Left: 1918 Port Adelaide team from the clubs 'Ladies Football Match' against a team representing Thebarton held on Alberton Oval.[2] Right: This match helped raise funds to construct the Port Adelaide Workers Memorial (pictured).[2]
The earliest recorded instance of the Port Adelaide Football Club fielding a Women's side was in 1918 for a match played on Alberton Oval to raise funds for the Port Adelaide Workers Memorial against a team representing Thebarton.[2] Port Adelaide was captained by Eileen Reid.[2] In 1951 Port Adelaide awarded Ruby Dewar with life membership at the club, the first SANFL club to bestow the honour upon a woman, with club secretary Bob McLean praising her contribution saying that she had over 29 years "organised probably more than 100 functions for us — balls, dinners, competitions — as convener of the women's social committee."[3] Port Adelaide has given 17 women life membership at the club.[4] On 8 March 2004 Jenny Williams organised a Women's Showdown as a curtain raiser to Port Adelaide's home game at Football Park.[5] The Port Adelaide Women's side won the match 16.5 (101) to Adelaide's 1.1 (7) with Erin Phillips considered a unanimous best on ground.[5] The Port Adelaide Football Club also supported the local Port Adelaide Women's Football Club (nicknamed the Magpies and wearing the "Prison Bar" guernsey) who played in the Adelaide Football League from 2003-2018
2015–present: Initial bids, formation and early years in the league[edit]
On 16 December 2015 Erin Phillips entered into an agreement with Port Adelaide to be their marquee AFL Women's (AFLW) signing on the contingency the club received a licence for that competition.[6] However, due to the logistical demands placed on Port Adelaide's administration and staff associated with the club's China program, which sought to ensure the club had sustainable revenue streams, the club was deemed not capable to bid for an AFLW licence for the 2017 AFL Women's season.[7] Subsequently, the Adelaide Crows signed Phillips as a rookie.[8] Port Adelaide turned its attention towards entering a Women's side in the SANFL Women's League (SANFLW) competition but this approach was rejected by the South Australian Football Commission. After this, in 2018 the local Port Adelaide Women's Football Club in the Adelaide Football League was wound up.[9] In May 2021, the AFL Commission announced that the remaining four clubs without AFLW teams would be admitted to the competition by the end of 2023, with the clubs to bid for entry order.[10] Port Adelaide's bid to enter the competition was successful, with the AFL Commission deciding all four clubs would debut in the AFLW in 2022 season 7.[11] On 26 October 2021 Port Adelaide appointed Juliet Haslam as the clubs head of Women's football.[12] On 3 February 2022 Port Adelaide announced Naomi Maidment as the clubs inaugural AFLW list manager.[13] On 17 February 2022 Rachael Sporn was appointed to an Operations Manager role to organise the logistics of running an AFLW program at Port Adelaide.[14]
Port Adelaide finished second-last (17th) in their debut season in the competition, celebrating their debut win in the competiton at their home ground of Alberton Oval in round 4 against Sydney.[15] The team marginally improved to 15th in the 2023 season, and inaugural captain and dual-sports professional Erin Phillips retired from football at the end of the season.[16]
^"PORT HONOR FOR WOMAN". The News. Vol. 58, no. 8, 895. South Australia. 11 February 1952. p. 22. Retrieved 17 February 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Life Members". Port Adelaide Football Club. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
^Burtenshaw, David (13 September 2016). "Crows sign Erin Phillips". Adelaide Football Club. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.