Certified Legendary Thread China History in the Making

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AFL House is moving its troops in to fill the void and spend the money. There are already four AFL permanent staff responsible for China - two full-time, two part-time.
When they start having full time staff in Shanghai, just like Tennis Australia have in Shanghai and will soon have in Chengdu, to be close to Luzhou Laojiao's headquarters, then we can start playing


 
So the takeover has begun.. even before we had a chance to make money out of t for our club’s future?
Oh, we had the chance, plenty of chance. We went to sleep on the job, that was the issue.
 
Claire Bunten was responsible for the China Power Club members. She was learning to speak Mandarin as part of her role (as was Damien McDowell, who was the head of commercial for China at the time), but she left at the beginning of last year because her fiance got a job in the UK. She would still be here if that wasn't the case.

Adam Thompson was already at the club as an account manager and was shifted into the position as a replacement while Clare was still around, so while it looked like the team expanded because both of them were listed on the website at the same time, it didn't really. It was just a transition period where both were doing the same role.

It's kind of hard to expand the team when you aren't sure if the game is being played or not every year. Hopefully that changes now we are locked in for 3 years. But the team hasn't gotten smaller as far as I'm aware. It just never got larger when Thompson came on board.
 
Nov 6, 2014
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Claire Bunten was responsible for the China Power Club members. She was learning to speak Mandarin as part of her role (as was Damien McDowell, who was the head of commercial for China at the time), but she left at the beginning of last year because her fiance got a job in the UK. She would still be here if that wasn't the case.

Adam Thompson was already at the club as an account manager and was shifted into the position as a replacement while Clare was still around, so while it looked like the team expanded because both of them were listed on the website at the same time, it didn't really. It was just a transition period where both were doing the same role.

It's kind of hard to expand the team when you aren't sure if the game is being played or not every year. Hopefully that changes now we are locked in for 3 years. But the team hasn't gotten smaller as far as I'm aware. It just never got larger when Thompson came on board.
Shame is that KT said the first Shanghai game etc really stretched the club’s resources and that they planned to put more resources in.
 
Claire Bunten was responsible for the China Power Club members. She was learning to speak Mandarin as part of her role (as was Damien McDowell, who was the head of commercial for China at the time), but she left at the beginning of last year because her fiance got a job in the UK. She would still be here if that wasn't the case.

Adam Thompson was already at the club as an account manager and was shifted into the position as a replacement while Clare was still around, so while it looked like the team expanded because both of them were listed on the website at the same time, it didn't really. It was just a transition period where both were doing the same role.

It's kind of hard to expand the team when you aren't sure if the game is being played or not every year. Hopefully that changes now we are locked in for 3 years. But the team hasn't gotten smaller as far as I'm aware. It just never got larger when Thompson came on board.
Claire’s job was bigger than the China Power Club. As daughter of the then Australian Ambassador to China she had a much larger role to play, and played it well. The fact is she is no longer there.
Damien McDowell may have been Head of Commercial, China but he was never allowed to go to China, only with a group when an event was on in China. He left to be Collingwood’s top commercial executive. He, too, no longer there.
Adam Thomson was transferred internally after a grand nation-wide classified advertisement, composed by an outside recruiter at, no doubt, great expense, and listing qualifications nobody could get close to meeting, failed to uncover anyone better or more trusted. Adam Thomson no longer there.
Now the Chinese media co-ordinator no longer there.
There are names of a couple of replacements listed but they are only in support and never go to China on any commercial mission.
Andrew Hunter and Promise Xu go to China often. So does KT. And so they should. But not a one of them are capable of landing a corporate whale on their own, starting from scratch.
The Club does not employ anyone who can.
Shane Smith has taken over China Operations (part time) from Matthew Richardson (part time). Neither are or were big-time commercial operators.

From the start of the Shanghai game it has always been stated by KT and others that this annual event is only a part of the China Strategy. In fact it was an accident, an add-on, out of which we make little net profit if any as Gui demands, or we ourselves demand, that his revenue be reinvested to keep the AFL happy. What is the rest of the China Strategy in action, apart from Power Footy and a few minor partners / sponsors attracted by it? We have yet to hear into what category Jincheng Group have agreed to fall.

The running of the China Strategy has been fouled up by a concerted lack of best personnel in best positions. The Board knows it has been fouled up, and refuses to allow any further investment until the foul-up has been fixed. But further investment is exactly what’s needed to clear the foul-up by means of recruitment of the right people on the China team. We are a victim of Catch 22.

The China team has become smaller and smaller. I can count.

The Board again regards China as a distraction. Gupta, for me, will be a temporary distraction from China, giving our fearful leaders and directors the golden opportunity to survive past 2020 and get out smelling slightly of roses. Very slightly indeed.
 
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The running of the China Strategy has been fouled up by a concerted lack of best personnel in best positions. The Board knows it has been fouled up, and refuses to allow any further investment until the foul-up has been fixed. But further investment is exactly what’s needed to clear the foul-up by means of recruitment of the right people on the China team. We are a victim of Catch 22.

The China team has become smaller and smaller. I can count.

The Board again regards China as a distraction. Gupta, for me, will be a temporary distraction from China, giving our fearful leaders and directors the golden opportunity to survive past 2020 and get out smelling slightly of roses. Very slightly indeed.

There's nothing that the club could do about Clare wanting to leave. I agree that she was a loss.

None of the people who were in those positions had the capability of landing a corporate whale. That's because the people who are appointing the personnel have no idea what the role really requires. They don't think like winners...all they can see is the potential for failure.

KT can't even sell China to his own board. How could he possibly sell his club to China?

