Universal Love Princes Park Update

[CaptainCharisma]

I missed the glory days of the 80s, but I am glad I am old enough to have gone to PP and see the Blues week in and week out for a good few years.

It still hurts thinking about what we have lost when we moved away, like a little piece of the clubs spirit/soul. I am sure it is repressed somewhere deep down in most of us, probably even worse for the old boys/girls.


I have always thought though that once the club does clear its debt, along with a few of the benefactors, the gov't and AFL they could look at rebuilding the majority of the ground.
Leaving the Legend's Stand and new facility in tact, surely a 2-tier stand the rest of the way around the ground that links in with the 'look' of the Legend's Stand could be constructed and give us a 35k home ground. We could play 6-7 home games a year and be laughing all the way to the bank. play the remaining blockbusters/big drawing teams at the G against Pies, Dons, Tiges, Hawks?

Maybe I am also dreaming OP...

 

[slashin_velvet]

If only you could move it to a less residential and built up area. Unfortunately, it would never get up these days.

 

[Jock]

Not ever now. We will never know just how close Jack came to pulling off a train line and underground carpark with his liberal friends. I suspect very close. If he had, there would still be games played there today and the stand that crippled our finances would be a fine asset.

 

[Azul]

We will never know just how close Jack came to pulling off a train line and underground carpark with his liberal friends.

We have a Liberal government and an Eddington report proposing to build an underground railway tunnel.

The "Parkville" train station proposed is underground at the corner of Grattan and Royal Parade. That's about half way from Flinders St and the ground but a pleasant stroll.

 

[agro]

 

[SE_Blue]

Buy out all the locals in the proximity of the ground and fill the houses with Carlton supporters.

 

[Dramoth]

Buy out all the locals in the proximity of the ground and fill the houses with Carlton supporters.

Works for me... where do I sign up???

 

[Dramoth]

Not ever now. We will never know just how close Jack came to pulling off a train line and underground carpark with his liberal friends. I suspect very close. If he had, there would still be games played there today and the stand that crippled our finances would be a fine asset.

I just remembered something else about the light towers... weren't they supposed to be pop up towers? they disappear on non-match days, and appear when there was a night game going on

 

[Meow]

Hope you don't mind an opposition supporter's perspective.

We make around $600,000 from 20,000 people per game at Simonds Stadium (even higher for a capacity crowd). If you arranged something like that at PP and had Footscray/North playing some home games there, then it could be fairly profitable.

Would a return be possible now you have replaced an entire grandstand with a gymnasium though? Something like that I imagine would've cost millions, and you'd probably have to replace it to get the ground up to scratch again (which I'm not sure is worthwhile).

Princes Park could have worked with a capacity of 40,000 and lights for night games- you guys raking in plenty of $$$ from playing 7-8 matches there a season (with home games against the Pies, Dons, Richmond at the MCG) and lower-drawing Melbourne clubs playing some home games there.

Don't think it's facilities are a problem, went there for a practice match last year and it appeared in very good nick. The considerable restraints would be the costs involved (possibly several hundreds of millions of dollars for a full redevelopment, which is what has occurred with Simonds Stadium), the gymnasium at one end of the ground, and capacity issues, so with that in mind a return probably wouldn't gain AFL approval.

Was a real shame that PP was discarded, probably the best stadium to watch the footy at aside from the MCG prior to the construction of the Legends stand. Would love it to host AFL again and I'd definitely attend a Carlton/Geelong game there.

 

[GoBlues!]

Was there anything better than this?

Yep - before the Legends Stand went up there was the standing area in front of the old scoreboard. Get there early and watch the reserves before the main game.

Really great atmosphere and I especially liked the banter between our supporters and opposition supporters during the games.

 

[BlueTongue]

The Gardiner stand would collapse with a sizeable crowd in it. The new development would look terrible on TV and the transport/parking options would be a nightmare.

Yeah, not nearly enough trams pulling up out front...

