THE Port Adelaide Football Club’s first AFL Premiership Coach, Mark Williams, has thrown his support behind the Back In Black debt demolition campaign.
Mark - who was the Power’s senior coach between 1999 and 2010, and the architect of our inaugural AFL Premiership in 2004 - has become a Foundation Leader, joining more than 130 individuals who have all donated $5000 to help ease the club’s financial burden.
Mark has informed the club he is making his contribution on behalf of himself and the Williams family, in recognition of its long and successful involvement with Port Adelaide, in both the SANFL and the AFL.
Mark Williams coached our AFL side between 1999 and 2010, giving our club remarkable success in its early years. In every season between 2001 and 2004, we won at least 16 minor round games, culminating with the Premiership. It was an era in which Mark’s coaching record was unequalled.
Mark also played 115 games for the Port Adelaide Magpies (1979-80 and 1990-92), and was part of Premiership teams in 1979, 1980, 1990 and 1992.
Mark’s father, Fos, played 151 games with the Magpies, serving as Captain-Coach between 1950-1958 and Coach from 1962 to 1973. In all, Fos coached Magpies teams to an extraordinary 9 SANFL Premierships: 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1963 and 1965.
He is the author of the famous Creed for the Magpies, and a member of the Port Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame.
Brother, Stephen Williams, played 268 games for the Magpies (1979-1986 and 1988-1995) and was part of Premiership teams in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1995. Stephen coached the Magpies side from 1996 to 2003, winning Premierships in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Brother, Anthony Williams, played 101 games for the Magpies (1979-85).
Mark’s mother, Von, was a tower of strength to his father, and left her own stamp on the club, along with sister, Jenny, who has been part of our Football Department staff.
Mark’s own family, wife Pauline and their five children, provided him with endless support, helping him and our club to extraordinary success.
Port Adelaide Football Club President, Brett Duncanson, thanked Mark for his and his family’s contribution to the campaign.
“It’s a wonderful gesture from a legend of the club, on behalf of our greatest dynasty,” Mr Duncanson said.
“Few people understand our financial pressures better than Mark. He coached within the confines of our limitations and knows only too well why we need to get rid of this debt, as we work to repeat the success he led us to in 2004.”
“In very real terms, Mark has provided a show of faith in the direction we are taking as we aim to position the club for consistently high achievement in the years ahead.”
Many of Port Adelaide’s Foundation Leaders will come together tonight (Friday) to be recognised for their contribution to club. They will be the guests of honour at gala events, at Alberton Oval and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
The Foundation Leaders will be further rewarded in the Round 20 game against Collingwood, at AAMI Stadium. They will form a guard of honour for the players, who will wear a one-off guernsey featuring the names of each and every Foundation Leader. They will each receive a replica of those unique guernseys. Their names will be included on an honour board at Alberton Oval, rightly putting their names alongside the greats of our club.
