Why you started supporting Port Adelaide??

[silverfingers]

Success = bandwagon?

Maybe the bandwagon started in 1870 Wedgie..
Been winning since then

 

[Ebert80]

Maybe the bandwagon started in 1870 Wedgie..

I think you've got the wrong man there fingers.

 

[silverfingers]

oh...oops...
ahh..one self-deluded North fan sorta looks / sounds like all of them...

 

[The Flying Doormat]

Divided loyalties between the Power and Carlton. Grew up following Sturt through the golden era late 60's and Carlton were the Victorian equivalent. Strange though never hated Port, saw them as equals - with the talent going around at the time, the SA state teams were nearly a 50/50 mix of the two.
Hated Glenelg (nancy boys) then Norwood (78 Grand Final fiasco).
Swung to Port when you guys put your hand up for the AFL - got sick of having to hear lame excuses from KG, Basheer and co. - putting their heads in the sand while the rest of the country went national. Then, after saying they were at least 5 years away from an AFL team, they had the gall (courtesy of the Brighton Rd boys) to initiate legal action to stop Port from doing what they never had the stomache for - and for that I hate the Crows with venom.
Had season tickets till 2005 but since then have tired somewhat of the antics and performances, although my girls are mad Power fans. Will reconsider once there is a changing of the guard and they start playing some good football again.

 

[Noobz0r]

Growing up in WA, Adelaide teams are not liked at all (it tends to go Collingwood > Power > Crows in the hate game). I didn't really take notice of a particular footy team at a young age, so went for Port just to **** stir. The "choking" of the early 2000's got to me more than I would have expected (I was in my early teens) and come the '04 flag I was hooked.

Plus I like the colour teal

 

[aneale]

i could imagine some of the responses you'd get on the Adelaide board for a similar thread

No different than yours. The dyed in the wool Port born and bred are few and far between. So far we have 2 Collingwood supporters, a West Coast supporter, 2 from Carlton, a Fitzroy fan, a Richmond supporter (don't blame you) and an Essendon supporter who seemed to have supported 3 AFL teams in the space of 7 years , particularly sweet move to jump on the 93 Premiers after the Prelim and another couple who dabbled with "the Adelaide team".

Plus there are Glenelg, Sturt and some WWT thrown in. And some more that re known who haven't posted in this thread.

I think this is why the Power went with its current media strategy. It's pretty apparent the 'base' isn't in as greater numbers than it originally thought it would be. I think both sets of supporters could hold up 'who did you abandon to support xxxx' signs. This collection pretty much proves not all were born into it.

All good stories though, particularly those of you growing up around Alberton and with family ties to the good ol suburban days. That's when football was football ad it didn't matter who you supported if you grew up in and around those clubs it was an amazing feeling and time in your life. Gets into your blood.

 

[brogan2motlop]

I was born and bred in Perth,

I hate the eagles as their fans are jerks...my other only choice was dockers.LOL

i wasn't really into watching football when i was young,

anyways when they were just about to enter the comp Sam Newman dressed up in this Port Adelaide Tuxedo which i kinda thought was awesome. (I like the uniform and the colour teal)


then i watched their game against Adelaide which they won and I have watched them every week and followed them ever since and will never stop supporting them.

 

[brogan2motlop]

Growing up in WA, Adelaide teams are not liked at all (it tends to go Collingwood > Power > Crows in the hate game). I didn't really take notice of a particular footy team at a young age, so went for Port just to **** stir. The "choking" of the early 2000's got to me more than I would have expected (I was in my early teens) and come the '04 flag I was hooked.

Plus I like the colour teal

What the hell...Me too mate...all the reasons you support them i started thats my exact same reasons right there!!

you know whats even scarier is that i am a swan districts man myself...played for bassendean when i was younger..HAHA

 

[Noobz0r]

We are just about the only 2 Power supporters in WA I reckon! Good to see another WA boy with a weird Black Duck / Power combo.

I was at Kalamunda / Hills Hawks

 

[Steve Dore]

...... I think both sets of supporters could hold up 'who did you abandon to support xxxx' signs. ......

Oh that's right. The PAFC in the AFL is a new club

Get back under your bridge.

