One-eyed footy fan laments the ‘banana republics’ of SA clubs

Port member and barrister Patrick McCabe reveals a “dirty secret” behind his beloved club and the Crows that leaves fans with only one solution – a revolution.

With Port Adelaide Football Club’s annual board elections recently concluded, Port member and barrister Patrick McCabe laments what he calls the “banana republics” that are the SA-based footy clubs.

Like most Port fans, there is nothing I enjoy more than calling the Crows a “franchise”.

Port, a real club, was built by and for the community over generations of honest working-class folk, bound together by a love of our great game and the camaraderie of a shared destiny. On the other hand, the Crows were created in a courtroom by the SANFL in collaboration with the VFL, in thrall to the almighty dollar.

But unfortunately Port has a dirty secret it would prefer not to tell us – it turns out Port is a franchise too. In fact, even franchise is a bit generous. Your local McDonald’s franchise enjoys an autonomy the once-mighty Port Adelaide Football Club can now only dream of.

To explain what I mean, let’s compare and contrast. First, there is Collingwood. Its constitution allows its members to vote for all its board directors and to attend and vote at general meetings. Under Collingwood’s constitution, you can’t even hold a valid annual general meeting unless at least 75 people show up.

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That’s what a real club is all about – ordinary members truly run the show. If the members don’t like what the board is doing, they can sack them. If decisions are........

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