The “Worst” Form Of Governance

Winston Churchill said that “democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’

And until 1997 when Port entered the AFL this “worst form of governance” had been the way the club had been run. Members were entrusted to vote for the board (often guided by suggestions from the incumbents that they trusted) and had elected successful boards for well over 100 years. 

These member-elected boards had seen the club remain viable when many others faltered like the original Adelaide football club, Kensington, Bankers, South Park, “Victorian” and more recently the stand alone Woodville and West Torrens. 

They oversaw unprecedented successes, like the historic 6 flags in a row from 1954 to 1959. 

They were brave enough to replace club stalwart, legend and coach Russel Ebert with John Cahill in 1988 (despite Ebert leading Port to 2nd on the ladder at the end of the 1987 minor round). True to their edict of “existing to win premierships”, these brave board members were not beholden to the whims of members. Rather they bravely moved on a club legend, in spite of significant member backlash, and began a run of flags (9 of the next 12 premierships) to cement their place at the pinnacle of SA football and help ensure the 2nd AFL licence. 

Off field the member elected board saw Port through challenge after challenge. The great depression, 2 world wars and the formation of the Adelaide Crows. There were some shaky times but the club endured. And always the collecting mind of the members seemed to put the right people in the right places (not just former players or popular figures) to ensure survival and success. 

Perhaps most significantly the member elected boards led the club through not one, but two attempts to raise the club to the highest competition in the land and all of politics, jealousies and recriminations that entailed. 

Brian Cunningham said that “The football public of SA turned against Port Adelaide and our only support came from within our own supporter base, There was a hatred way beyond any normal footy rivalry.” 

So significant were these member elected board members that in 2023 the club saw fit to elevate the entire 12 man board to The Port Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame. Bruce Weber, Greg Boulton,, Jim Nitschke, Barry Wilson, Geoff Monteleone, David Judd , Phil Hoffmann , Frank Hayter, Ian McLachlan, Robert Hoey and Tony Hobby as member elected board members and their chosen CEO (Brian Cunningham) will forever be remembered for their service to this great club. 

In fact it could be argued that the lowest times the club has endured over its 154 years occurred when the board was predominantly elected by the SANFL, not the members, in the period from 1997 until 2014. During this time the club’s debt spiralled and despite the on field success of an AFL premiership in 2004, by 2012 the on field success had dwindled significantly. 

In 2014 when the club “gained control” of its AFL licence (moving away from the SANFL sub-licence agreement) a new constitution was written. Whilst the Adelaide Crows took the opportunity to write into their agreement a mechanism for the election of board members to return to club control (on “the development grant completion date” in 2028, when they will have paid off their licence for the 2nd time, this time to the AFL) the predominantly SANFL selected PAFC board did not. 

When this missed opportunity was raised with the chairman David Koch at consecutive PAFC AGMs he concerningly claimed to not know of the clause on both occasions (perhaps reflective of a lack of accountability to members’ concerns). CEO of the Port Adelaide Football Club Mathew Richardson was also asked about the issue recently at a club event and indicated that not only was the members concern not something that the board was taking on, but that they had reservations about the ability of the members to elect a functional board with a diversity of skills, not just a popular board full of ex football players (despite all previous evidence). 

Port Adelaide is a football club that has thrived for over 150 years on the accountability that comes from a strong and at times brutally honest membership base. This base has shown over the years that their collective wisdom has been able to elect a functional board that has held the club accountable and ensured enduring success. It is time for the current custodians of the club (both the board and the AFL) to realise that whilst membership control of the board might be “the worst form of Government” it is still better than “all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…”