Toast #BringBackTheBars - Our Heritage, Our History, Our Right! Part 1

Assuming there were no obstacles, would you prefer the PB/Pylon guernsey to be our home colours?


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Of course this administration will be aiming for a one-off and it will be on the condition from the AFL that we never ask to wear it again.

That's why this member led campaign is so important. The current admin need to be in no doubt that the rusted on members by overwhelming majority want a permanent return of our traditional guernsey, not some BS tokenistic 'one last time' celebration.

The current admin were aware that the rusted on members by overwhelming majority wanted a sole captain. Fat lot of good that did.
 
Oct 7, 2005
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This co captain debate has made me reassess what our traditions all mean to me (I’m in the grudgingly indifferent camp Re the captains).

Of all the things we have- the Port Adelaide name is the most important. When we won the licence, Boulton promised that the Port Adelaide name would live forever and it must.

Of all the things we had to forgo to pursue our true destiny of winning in the highest league there was, the loss of the Prison Bars still hurts the most.

Nothing could beat the sight of that jumper running out onto the ground be it at 11:40 am for the reserves or 2:20 pm for the league.

The jumper said everything. It was unfashionable. It was stark- you can’t get starker than black and white. It meant you were either with us or you were against us. There was no middle ground.

Somehow it was intimidating too. It seemed to symbolise “we will win because we want it more than you”.

It was also unique. I get the Collingwood paranoia because they see the similarities. I don’t. I see only points of difference. When I see Prison bars I see Alberton Oval and Port Adelaide.

No offence to Collingwood but when I see their jumper I see Newcastle, Collingwood and a hundred different teams in leagues all over the world. If Koch won a bet with Maguire tomorrow and we could wear their jumper, I’d be like “no thanks I’d rather keep our current top. That’s nothing like the jumper I have loved and lived since I was a kid. My jumper is the Prison Bars.

I’m sure if a researcher looked into the psychology of that jumper, my observations would be supported. Stark, tough, uncompromising, unfashionable, unique.

We can have 50 co captains for all I care- just give me back my Prison Bars.
 

Ljc_86

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Mar 22, 2014
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I just watched a video with KT and he said the club hasn’t started planning for next year. Seriously??? Do something KT do anything
 
Just tell Koch and co that we should fight to wear the Prison bars because it’ll make us more successful!
If only Sydney wore it..... Maybe we could use that song they have though.
 
I just watched a video with KT and he said the club hasn’t started planning for next year. Seriously??? Do something KT do anything
That's not what he said, it was more along the lines of we're working on it.
 
Mar 1, 2014
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Re Eddie, all I will say is that if the PAFC board at any stage in our AFL history had even half the passion for their club, even half the determination to stand up for their club and even half the ruthlessness to go and take what is their's as Eddie does for Collingwood, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Also helps if you have 80,000 members, TV ratings and are based in Melbourne. Our Board did a great job getting us into the AFL in 1996 and getting a Premiership within eight seasons. We could not have beaten an entire State and become no 1 in the land if our Board didn't have a passion for the PAFC. I would not however, extend the same compliment to the current Board.
 
Also helps if you have 80,000 members, TV ratings and are based in Melbourne. Our Board did a great job getting us into the AFL in 1996 and getting a Premiership within eight seasons. We could not have beaten an entire State and become no 1 in the land if our Board didn't have a passion for the PAFC. I would not however, extend the same compliment to the current Board.
The same current admin that saved the club from oblivion, engineered the move to AO, followed through on OneClub, took the licence back from the SANFL and have overseen record membership numbers?
We are at a crossroads for sure, but they still deserve credit for working their way out of the mess we were in.
 
The same current admin that saved the club from oblivion, engineered the move to AO, followed through on OneClub, took the licence back from the SANFL and have overseen record membership numbers?
We are at a crossroads for sure, but they still deserve credit for working their way out of the mess we were in.

I should clarify that my original comment wasn't meant as an attack on our board, more an observation that their approach is more 'business like' as compared to Eddie who runs Collingwood from the perspective of a rabid fan. I respect the job our board has done since 2013 but I don't think an issue like this - that is very, very important to the membership base but doesn't directly affect the bottom line - is very high on their list of priorities.
 
Mar 1, 2014
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The same current admin that saved the club from oblivion, engineered the move to AO, followed through on OneClub, took the licence back from the SANFL and have overseen record membership numbers?
We are at a crossroads for sure, but they still deserve credit for working their way out of the mess we were in.

Credit where it is due for sure but that works both ways ...

