Port Adelaide records biggest profit in 25-year AFL history

Port Adelaide have bounced back from a rocky 2020 impacted heavily by COVID-19 to report a record profit of more than $4 million last year.

After losing $4 million the previous year, when almost every AFL club suffered greatly during the pandemic, the Power’s 2021 financial result was a turnaround of almost $9 million.

The profit of $4.2 million was the biggest in Port’s 25-year history in the AFL.

Operating revenues received an almost $10 million bounce on 2020, across membership, partnerships, hospitality packages.

Port Adelaide chairman David Koch believes the club should be proud of how it quickly adapted to the COVID-19 landscape.

“Rather than aspiring to be ‘debt free’ and ‘sustainable’, our goal is to build a financially powerful Port Adelaide,” he said.

“Financial strength will provide our teams at AFL, SANFL and AFLW level with the best opportunity to win, and at the same time ensure we give back and invest in our people and community.

“The foundation for this result was built on the decisive changes made in 2020 as we moved quickly to protect the club from the onset of COVID-19 which was the biggest financial threat in our club’s history.”

Port have qualified for the preliminary final in the past two AFL seasons, after finishing inside the top-four, but were badly beaten by the Western Bulldogs at the Adelaide Oval last September when a grand final spot was up for grabs.

The club’s Alberton Oval base will receive a $30 million transformation in the hope of being completed in 2023.