PORT ADELAIDE is taking the “exclusive” tag off Adelaide Oval with a high-risk, high-return plan to open the venue to more fans.

The Power is keeping 10,000 seats aside for non-members at all of its 11 home games at the 53,500-capacity Oval. This is a deliberate ploy to have more South Australians enjoy the taxpayer-funded stadium – and grow the AFL club’s membership.

“It is part of our plan of building for the future,” Port chief executive Keith Thomas told The Advertiser yesterday.

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Traditionally, AFL clubs have sought to maximise the sale of 11-game memberships. The pay-off is having money in the bank in March before the season opens.

“That model can give you 20 years of sold-out games — but it also denies a new generation of fans access to your club on matchday,” Thomas said. “Those who are locked out of Adelaide Oval feel less connected to the club.

“Our challenge is to grow as a club. To do that, we want new people coming to Adelaide Oval to experience Port Adelaide on gameday. We don’t want to limit our club to 45,000 fans who are “bolted-on” to their seats at the Oval.”

Port Adelaide today has 58,451 members. In this group are 33,000 11-game members. The other 20,000 seats at the Oval are split between 10,000 club members with three-game passes and 10,000 non-members sampling the Power as opportunity allows.

This contrasts with the Adelaide Football Club’s sales theme at the Oval where the Crows have a league-high 43,668 11-game members.

Port Adelaide’s strategy does carry a high risk. If the Power fails on the field, selling those 10,000 tickets becomes more difficult. But if the team succeeds or competes – and the gameday experience is highly regarded, as is the case with the Power – there is a high return with growth of the Port Adelaide membership and supporter base.

“The strategy worked last year – and the demand for tickets to our games is up this year,” Thomas said.

“We prefer this approach to selling tickets to our home games. As long as the demand to see Port Adelaide play at Adelaide Oval is high, we will keep those 10,000 tickets available to non-members.”

Port Adelaide hosts 2014 AFL grand finalist Sydney with a 7.10pm game on Saturday. There are just 3500 tickets available to the highly anticipated clash.

Adelaide band, At Sunset, will entertain the club’s fans from their gathering point in Rundle Mall, through their march across the Riverbank footbridge and at the Oval. There will be live entertainment for each of the 11 “Marches from the Mall” in the home-and-away season this year.

But the “wow” factor promised by club president David Koch for the Sydney clash remains a highly guarded secret at Alberton.

“That’s part of the anticipation we want to build among our fans, just as we did last year,” said Thomas.

Originally published as Port puts out welcome mat for new fans