good vibe that surrounds 2018.

We have big ambitions as always and I know I’m preaching to the converted on how important membership is to our Club but let’s encourage all of our friends and family to sign up in 2018 and push well past 60,000 members. Thanks for your support, it’s amazing to have so many of you signed up already before the season has even started.

Our first ever Member Convention was a massive hit. The presentations were first class and there are now 750 members, and a CEO, who are now much better informed about why we do what we do on game day. Wish I could remember the other 90% of the information the coaches fed into us! If you weren’t able to get there, it’s a must for next year.

The other two big events coming up, are central to the ongoing philosophy behind our Club’s vision and purpose, and I want to draw your attention to them.

A lot has been made of our push into China, and rightly so. Our success there will underpin the growth of the Club for a generation or more.

At the same time we continue to wholeheartedly commit to our heartland spirit and community.

On March 8th, a very, very special event will take place. Induction into the Port Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame is an achievement of enormous significance. Our walls adorn the names of some of the most decorated and influential players and administrators in the history of the game.

16 of the 34 current Hall of Fame recipients remain with us. Most will be in attendance on this most special night.

They will be joined by four new inductees and for the first time, a team will be added to the illustrious Hall of Fame.

The Golden Era between 1954-59 is appropriately recognized as the bedrock of the modern Port Adelaide. The legacy created by the monumental achievement of six premierships in a row, cannot be understated. The names of McLean, Williams, Motley, Boyd and all the others who represented the Club throughout this period, are etched into the soul of our Club as a result of their history-making deeds.

The formal recognition of this magnificent group of men into the Hall Of Fame is long overdue and will be a privilege to witness.

The evening also marks the official opening of season 2018.

Imagine our 11 newest players being officially welcomed to the Club by 11 members of the Hall of Fame.

It will be a special moment.

If you haven’t locked this in as a ‘must attend’ event on your calendar, I would encourage you to do so.

Book your tickets here!

March 10th sees AFL footy back at Alberton Oval…with a distinctly local flair.

This will be a celebration of our Club’s deep pride of our neighbourhood.

Our doors will be open to local traders, footy Clubs and schools.

There will be a street fair, entertainment for the kids, free entry to the game for members and curtain raisers ahead of the main game…which by the way, just happens to be a fair dinkum hit out against the Crows in their first competitive visit to Alberton.

Then it’s just a tune-up for our first home game against Freo…and we’re back into it!

There’s a lot to look forward to.

Let’s embrace all that our magnificent Club represents and hit season 2018 with a full head of steam!

See you at the footy!

KT

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