It's really up to the AFL whether they want to release the shackles or not by appointing better credentialed board members. The people that are on the board at the moment were appointed when we were at our lowest, and it was all about risk management and making sure money was spent in the right areas. It's time to get some people who are dynamic and can see the massive potential.

I think once they see the venture turn a profit this year, things will start moving again.
 
There's nothing that the club could do about Clare wanting to leave. I agree that she was a loss.

None of the people who were in those positions had the capability of landing a corporate whale. That's because the people who are appointing the personnel have no idea what the role really requires. They don't think like winners...all they can see is the potential for failure.

KT can't even sell China to his own board. How could he possibly sell his club to China?

It's really up to the AFL whether they want to release the shackles or not by appointing better credentialed board members. The people that are on the board at the moment were appointed when we were at our lowest, and it was all about risk management and making sure money was spent in the right areas. It's time to get some people who are dynamic and can see the massive potential.

I think once they see the venture turn a profit this year, things will start moving again.
Concur.
 
Just bought my game ticket for 2019. Up on the grandstand (as it is marketed). that fort looking thing you see on TV. Best view of the ground but cheapest price. So glad they aren't trying to force us to buy them as part of travel packages this year.
 

Tim Evans Beard

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Well, I’m off to Jiangyin next week! I’ll let you all know if I hear anything while there!
(I’m known to wear a Port Adelaide kit on my morning run - he’s hoping someone talks to me about it! Ha!)
 
I’ve been in China town most of the day for the New Year festival.
I haven’t seen a single Ports thing.
Ask Richo why on Monday night.
 
Gee the United Australia Party are sure anti China. Those ads they are saturating the media with.

I love the idea that we could somehow stop a Chinese invasion if they didn't own a landing strip in the desert!


We have ZERO chance of stopping a Chinese invasion (which has zero chance of happening), may as well take their money.
 
Nov 6, 2014
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I love the idea that we could somehow stop a Chinese invasion if they didn't own a landing strip in the desert!


We have ZERO chance of stopping a Chinese invasion (which has zero chance of happening), may as well take their money.
Fearmongering got Trump into power. I hope people can see through Clive Palmer and his party.
 

Thanks OGC. When I saw the tweeter's name I first thought it was that flaky ABC Irish-Aussie sports presenter as I read ACBC as ABC. But then looked up her info and she actually is a policy wonk who has moved from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and now works for the Australia China Young Professionals Initiative.

No idea if the club has a relationship with that organisation, but Clare obviously does stuff with the Australia China Business Council.
 
Pappagallo take note:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...h/news-story/d74a87fc57e3488616e1a516a61cd7df

AFL scouts China locations for Port Adelaide v Gold Coast match
The general manager of AFL operations, Travis Auld, spent most of last week in China investigating venues for the proposed venture by Port Adelaide to stage a premiership match in Shanghai next season.
.....
.......

The Port deal with Shanghai Cred is expected to clear Port’s multi-million dollar debt by 2019-20.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...ns-for-port-adelaide-v-gold-coast-match/news-
story/d74a87fc57e3488616e1a516a61cd7df

In June 2016 on page 85 Lockhart Road posted Patrick's Smith's article which looks like he was briefed by the club on the deal signed with Mr Gui a few months earlier and what Port expected to get out of the deal.

To say in June 2016 that we expect to clear our $6m debt by June 2020 says we expected some big things. Those things haven't eventuated and wont eventuate if we are timid and risk averse as Lockhart Road has pointed out and our club wont listen to people on the ground in China and wont put people permanently on the ground in Shanghai and elsewhere. So $20m+ to help fund the Alberton precinct ( as I wrote a couple of hours ago in the general thread) and $6m to pay off our debt were the expectations.

Those big pay off days aren't coming and no wonder Lockhart Road is pissed off after working on it for 3 years - unpaid.

And Koch at the AGM tells us the debt levels have been stable for 4 years - despite the fact that - Current + Non Current Liabilities items of Interest bearing loans and borrowings, had gone up from $6.261m in 2017 to $8.279m yet in the cash flow statement it said we paid off $182k .
 
Nov 6, 2014
60,450
74,224
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
D177E0E3-B0AF-4164-90F9-F2164E4EC42D.jpeg
In June 2016 on page 85 Lockhart Road posted Patrick's Smith's article which looks like he was briefed by the club on the deal signed with Mr Gui a few months earlier and what Port expected to get out of the deal.

To say in June 2016 that we expect to clear our $6m debt by June 2020 says we expected some big things. Those things haven't eventuated and wont eventuate if we are timid and risk averse as Lockhart Road has pointed out and our club wont listen to people on the ground in China and wont put people permanently on the ground in Shanghai and elsewhere. So $20m+ to help fund the Alberton precinct ( as I wrote a couple of hours ago in the general thread) and $6m to pay off our debt were the expectations.

Those big pay off days aren't coming and no wonder Lockhart Road is pissed off after working on it for 3 years - unpaid.

And Koch at the AGM tells us the debt levels have been stable for 4 years - despite the fact that - Current + Non Current Liabilities items of Interest bearing loans and borrowings, had gone up from $6.261m in 2017 to $8.279m yet in the cash flow statement it said we paid off $182k .
Don’t know what this is about. Can’t get past paywall.
 
Port is holding a competition for Power Footy participants to become one of two ambassadors to visit the official launch of Shanghai 2019 at Victorian Government house in Melbourne.

They are still doing stuff, it's just not really trumpeted here at the moment.
 
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Don’t know what this is about. Can’t get past paywall.
Go to page 85 all the article is there, but I put up the most important bit, that Port told Smith that China was going to help them eliminate their debt by 31st October 2020 (not 30 June as I said before).
 
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