Port Adelaide president David Koch talking at the SA Press Club luncheon. Source: News Limited
PORT Adelaide president David Koch is challenging the Crows to build an SANFL club and not just a reserves team to prove their commitment to SA football.
And Koch is offering the Adelaide Football Club a copy of the Power's blueprint for SA football in a bid to get the two SA-based AFL clubs on equal terms in the vexing reserves debate.
The Power's grand plan to convert the SANFL-based Magpies into its support team and keep the Magpies' reserves and under-age teams and recruiting zones is at risk while the Crows are proposing to form only a reserves side that would be the SANFL's 10th team.
The SANFL league directors are favouring the Crows' model and want the Crows and Power licences sold back to the AFL Commission on equal terms, particularly on how they access the SANFL. This would spell the end of the traditional Magpies.
One of the key issues for the SANFL directors on the equality front is how the Crows would seek "top up'' players for its reserves team from all SANFL ranks while the Power would develop its own at the Magpies.
Koch yesterday was emotive in fighting to keep the Magpies saying he would ``walk over hot coals to keep the Magpies heritage''. But he did concede it is the SANFL league directors who will have the final say, despite the Power having a covenant with the AFL to keep the Magpies protected in the new Power licence.
"But we are beholden to the SANFL league directors and if they want to cut the most successful club in the competition, it will be on their heads,'' said Koch.
The Sydney-based television presenter argued the SANFL league directors should be demanding more of the Crows rather than reducing Port's presence in the state league.
"Why would the directors want to reduce the contribution of one of the state's two AFL clubs,'' Koch told The Advertiser.
"We are always accused as AFL clubs of being high and mighty and elitist. But we are an AFL club that is wanting to contribute more to the SANFL.
"It would be nonsensical to say to a major contributor to the grassroots of SA football that we are going to force you to cut back.
"Tell me, how is that good for football? Give me a break.
"I think there is an argument to ask the Crows to buy in to every level of the SANFL rather than have us take the Magpies out. And if the Crows want to see our blueprint for SA football, we're more than happy to show it to them.
"It can only be good for the community and SA football.''
Port chief executive Keith Thomas last night rejected a compromise plan to have the Power reserves dressed in the Magpies jumper in the SANFL.
"That would be tokenism and not Port Adelaide,'' he said. ``Everyone has a self-interest in this debate, but we have to come up with a solution that helps grow the game in SA.''
Speaking at the SA Press Club yesterday, Koch declared he was ``baffled by SA footy politics where some disputes have run longer than (wars) in the Middle East.''
Koch also noted the ``One Club'' deal with the SANFL that reunited the Power and Magpies includes a clause allowing the Magpies to exist on a year-to-year basis.
The SANFL league clubs will have presentations from the Power and Crows in the next fortnight ahead of a directors meeting early next month. At least six of the eight directors must approve any change to the SANFL.
###
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Koch: Crows should copy us
Dengan url
http://astagaberita.blogspot.com/2013/06/koch-crows-should-copy-us.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Koch: Crows should copy us
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar