THE Port Adelaide Football Club was established in 1870, and that fact will be on show for all to see in 2009.
The Power’s 2009 guernseys, manufactured by Reebok, will have ‘1870’ printed on the back, just above the player number.
Brett Ebert and Travis Boak will show off the small but significant addition on Monday and be joined by two former greats of the club in Darren Mead and Stephen Williams. Ebert wears Mead’s old No. 33, while Boak wears No. 10, which Williams wore in his 269 games for the club. Mead is the only player to have played 100 SANFL and AFL games for the PAFC.
Power chief executive Mark Haysman said the move to add 1870 to the club’s guernseys formed part of its Live the Creed initiative.
“The club made a decision earlier this year to actively reinforce its identity,” Haysman said.
“Our establishment date of 1870 sets us apart from all the other non-Victorian AFL clubs. We are the only club outside Victoria that entered the AFL in its own right, and that’s something we are proud of.
“We know the recognition of the club’s SANFL past is particularly important to a lot of our supporters and we’re sure they will be pleased to see it recognised in this very visual way.
“It is also important we acknowledge and thank the AFL for their wholehearted endorsement of this initiative.
“This is a small but significant gesture that helps us spread our Live the Creed message. It’s not just about celebrating past glories. We want everyone to know that it is the spirit, tradition and success of the club that drives us forward and has us striving to improve every day.
“The Creed represents values and behaviours that any organisation or individual can aspire to. We’re saying to our supporters and those not aligned with us that this is what we stand for. We’re proud of who we are, we want you to know about it, and we want you to join us.”
The Port Adelaide Football Club was founded on 20 April 1870 and played its first match on 24 May 1870 at what was known as Bucks Flat at Glanville. From humble beginnings, the club went on to win a record 34 SANFL premierships before entering the AFL in 1997.
Live the Creed refers to the values in the club’s Creed, which was written by the great Fos Williams in 1962, and has adorned the club’s boardrooms and changerooms ever since.
The club is the first in the AFL to acknowledge its establishment date on its guernsey but not the first to make an addition to the top of the back of its guernsey. The Brisbane Lions, Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs have added club initials to their guernseys to recognise their past.
1870 will also be printed on all 2009 retail versions of the club’s guernseys. The 2009 home guernsey will be available at the Power Megastore (at Alberton Oval and online at PowerMegastore.com.au) from Thursday. Pre-orders are available now.
