The Adelaide Crows will not be following their crosstown rival Port Adelaide down the China rabbit-hole.

The Power has been assiduously cultivating prospective markets in the world’s largest economy, with InDaily reporting yesterday that it had enlisted communications platform SmartTrans to help spearhead a social media drive, putting the expertise of “the most connected Australian in China”, former ambassador Geoff Raby, at its fingertips.

Port has also put out a call for Mandarin commentators, with four finalists to take turns calling this weekend’s game against Fremantle, and the winner a chance to be contracted to call games in 2016.

It’s understood the notion of strengthening ties with China, and unlocking prospective lucrative marketing niches, has been discussed at West Lakes, with Crows CEO Andrew Fagan informally briefed after this year’s AGM by former Labor Senator Chris Schacht, now a consultant seeking to build ties with Asia through his business The Australia China Development Company.

Schacht, a paid-up Crows member, is a long-standing advocate of local sporting clubs forging stronger ties with Asia, and also advised Port Adelaide on the burgeoning opportunities in China before the Power recruited community programs general manager Andrew Hunter from Premier Jay Weatherill’s office.

Schacht told InDaily: “As a Crows supporter and a South Australian, I think what Port Adelaide are doing is a very reasonable thing to do for their future, and I think for SA’s future.”

“I think both SA footy clubs, and other major clubs, ought to look at an Asian engagement strategy to build strong connections between SA and the big Asian export markets.”

But an Adelaide Football Club spokesman told InDaily a push into China “was not a priority for the club at this stage”.

The club, while diplomatic about any investment in China or elsewhere overseas by other clubs or the AFL, is understood to favour local grassroots development of the game.

Last week, official AFL membership figures put Port ahead of the Crows for the first time in its history, with 54,057 members, up from 48,968 the previous year. The Crows had fallen to 52,920 from 54,249 the previous season.

This prompted Fagan to write to members arguing that the AFL’s “one cap fits all approach…doesn’t tell the full story”, and insisting the Crows have “close to 65,000 members, a record for our club”.