A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Port Adelaide Football Club | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Names | ||||
| Full name | Port Adelaide Football Club Limited[1] | |||
| Nickname(s) | AFL/AFLW: Power SANFL: Magpies Indigenous rounds: Yartapuulti | |||
| Former nickname(s) | Cockledivers, Seaside Men, Seasiders, Magentas, Portonians, Ports | |||
| Motto | We Exist To Win Premierships[2] | |||
| Club song | AFL/AFLW: Power to Win SANFL: Cheer, Cheer the Black and the White | |||
| 2023 season | ||||
| After finals | 5th | |||
| Home-and-away season | 3rd | |||
| Leading goalkicker | Jeremy Finlayson (38 goals) | |||
| John Cahill Medal | Zak Butters | |||
| Club details | ||||
| Founded | 12 May 1870 | |||
| Colours | AFL: Black White
Teal Silver SANFL: Black White | |||
| Competition | AFL: Senior men AFLW: Senior women SANFL: Reserves men | |||
| Chairman | David Koch | |||
| CEO | Matthew Richardson | |||
| Coach | AFL: Ken Hinkley AFLW: Lauren Arnell SANFL: Hamish Hartlett | |||
| Captain(s) | AFL: Connor Rozee AFLW: Erin Phillips SANFL: Nick Moore | |||
| Premierships | AFL (1)Championship of Australia (4)SANFL (36) SA Patriotic League (2)SANFL merger league (1) | |||
| Ground(s) | AFL: Adelaide Oval (53,500) AFLW: Alberton Oval (11,000) SANFL: Alberton Oval (11,000) | |||
| Former ground(s) | Glanville Hall Estate (1870–1879) Football Park (1974–2013) | |||
| Training ground(s) | Alberton Oval | |||
| Uniforms | ||||
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| Other information | ||||
| Official website | portadelaidefc.com.au | |||
Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed the Power, while its reserves men's team competes in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), where they are nicknamed the Magpies. Since its founding, the club has won an unequalled 36 SANFL premierships and 4 Championship of Australia titles, in addition to an AFL Premiership in 2004. It has also fielded a women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW) league since 2022 (S7).
Founded in 1870, Port Adelaide is the oldest professional football club in South Australia. Port Adelaide was a founding member of the South Australian Football Association (SAFA), later renamed as the SANFL. Port Adelaide has repeatedly asserted itself as a dominant force within South Australian football, going undefeated in all competitions in 1914, and enjoying sustained periods of success under coaches Fos Williams and John Cahill, sharing a combined 19 premierships between them. After entering the AFL in 1997, the club claimed three minor premierships and a premiership under coach Mark Williams between 2002 and 2004. Port Adelaide holds a unique status among AFL clubs, being the only pre-existing non-Victorian club to have entered the AFL from another league.[3]
Port Adelaide has a long-standing rivalry with fellow SANFL club Norwood, as well as an intense rivalry with the Adelaide Crows in the AFL; it is a fixture referred to as the 'Showdown'. The club has played at their SANFL home ground, Alberton Oval, since 1880 and has used their AFL home ground, Adelaide Oval, since 2014. Port Adelaide first adopted the colours black and white in 1902, with their 'Prison Bar' guernsey. Following its entry into the AFL, the colours of teal and silver were added to the club palette to allow differentiation from Collingwood.
Club history
1870–1901: early years
Right: 13 May 1870 excerpt from the South Australian Register proclaiming the founding of the 'Port Adelaide Cricket and Football Club' whilst also announcing the club's first training session[4]
Port Adelaide was formed on 12 May 1870 as a joint football and cricket club, created by locals to benefit the growing number of workers associated with the surrounding wharves and industries of Port Adelaide.[5] The first training session of the newly formed club took place two days later.[4] The Port Adelaide Football Club played its first match against a newly established club from North Adelaide called the Young Australian.[6] Prior to 1877, football in South Australia was yet to be formally organised by a single body and as a result there were two main sets of rules in use across the state.[7] In an effort to create a common set of rules,[7] Port Adelaide was invited to join seven other clubs in the formation of the South Australian Football Association (SAFA), the first ever governing body of Australian rules football.[8]
In 1879, the club played reigning Victorian Football Association (VFA) premiers Geelong at Adelaide Oval in what was Port Adelaide's first game against an interstate club.[9] It played its first match outside of South Australia two years later, when it travelled to Victoria to contest a game against the Sale Football Club.[10]
The club won its first premiership in 1884, when it ended Norwood's run of six consecutive premierships.[11] It later contested the SAFA's first grand final in 1889, as Port Adelaide and Norwood had finished the season with equal minor round records. Norwood went on to defeat Port Adelaide by two goals.[12] Port Adelaide won its second SAFA premiership the following year,[13] and went on to be crowned "Champions of Australia" for the first time after defeating VFA premiers South Melbourne.[14]
| 1890 Championship of Australia | Score[a] | |||||
| Port Adelaide | 7 | |||||
| South Melbourne | 6 | |||||
| Venue: Adelaide Oval | [14] | |||||
As the 1890s continued, Australia was affected by a severe depression that forced many players to move interstate to find work. This exodus translated into poor on-field results for the club. By 1896, the club was in crisis and finished last, causing the club's committee to meet with the aim of revitalising the club.[15] The revitalisation had immediate results, helping Port Adelaide win a third premiership in 1897,[16] one of only four occurrences since 1877 where a team won a premiership after finishing last the previous year. Stan Malin won Port Adelaide's first Magarey Medal in 1899.[17]
During the 19th century, the club had nicknames including the Cockledivers, the Seaside Men, the Seasiders and the Magentas. In 1900, Port finished bottom in the six-team competition, which it has not done in any senior league since.[18][10]
1902–1915: 'Prison Bars' and the 'Invincibles'
Port Adelaide began wearing black and white guernseys in 1902 after it was having trouble finding dyes that would last for its blue and magenta guernseys.[19] After finishing the 1902 season on top of the ladder, Port Adelaide was disqualified from their finals game against South Adelaide after the club disputed the use of an unaccredited umpire.[20] The 1902 SAFA premiership was subsequently awarded to North Adelaide after they defeated South Adelaide in the Grand Final a week later.[21] Port Adelaide offered to play North Adelaide after the conclusion of the season, but the SAFA refused to allow it.[22] Port Adelaide won the premiership the following year.[23]