Port Adelaide's Andrew Hunter is to play a big part in the Power's push to China. Picture: Keryn Stevens Source: News Limited
PORT Adelaide is pushing harder into China with the Power aiming to be the first AFL team to play for premiership points in Asia as soon as 2017.
And the club's campaign to win community and corporate partnerships in China has secured a major coup with the poaching of Premier Jay Weatherill's senior international adviser, Andrew Hunter.
A former leading volleyball player with a strong understanding of the China market, Hunter will join Port Adelaide as the general manager of the Power Community Limited arm on March 23.
The Power's bold ambition to play a NAB Challenge game in China this year fell apart only by the club and AFL not finding a suitable venue. But Port Adelaide president David Koch's grand vision of the Power developing its international profile in China has stepped up rather than been dented by this year's setback.
"We would like to be the AFL's primary club of choice to carry Australian football to China," Power chief executive Keith Thomas told The Advertiser.
"And we are going to the AFL with a compelling plan.
"Our biggest problem in playing a (pre-season) game has been finding a suitable venue, but we remain hopeful for next year or 2017. And we have not ruled out playing a game for premiership points."
Port Adelaide's case — while Melbourne also looks to China — is to emphasise the Power wants to build longstanding community partnerships and the AFL market (particularly for television rights) rather than simply take sponsorship dollars to play a pre-season or premiership game.
And Thomas' presentation to the AFL is strengthened by highlighting the Power last year developed ties to Chinese students in Adelaide at UniSA, sponsored the Chinese team for the AFL's International Cup and is now backing the South China AFL competition.
Port Adelaide also highlighted its commitment to work with Chinese corporations last year when Koch and his full board met in Hong Kong. Koch this year will return to Hong Kong to meet as many as 500 Chinese businessmen at a club lunch on April 30.
Hunter was Thomas' prime candidate to manage the club's China plans, but the Premier's former speechwriter preferred to stay in government last year delivering on Weatherill's ambitions in Asia.
Of his mission with the Power, Hunter told The Advertiser: "China could be anything, not just for the Port Adelaide Football Club but also the AFL and Australian football.
"It is a massive market — at the moment an uncontested market for Australian football. There is no limit to what can be achieved."
Hunter's job portfolio at Alberton is to build the Power's much-lauded community programs that have focused on linking sport with Aboriginal education, youth development, the "End Hunger" campaign with Foodbank — and now China.
But Thomas emphasised the Power's China strategy cannot be based solely on finding corporate partners for an AFL club needing new revenue streams.
"If we are going to have longstanding and meaningful corporate partnerships in China, we also have to show we are prepared to put in," Thomas said. "You have to give before you take — and we have shown a commitment to invest in China and build real relationships."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Power wants to play AFL match in China by 2017
Dengan url
http://astagaberita.blogspot.com/2015/02/power-wants-to-play-afl-match-in-china.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Power wants to play AFL match in China by 2017
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Power wants to play AFL match in China by 2017
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar