News IKON Park redevelopment - Stage Three completed

[Chief]

Blues re-open home, Stage Two of redevelopment complete

Carlton Football Club is delighted to confirm the completion of Stage Two of the IKON Park redevelopment, providing members and fans the opportunity to return to the Club for the first time in over two years.

Stage Two of the project delivers fully integrated, state-of-the-art AFL and AFLW facilities, and administration areas, cementing IKON Park as the home of AFLW.

Chief Executive Brian Cook said the Club was excited to launch the completion of Stage Two and was particularly proud of its commitment to gender equality as part of the building investment.



“We are proud to launch the completion of Stage Two today and warmly welcome our members and fans back to IKON Park,” Cook said.

“The IKON Park redevelopment will see the Carlton Football Club become the first AFL club to host fully integrated facilities, whereby our AFL and AFLW athletes will now have access to equal amenities, which is something we are incredibly proud of.

“The completion of Stage One, which occurred in April 2021, includes brand-new AFL and AFLW changerooms that are located alongside each other and are of the same size and quality, providing a strong physical representation of our commitment to gender equality.

“When the Club set about undertaking this historic work, it was based upon achieving facilities for women’s sport that would be the equal of their male counterparts. It is with great thanks to the Victorian and Federal governments that this objective has now become a reality,” Cook said.

The Club’s spiritual home, for the first time ever, will now also host its own interactive and immersive museum that pays homage to 159 years of proud Carlton history.

In what has been the biggest redevelopment ever to be undertaken at IKON Park, Stage Two of the IKON Park redevelopment also includes:

• Elite recovery, cardio and high-performance areas
• Indoor training field measuring 25m x 50m
• Broadcast-quality lighting
• Expanded Carlton Shop
• The Carlton Football Club’s brand-new café 1864
• Function and events centre
• A purpose-built Boardroom and Business Lounge, which is the first of its kind within the sporting industry, with the sole intention to create exclusive access for Carlton IN Business members and club partners to use and conduct business.
• Elite administration areas

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said, “Carlton Football Club was established in 1864 and is an integral part of Victoria’s football history – with this development the Club and IKON Park enter a new chapter in that history as the home of ALFW.”

“We’re giving our AFLW stars and Blues fans a world class stadium they can be proud of, complete with better broadcasting facilities so everyone can enjoy high-quality match coverage.”

The facility will also provide upgraded match-day facilities including lights to broadcast standard, new player change-room facilities and a range of venue upgrades that will greatly enhance the supporter experience, ensuring that attendance at all AFLW games continues to increase.

Chief Executive Brian Cook said the Club was incredibly appreciative of the investment made from the Victorian State and Federal government, which has allowed a truly state-of-the-art facility to be developed at the iconic ground.

“We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge both the Victorian and Federal governments for their significant financial contributions, with this investment consolidating our position as the home of AFLW,” Cook said.

“With the expansion of the AFLW competition and growth in female participation numbers increasing, this funding will provide elite facilities in the heart of Melbourne, which is essential to growing Carlton and the game of AFL.

The investment in the IKON Park redevelopment provides all Victorians with the opportunity to be part of the growing competition of AFLW, whether this be through player or coaching pathways, fan engagement or crowd attendance.

“This commitment also ensures that AFLW games, whether they are season openers or grand finals, can be played at a venue that will help take the AFLW game to a whole new level for players, coaches and fans.

“The expansion of our elite training facilities will also support the increase in demand to service our combined football programs and the wider community, with opportunities available to inspire and develop the next generation of female sporting talent,” Cook said.

“We cannot wait to see fans back at IKON Park supporting both our AFL and AFLW teams, whether that be at AFL open training sessions or at our upcoming Round 1 AFLW season opener where we will be hosting rivals Collingwood under lights on Thursday 25 August.”

Stage Three of the IKON Park redevelopment is currently ongoing and is set for completion in mid-September. This part of the redevelopment will include a match-day pavilion housing visitor and VFL/VFLW changerooms, along with a function centre and event space with completed landscaping and connections to Princes Park.

Blues re-open home, Stage Two of redevelopment complete

Stage Two of the IKON Park redevelopment has been completed.

www.carltonfc.com.au

 

[Jeremias]

Looks awesome - can't wait to check it out.

 

[AndyWalkersGirl]

It looks great. I’m so proud of our club for recent years, totally professional off the field these days. On field glory is coming.

Can’t wait to check it out next year.

 

[Aphrodite]

 

[drunkill]

Popped in for a coffee around lunchtime, looks great.

The shop is probably a bit over double the size of the old one, lots more shelf space. The cafe seating area is larger and has a lounge-ish type feel further back overlooking the gym and the oval.

Sadly there is no public access to the oval through the main doors now, so gameday we'll be lining up at other gates and unable to walk to the shop from inside the stadium.


Ran into the players coming back from lunch, only said g'day to them as they passed but asked Saad how he pulled up, he was fine, wearing shorts, no strapping or bandages so I doubt he's injured as rumours suggested (then again, he wouldn't have told me he was injured if it were true anyway)

Also ran into Tony De Bolfo, the club historian who put together most of the displays along with the Jamie from the blueseum.org, had a chat to him for a couple of minutes before he had to duck off to a meeting.

I also ran into Terry (blueabroad) and had a chat for a few minutes in the shop.

The static displays are great, great layout and use of wall space, you could spend an hour reading everything, I'll have to check it out properly before/after an AFLW home game.


The digital displays are a bit generic (apart from the big video highlight reel screen right at the entrance) but those can always be updated.

What you see right as you enter, there is a giant video screen on the left hand wall (out of shot) showing video highlights from all eras of the club on a loop.

The cups lined up, half of them offset. Each pillar has the year, final scores and players on them along with a sponsor plaque on the opposite side.

In the alcove to the left is the entrance to the players wing of the facility (keycarded, damit) they now enter through the main door, no longer a side gate for the players (well that may still exist but was not in use today) and this display to the right of their entrance.

The display cycles through our men's and women's playing list with a touchscreen for the kids to read about players.

Seems like it displays a nickname, favorite quote and a saying or something?

Remaining on the left side of the main hallway, on the side of the stairs is the Carlton hall of Fame wall

And the Legends Lockers next to that. The lockers are refurbished/new old-school style lockers from the rooms with the player names and numbers listed on them. You can open them up and inside the lockers is a bio about each Carlton Legend.

The end of the hallway (which used to take you the terrace and out to the oval) is now a window into part of the gym so you can gawk at players training.

The view into the gym

On the righthand wall (from the entrance) opposite the Carlton Hall of Fame wall and stairs is this interactive spirit of carlton wall with information about significant years (or all years? I dind't have time to check), with a yellow side of a cube for premiership years.

And then behind that wall is the new Cafe area, looks like it has expanded seating plus a louge-ish area with couches and coffee tables which also overlook the gym and the playing surface.

Along the hallway/open space for the cafe is the museum area, a number of display cases on the backside of the wall to the shop. SOme interesting items in there, I didn't have enough time to check them all out.

Sacred relics, Doull's headband and Southcombe's glasses.

Vescio's boots and leading goalkicker medal

Harry's coleman medal (charlie's can join it next month) and his fluro boots as well as Kernahan's bronzed boot.

And of course, the fan favourite.

Bett's baggy shorts

Coffee was pretty good for a flat white, ham and cheese croissant was $10 so yeah, the food prices were a bit stiff.

I recommend everyone go and check it out sometime, while heading out to watch an AFLW game would be a good time to do it.

No photos of the shop, people were in there.

 

[Aphrodite]

 

[Aphrodite]

Cook: “A genuine commitment to gender equality”

The Carlton Football Club today opened state-of-the-art facilities for both AFL and AFLW.

www.carltonfc.com.au

 

[Jeremias]

Brilliant post, drunkill - thank you!

 

[AndyWalkersGirl]

Thank you so much for sharing that info and those pics. Looks amazing.

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Looks incredible, thank you drunkill
Looking forward to checking it out for real life

 

[katmanblue]

Popped in for a coffee around lunchtime, looks great.

The shop is probably a bit over double the size of the old one, lots more shelf space. The cafe seating area is larger and has a lounge-ish type feel further back overlooking the gym and the oval.

Sadly there is no public access to the oval through the main doors now, so gameday we'll be lining up at other gates and unable to walk to the shop from inside the stadium.


Ran into the players coming back from lunch, only said g'day to them as they passed but asked Saad how he pulled up, he was fine, wearing shorts, no strapping or bandages so I doubt he's injured as rumours suggested (then again, he wouldn't have told me he was injured if it were true anyway)

Also ran into Tony De Bolfo, the club historian who put together most of the displays along with the Jamie from the blueseum.org, had a chat to him for a couple of minutes before he had to duck off to a meeting.

I also ran into Terry (blueabroad) and had a chat for a few minutes in the shop.

The static displays are great, great layout and use of wall space, you could spend an hour reading everything, I'll have to check it out properly before/after an AFLW home game.


The digital displays are a bit generic (apart from the big video highlight reel screen right at the entrance) but those can always be updated.

What you see right as you enter, there is a giant video screen on the left hand wall (out of shot) showing video highlights from all eras of the club on a loop.

The cups lined up, half of them offset. Each pillar has the year, final scores and players on them along with a sponsor plaque on the opposite side.

In the alcove to the left is the entrance to the players wing of the facility (keycarded, damit) they now enter through the main door, no longer a side gate for the players (well that may still exist but was not in use today) and this display to the right of their entrance.

The display cycles through our men's and women's playing list with a touchscreen for the kids to read about players.

Seems like it displays a nickname, favorite quote and a saying or something?

Remaining on the left side of the main hallway, on the side of the stairs is the Carlton hall of Fame wall

And the Legends Lockers next to that. The lockers are refurbished/new old-school style lockers from the rooms with the player names and numbers listed on them. You can open them up and inside the lockers is a bio about each Carlton Legend.

The end of the hallway (which used to take you the terrace and out to the oval) is now a window into part of the gym so you can gawk at players training.

The view into the gym

On the righthand wall (from the entrance) opposite the Carlton Hall of Fame wall and stairs is this interactive spirit of carlton wall with information about significant years (or all years? I dind't have time to check), with a yellow side of a cube for premiership years.

And then behind that wall is the new Cafe area, looks like it has expanded seating plus a louge-ish area with couches and coffee tables which also overlook the gym and the playing surface.

Along the hallway/open space for the cafe is the museum area, a number of display cases on the backside of the wall to the shop. SOme interesting items in there, I didn't have enough time to check them all out.

Sacred relics, Doull's headband and Southcombe's glasses.

Vescio's boots and leading goalkicker medal

Harry's coleman medal (charlie's can join it next month) and his fluro boots as well as Kernahan's bronzed boot.

And of course, the fan favourite.

Bett's baggy shorts

Coffee was pretty good for a flat white, ham and cheese croissant was $10 so yeah, the food prices were a bit stiff.

I recommend everyone go and check it out sometime, while heading out to watch an AFLW game would be a good time to do it.

No photos of the shop, people were in there.

Love your work.

On SM-F926B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[DamoESP]

For those that have been or are in the know, does anyone know what happened to the Blue Believer wall that we all paid to get our names on? I heard its now gone with the redevelopments....was hoping that maybe they had moved it or something?

 

[agro]

Makes the rat and mouse infested Lexus/Holden/AIA Centre (or whatever it’s called now) very third rate - let’s put these bastards to the sword this Sunday.

 

[Aphrodite]

For those that have been or are in the know, does anyone know what happened to the Blue Believer wall that we all paid to get our names on? I heard its now gone with the redevelopments....was hoping that maybe they had moved it or something?

drunkill

 

[Dramoth]

That looks spectacular.

 

[Sammoll]

Are there any new seats or standing terraces in front of the new training facility which replaced the Pratt Stand?

I’m worried that the entire West end of the ground is now going to be a dead zone with no spectators for AFLW and we will never be able to replicate that huge crowd from the first year. Would be very disappointing if all this work was put in to the ground with no consideration for spectators.

 

[drunkill]

Are there any new seats or standing terraces in front of the new training facility which replaced the Pratt Stand?

I’m worried that the entire West end of the ground is now going to be a dead zone with no spectators for AFLW and we will never be able to replicate that huge crowd from the first year. Would be very disappointing if all this work was put in to the ground with no consideration for spectators.

Only a handful of seats and a terrace area infront of the new coaches?/comms box in the pocket.