 

[BlueTongue]

Yep - before the Legends Stand went up there was the standing area in front of the old scoreboard. Get there early and watch the reserves before the main game.

Really great atmosphere and I especially liked the banter between our supporters and opposition supporters during the games.

Yeah I loved it there, My Fave spot. Besides, that little drinks caravan sold Full strength UDLs for $3 back then lol

 

[toomuchsparetime]

I was lucky enough as a kid to see games at most of the traditional venues. great memories.

after a win at moorabin, a couple of st kilda supporters would pull out there brass instruments and play when the saints go marching in.

In the same vein as 'rivalry round', 'indigenous round' etc.. the afl should introduce a 'traditional home ground round'. make it happen... forget about all the legal, financial, political bullshit.

 

[Dramoth]

I was lucky enough as a kid to see games at most of the traditional venues. great memories.

after a win at moorabin, a couple of st kilda supporters would pull out there brass instruments and play when the saints go marching in.

In the same vein as 'rivalry round', 'indigenous round' etc.. the afl should introduce a 'traditional home ground round'. make it happen... forget about all the legal, financial, political bullshit.

Unfortunately, all the traditional home grounds are now rubbish for AFL games... except for ours and the Geebungs I think.

 

[The_Wookie]

Unfortunately, all the traditional home grounds are now rubbish for AFL games... except for ours and the Geebungs I think.

Its also neatly located for the AFL to use for NAB challenge and AFL practice matches which it does regularly.

 

[Dramoth]

Its also neatly located for the AFL to use for NAB challenge and AFL practice matches which it does regularly.

Thats true...

I guess we had all better start saving our pennies then...

 

[Jock]

I just remembered something else about the light towers... weren't they supposed to be pop up towers? they disappear on non-match days, and appear when there was a night game going on

Yeah I remember something along those lines proposed too.

 

[Jock]

We have a Liberal government and an Eddington report proposing to build an underground railway tunnel.

The "Parkville" train station proposed is underground at the corner of Grattan and Royal Parade. That's about half way from Flinders St and the ground but a pleasant stroll.

Jack and his lib mates had the underground going all the way to the ground and a car park under most of the tan from memory.
It was a pretty big ask to pull off, the rest of the board at the time must have been blinded and bullshitted into somehow thinking that he could pull it off.

 

[slashin_velvet]

Could you pay for a full stand by having members buy a seat? or some similar initiative?

 

[Franc de Borges]

Yep - before the Legends Stand went up there was the standing area in front of the old scoreboard. Get there early and watch the reserves before the main game.

Really great atmosphere and I especially liked the banter between our supporters and opposition supporters during the games.

Yep, I used to stand at that end under the scoreboard. Walking in through the leafy surrounds and up that ramp to the right, then turning left onto the terrace (attempting to avoid horse s**t) with the opposition cheer squad in enemy territory are some of the best memories of my life.

 

[Jabba73]

It would be brilliant, but unlikely.

 

[AndyLucimitis]

Yep, I used to stand at that end under the scoreboard. Walking in through the leafy surrounds and up that ramp to the right, then turning left onto the terrace (attempting to avoid horse s**t) with the opposition cheer squad in enemy territory are some of the best memories of my life.

Love that photo of the Scoreboard end - great memories.

The scoreboard says its Fitzroy versus St.Kilda ..... is that the actual crowd ?

 

[KennyHunter9]

We couldn't get a proposal to a planning minister who was a Carlton premiership ruckman. Could have been his last approval before exiting office.

 

[Dramoth]

We couldn't get a proposal to a planning minister who was a Carlton premiership ruckman. Could have been his last approval before exiting office.

I think that he would have seen Carlton FC and Princes Park redevelopment and just signed it... and then organised a deal with the Vic Government to slide 50 million into the project.

 

[thylacine60]

I just remembered something else about the light towers... weren't they supposed to be pop up towers? they disappear on non-match days, and appear when there was a night game going on

Like the sprinklers at Waverley.