WHEN Don Scott famously tore the Hawk off a jumper representing a proposed merger between Hawthorn and Melbourne at the Camberwell Civic Centre after the 1996 season, the Hawks were wracked by debt.
A vote cancelled the proposed merger, but that was only a starting point.
From that moment, and much through the hard work of a team led by president and prominent businessman Ian Dicker, Hawthorn was on its way to becoming a brand.
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It was a light-bulb time for the club, borne out of necessity. Some of the changes to the powerful club since then have been profound: it left its Glenferrie Oval base and shifted to the old Waverley Park, it set up a second base in Tasmania and gained lucrative sponsorships there both through the state government and business and became the first club to break the 50,000-barrier in memberships in 2009. When the Hawks won the flag last year, they had more than 63,000 members.
They also had input from former champions such as Jason Dunstall and Dermot Brereton, and were led by former premier Jeff Kennett a decade after Dicker's successful tenure.
It is this simple: the Hawks realised that it had to become more than a club representing the suburb of Hawthorn.
The days of suburb against suburb were long gone: Eddie McGuire completed a similar turnaround of Collingwood.
It had become a national competition, and that meant competing for a national audience, while at the same time not offending the core base with links to Hawthorn.
This is the same time for Adelaide's two clubs.
People questioned the wisdom of having a Sydney-based president in David Koch when he was first elected at Alberton; he has been nothing but a success.
Adelaide, as reported in The Advertiser, is now making a concerted effort to sign up members in the US, NSW and Victoria, which is considered the most promising growth market.
It is not just ambitious and aspiring work. It is essential.
If the two South Australian clubs want to be top-liners and compete with clubs such as Hawthorn and Collingwood, they need to grow their base. They need to think bigger than ever, and outside the state borders for anybody with a connection to their clubs who could become a potential customer.
Port Adelaide celebrate a win at AAMI Stadium. Source: News Limited
Having a range of experts preparing the players with cutting-edge technology cost money, and just a cursory glance at the Magpies' staff list shows how much it invests in football each year.
Adelaide Oval is a big part of the solution, but not just because it is a more convenient location for many South Australians.
When chief executive Andrew Demetriou contacted SACA president Ian McLachlan about a shift from Football Park to Adelaide Oval there was also a bigger picture in mind: bringing more interstate fans to South Australia.
As well as Football Park served football here, it was difficult for Melburnians to get themselves to the ground if they flew in and big-note sponsors of the all of the clubs from outside SA were always reluctant to come here because of the lack of entertainment around West Lakes and the effort required to get there.
With a ground in the city, close to hotels and public transport, this is the time for the big sell for the Crows and the Power.
The next few months could not be more important for the clubs, which have already started to put strategies in place.
There is not a minute to waste if they want to compete with the best.
SA clubs must grow base outside of home
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SA clubs must grow base outside of home
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