So only a few hundred to replace the few thousand the big shed took up.

It is a pretty bad outcome for spectators for the longterm, other than new lighting, ther eis hardly a wide enough walkway around the ground infront of the new shed too, so no room for standing spectators along the fence. That Royal Parade end of the ground will always be a deadzone.





Here is the thumbnail from the video in the link below. Only a few seats infront of the new brick structure. And thats an old render too, the big blue box is bigger than in that picture and has less glass.

IKON Park redevelopment

The official AFL website of the Carlton Football Club.

www.carltonfc.com.au

 

[Sammoll]

Only a handful of seats and a terrace area infront of the new coaches?/comms box in the pocket.

So only a few hundred to replace the few thousand the big shed took up.

It is a pretty bad outcome for spectators for the longterm, other than new lighting, ther eis hardly a wide enough walkway around the ground infront of the new shed too, so no room for standing spectators along the fence. That Royal Parade end of the ground will always be a deadzone.



View attachment 1488402

Here is the thumbnail from the video in the link below. Only a few seats infront of the new brick structure. And thats an old render too, the big blue box is bigger than in that picture and has less glass.

IKON Park redevelopment

The official AFL website of the Carlton Football Club.

www.carltonfc.com.au

Regarding seating - we’ll get a better look at it tonight but this is a photo i found which shows what it’ll be like. Looks like about 5 rows of seating have been put in along the wing.

 

[drunkill]

Yeah not great, should have been seating on the roof of both new buildings.

 

[The Victorian]

New upgrades to the stadium yet away team facilities are still poor

 

[mjonc43]

New upgrades to the stadium yet away team facilities are still poor

They aren’t finished yet. Stage 3 I’m pretty sure. Due mid September.

Stage Three of the IKON Park redevelopment is currently ongoing and is set for completion in mid-September. This part of the redevelopment will include a match-day pavilion housing visitor and VFL/VFLW changerooms, along with a function centre and event space with completed landscaping and connections to Princes Park.

Chloe will be begging to come back then.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Very disappointing that there are STACKS of open boxes of Carlton merch just strewn under the stairs (on the way up to the new function centre). Very disrespectful and easily visible by anyone attending a function there.

 

[COOGRE]

shouldve turned it into a 3rd melbourne boutique stadium for smaller vic clubs. get the gov to pay up for transport facilities and wouldve been a good stadium. oh well have fun with ya facilities

 

[SpiritOfCarlton]

Got a tour of stage three today.

Indoor training facility is amazing. Huge space.

Further down the next section there is the main entrance for games (Gate 6). More seats than I thought there would be about 10-15 rows at ground level stretching out from the training facility to the Legends stand.

The final section is basically change rooms on the bottom floor. These will be used by VFL and VFLW for the most part.

The second storey is where the action is.

Nice reception area with a bar! Finally a proper bar at the old ground again.

Just past the reception is a large room that can hold 200 people, floor to ceiling windows overlooking the ground and on the other side overlooking the park and the city, spectacular. Spiffy media facilities.

Just outside the main room is an elevated outdoor area with three sides, one facing the ground, one the legends stand and one the park and city. Would be an amazing place to have a beer and watch a game.

The entertainment/function area should prove to be wildly popular I imagine, could be a real positive for the club.

 

[cookie monster]

Got a tour of stage three today.

Indoor training facility is amazing. Huge space.

Further down the next section there is the main entrance for games (Gate 6). More seats than I thought there would be about 10-15 rows at ground level stretching out from the training facility to the Legends stand.

The final section is basically change rooms on the bottom floor. These will be used by VFL and VFLW for the most part.

The second storey is where the action is.

Nice reception area with a bar! Finally a proper bar at the old ground again.

Just past the reception is a large room that can hold 200 people, floor to ceiling windows overlooking the ground and on the other side overlooking the park and the city, spectacular. Spiffy media facilities.

Just outside the main room is an elevated outdoor area with three sides, one facing the ground, one the legends stand and one the park and city. Would be an amazing place to have a beer and watch a game.

The entertainment/function area should prove to be wildly popular I imagine, could be a real positive for the club.

Standing in the bar drinking a schooner and watching VFL games sounds pretty bloody appealling