 

[noddy]

You know you are having a bad year when threads like this one reappear

Arrived in Australia in 1959 my brothers chose the black & white of PA & i chose the black & yellow of the Bays.

 

[Macca19]

fwiw, at VFL/AFL level before Port moved in 97, I went for Collingwood due to black n white up to 1990, then for the Crows to 93, Collingwood again in 94, jumped on the Richmond bandwagon in 95 because I was a huge Matthew Richardson and Nick Daffy fan at the time, then Collingwood again in 96.

As one can see, my 'support' of AFL teams pre-Port was flakey at best, because the SANFL was always the more important.

 

[Macca19]

You know you are having a bad year when threads like this one reappear

Arrived in Australia in 1959 my brothers chose the black & white of PA & i chose the black & yellow of the Bays.

Oh what could have been nod!

 

[silverfingers]

This is a good thread because in difficult times it reaffirms why we started supporting Port in the first place, and what it means to us. Always good things to remember when your current team is sucking..

 

[aneale]

Oh that's right. The PAFC in the AFL is a new club

Get back under your bridge.

forget the PAFC/PAMFC debate, what about the other 15 teams that seemingly have been abandoned. It would appear it also has affected Swan Districts fanbase, altho' hopefully with only a couple of Port games a year live they still attend WAFL games. A whole lot of abandoning going on ....... think of the children people . Seems like a whole lot of sameness to Crows fans, who would have thunk it.

Macca takes the lead btw ......... Geez you lose one Prelim and the world goes against you. I was pumped that day, I thought Scotty was looking dangerous and going to be the X-Factor to win the game with all the attention on Mods. Bugger.

 

[Steve Dore]

forget the PAFC/PAMFC debate, what about the other 15 teams that seemingly have been abandoned. .....

Couldn't care less about any other clubs. Myself and many other Port supporters simply followed the PAFC from the SANFL into the AFL. We did not abandon any club.

Sure there a some supporters who didn't follow the PAFC in the SANFL and couldn't be bought by or became disenchanted with the corporate Crows but our membership numbers would suggest that they are a minority.

 

[off kilter]

Moved to SA in November of '88'. First lived in West Lakes Shore for a couple of years, then to Semaphore untill i left the state in '00'. The decision to support the Port? I grew up in the Port, I went to school at West Lakes, Semaphore and Henly Beach which all had strong ties to Port Adelaide. I lived a tennis ball throw away from Port Districts oval, had mates who made it to the Magpie teams and friends of friends making it to the Power. So as i asked before, the decision to support the Port? Not a hard one really! It was US vs them!
But I guess the most polarising moment for me was me and a bunch of mates going to a Norwood game at the parade in 96'. We lost the game, but were in high spirits (quite literally 'high'), we then spent the afternoon outside the Redlegs club rooms singing the praises of the Pies, celebrating our AFL license and general sh*t stirring to the yocals detriment.
I now live in Queensland and am probably the most parochial Port supporter i have ever been, because when ever i watch us walk on to the park thats what i remember, its US vs them. You can take the boy from the Port but you can never take the Port from the boy. Carn' the Port!

 

[PAFC04]

Its quite simple really, anything wearing black and white is the team I would support. Sounds stupid, I know, but there is something when teams have these colours.

I come from an Italian background and I have played World Game for twenty years, started when I was five and stopped when I broke my tibia bone at the age of 26 also because of work commitments. In this time of playing soccer, my father took me to watch Adelaide City at the Olympic Sports Field at Kensington.

Also within this time I started to watch Aussie Rules and began to kick the footy around which came natural to me and just loved kicking the ball as far as I could, speciallising in the screwy.

When I started to watch footy on TV at age 14, it was clear to see which team gave me that Love at First sight feeling.

Juventus, the famous Italian side who have the equivalent amount of silverware in the cabinet like Port is the other team I fell in the love with.

Collingwood is another side that I love but its a friend love, not like Port who are the love of my life.

Having said that, whilst supporting Port, as I learned a lot more about the club, I fell in love with it even more because of the age of the club and the history.

Any sporting code that wears Black and White will be the team i will support, even if its watching a snails race............

