Port, AFL deny Tasmania option

[Beaussie]

Must admit this is the first I've heard of Port being mentioned for possible relocation to Tasmania. From what I've read on Big Footy it would appear this rumour was started by serial Port hater Graham Cornes.

Port, AFL deny Tasmania option
AAP | March 02, 2009 07:29pm

PORT Adelaide and the AFL have flatly rejected the prospect of the South Australian club relocating to Tasmania. It was reported on Monday by Adelaide radio station FiveAA that the soon to commence Senate Inquiry into the establishment of an AFL team for Tasmania will consider three options, including the relocation of the Power from Adelaide to the Apple Isle.

Port have struggled for financial healthy in Adelaide despite considerable on-field success, finding that their longterm history in the SANFL alienates them from many prospective supporters while at the same time crosstown rivals Adelaide enjoy a massive market share.

However Port and the AFL both launched near-instant denials that a relocation was even possible, given the goals of both the club and the league.

The AFL is pursuing the establishment of second clubs for both NSW and Queensland, a model based on the success of two-team rivalries in both Western Australia (West Coast and Fremantle) and Adelaide (Crows and Power).

"What we are doing in NSW and Queensland is based on what we have in WA and SA - we have no intention of taking a team out of what we see as a successful market for us," an AFL spokesman said on Monday.

"We want 22 games a year in SA as we want 22 games a year in WA and are building towards that in Queensland and NSW."

The spokesman also pointed out that any Senate recommendations would remain just that if they do not coincide with the views of the AFL, which owns the the licences for all clubs participating in the league.

Power chief executive Mark Haysman was blunt in his rebuttal.

"We haven't got it on our radar whatsoever, we're not about to be leaving Alberton," Haysman told FiveAA in response to the report.

Haysman has been frank in his investigation of all options to secure the financial future of the club since replacing John James last year, including the possibility of playing some Power home games in the Northern Territory.

"We certainly would consider all sensible options to fix up where we're at as a business and we're fully aware of the key opportunities for us, as are the AFL and SANFL, as far as fixing up our stadium yield and so on and there's a number of things we are doing," he said.

"(Tasmania) is not really worth discussing further in that it's not something we've considered at all - we'd look potentially to expand our footprint up to the Northern Territory, that's a natural fit for us through the central corridor through our indigenous links."

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=546890