The move to Adelaide Oval was engineered before Koch and Thomas took over. The agreement to upgrade AO was reached in 2011 and work commenced in 2012. That move, first mooted during the Duncanson era, was the catalyst for those record membership numbers and it is fair to say that had AFL footy remained at AAMI those Membership numbers would never have been achieved. The current Board is deserving of some credit for the transition to the AO but the move to Adelaide was not their collective brainchild. Similarly it is as you post 'One Club' started in 2010 and was complete by mid 2013 and Keith Thomas and some members of the current Board deserve credit for seeing the task through to completion but again it was not their initiative. As we know the real impetus came from outside the PAFC Board.

I am no fan of Duncanson and Haysman and they made plenty of mistakes but at least in 2009 they had the balls to run the club and not cowtow to the Coach and the playing group. It is worth noting that the Coach in 2009 was a member of the Williams dynasty so to go against his wishes was a much bigger deal than to tell an underachieving 'blow in' like Ken Hinkley to go jump. Regardless as to our views on Co Captains the process through which deal was made was as weak as piss and the Membership should hold this Board accountable for that at least.

Next year the current Board and it's CEO will tell us how proud we should be of our 150 year history yet less than twelve months prior to that they conspired to destroy a 149 year tradition and for what? No one on the Board or in the Football Department has been able to tell us exactly why they think Co Captains will be any more successful than the way our club did it for 149 years. On that basis I have absolutely no confidence that this Board will stand up and fight for our right to wear the PB guernsey in our 150th year. They are more likely to cowtow to the AFL and Collingwood just as they did to Ken Hinkley and the players.

Boards need to be held accountable for every decision they make, there are no trade offs in this and a couple of good decisions should not excuse a s**t decision.
 
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Mar 1, 2014
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I should clarify that my original comment wasn't meant as an attack on our board, more an observation that their approach is more 'business like' as compared to Eddie who runs Collingwood from the perspective of a rabid fan. I respect the job our board has done since 2013 but I don't think an issue like this - that is very, very important to the membership base but doesn't directly affect the bottom line - is very high on their list of priorities.

One of our Board members, Cos Cardone actually works for McGuire. It may mean nothing but it might also mean he has a conflict of interest and is less likely to want to rattle Eddie's cage.

JAM TV, of which Eddie is Chairman and Cardone the CEO, produces such 'must watch highlights' as The Footy Show, The Sunday Footy Show and Footy Classified.

That connection is probably not of earth shattering importance but it gives the distinct impression that these people are all in bed together. I guess it is yet another symptom of the corporate world we now find ourselves in. Geez I long for the old days when everyone hated Port and we hated everyone.
 
Sep 3, 2002
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but I don't think an issue like this - that is very, very important to the membership base but doesn't directly affect the bottom line - is very high on their list of priorities.
Except it would positively affect the bottom line. Every time we get to wear the PB's it's been a money spinner for the club. It'd be so again (both as a one off initially, plus I'd guess marginally more PB's sold each year then our existing gear sales). That's direct and measurable, before getting out there publicly and backing it (and not as a one off in 2020 traded as a condition to never wear afterwards) would have a positive effect on Membership retention. That's hard money as well. When the club has cluster*ed all of our history, revenue and fan retention/engagement in the last 12 months, even these weak spined fools should be able to see it's an issue to win back credibility on all three fronts.
 
Except it would positively affect the bottom line. Every time we get to wear the PB's it's been a money spinner for the club. It'd be so again (both as a one off initially, plus I'd guess marginally more PB's sold each year then our existing gear sales). That's direct and measurable, before getting out there publicly and backing it (and not as a one off in 2020 traded as a condition to never wear afterwards) would have a positive effect on Membership retention. That's hard money as well. When the club has cluster****ed all of our history, revenue and fan retention/engagement in the last 12 months, even these weak spined fools should be able to see it's an issue to win back credibility on all three fronts.

Guernsey sales are pretty small ball in the scheme of things.

As for membership retention, I'd suggest that most people who are deeply engaged enough to care about the way the club respects its history and traditions probably aren't going to give up their memberships regardless.
 
Jun 12, 2012
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Guernsey sales are pretty small ball in the scheme of things.

As for membership retention, I'd suggest that most people who are deeply engaged enough to care about the way the club respects its history and traditions probably aren't going to give up their memberships regardless.

Every little bit helps though. I don’t think selling 5000 PB guernseys would be much of a stretch and that represents $600,000 in revenue.
 
Every little bit helps though. I don’t think selling 5000 PB guernseys would be much of a stretch and that represents $600,000 in revenue.

Sure - but that's not going to represent a large enough figure in profit terms to make it a priority at board level.
 
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