 

[Macca19]

forget the PAFC/PAMFC debate, what about the other 15 teams that seemingly have been abandoned. It would appear it also has affected Swan Districts fanbase, altho' hopefully with only a couple of Port games a year live they still attend WAFL games. A whole lot of abandoning going on ....... think of the children people . Seems like a whole lot of sameness to Crows fans, who would have thunk it.

Macca takes the lead btw ......... Geez you lose one Prelim and the world goes against you. I was pumped that day, I thought Scotty was looking dangerous and going to be the X-Factor to win the game with all the attention on Mods. Bugger.

I have no issues admitting that I went for the Crows when they came in. If I was older than 8 and understood more of the issues that went on then I probably wouldnt have, but I had fun watching the Crows when they came in. Still went to Crows games all the way through to 95...only went to a couple in 96, by halfway through 94 I was bored of the Crows as it was never the same feeling as watching Port in the SANFL. Port winning the license finished it off in terms of any barracking until they came in.

As for abandoning the SANFL, ive been a Magpies member since 01 or so, have purchased Magpies season tickets the last 3 years, and this is the first season ever that ive been to less than about 15 SANFL games (currently zero this year) since I started going to games in 88.

 

[Rowd072]

My Dad's family barracked for Port and my Mum's family barracked for Sturt so it was a 50 50 thing. I always liked Sturt as a kid coz of their colours but when my parents split, Mum stopped going to football and dad would take me to Port games......I used to love going to Alberton and watching the team and my favourite player of all time ............... Stephen Williams!!!!!

 

[PowerKat]

I have no issues admitting that I went for the Crows when they came in. If I was older than 8 and understood more of the issues that went on then I probably wouldnt have, but I had fun watching the Crows when they came in. Still went to Crows games all the way through to 95...only went to a couple in 96, by halfway through 94 I was bored of the Crows as it was never the same feeling as watching Port in the SANFL. Port winning the license finished it off in terms of any barracking until they came in.

As for abandoning the SANFL, ive been a Magpies member since 01 or so, have purchased Magpies season tickets the last 3 years, and this is the first season ever that ive been to less than about 15 SANFL games (currently zero this year) since I started going to games in 88.

don't let the truth get in the way of a good story

 

[Portsmeff]

my older brother, sister, mother and Grandpa were Port supporters, however when I was a toddler my father signed me up as a West Torrens junior member, eeek. When I worked out what football was it was Port Adelaide forever. My family rarely went to games at Alberton, my grandpa always rode his bicycle to Cheltenham for the races, however a family friend did go to Port games at Alberton, and I used to ring him every 2nd weekend and pester him to take me down. I couldnt ever see over anyone on the grass hill at Alberton caus I was only between 7-12, but I craved the atmosphere. When I was old enough to go out by myself, a friend from school and I would take the bus and train to Alberton. I dont smoke, but when ever I smell cigarette smoke now it reminds me of old SANFL games in the late 1980s.

I also remember as a child visiting my stepgran who lived in the eastern sburbs, and I used to shudder with hatred as we drove through the suburb of Norwood.

Nowadays most of my family are mad Port supporters, and I think Im the one who has lost a bit of interest, prob because the atmosphere of power games is not quite there sometimes.

Does anyone remember they used to show the reserves game live on TV on a Sat afternoon. And that boring commentator with his slow drawn out voice on the abc. It used to make me so angry as a child that when the reserves match ended the entire coverage stopped and I had to put the radio on

 

[Ebert80]

my older brother, sister, mother and Grandpa were Port supporters, however when I was a toddler my father signed me up as a West Torrens junior member, eeek.

Oh dear West Torrens, has there ever been a more pathetic club. My grandmother barracked for them in her early days whilst living in Thebarton but switched to Port, i just shudder to think what it would have been like if i'd been exposed to the WTFC as a kid. More than even Woodville and South, i associate Torrens with mediocrity.

 

[WHOME]

Russell Ebert in the early 1970's - for those who saw him at that time, no further explanation necessary.

 

[aneale]

Does anyone remember they used to show the reserves game live on TV on a Sat afternoon. And that boring commentator with his slow drawn out voice on the abc. It used to make me so angry as a child that when the reserves match ended the entire coverage stopped and I had to put the radio on

On channel 9. I think it was called Army Reserves Cup for a while. Some South v Norwood game at Footy Park with about 15 people in the ground at 11.30am