Empty seats and money loss!
A number of media experts have come out and said that Port Adelaide’s game against the Gold Coast Suns in Shanghai in round nine wasn’t a good look.
A journalist from the Advertiser in South Australia even said that Port has lost money from the game.
‘It looks like a failure to all of those watching here in Australia. Something must be done to fix the look’.
There were 11,500 people at the game and considering the Gold Coast Suns don’t have much support and are struggling this year, it's not a bad result in the scheme of things.
The game itself wasn’t really a spectacle because of the wet conditions, but it still had record television views for a single match, with over millions tuning in around the world.
This is certainly enough to keep Keith Thomas, the CEO of Port Adelaide and David Koch, the Chairman of the Power pretty satisfied.
The Gold Coast Suns have now said they aren’t interested in playing in China next year and there is a high possibility that Port will be taking on GWS and St Kilda in two successive weeks in 2019.
This is sure to draw a bigger crowd than the last two years as St Kilda is likely to draw a bigger crowd than the Suns.
The Victorian government has put in $100,000 towards the China deal. The fact that St Kilda could well be a part of next year’s game is only a positive for Port Adelaide and the success of future of games in China, with St Kilda having a stronger supporter base.
Port has signed a deal, with the backing of a Shanghai real estate tycoon, which means they will be playing in China until at least 2023. This financial backing can only mean good things for Port Adelaide.
The turnaround for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the past five years has been nothing short of incredible.
There was a time when crowd numbers were at an all time low, the club was lacking in on-field success and playing a brand of football that was turning spectators away. The situation became so bad that the AFL had to bail the club out of debt.
Koch and Thomas’ appointments have turned out to be genius, as the club is now having success on the field with a finals appearance in 2017 and a realistic chance to win a premiership in 2018. They have an excellent coach in Ken Hinkley and a great bunch of coaches around him, with membership numbers at a record high.
If Port can successfully play two games in China next year and draw bigger crowd numbers, it should increase the likelihood of getting more money and sponsorship from businesses. It’s only going to mean exciting times ahead for the proud South Australian club with an amazing history.
So to these so called experts that think the China game was a failure, perhaps you should do more research and look at the facts and figures before you go making such rash statements!
