Universal Love Princes Park Update

[huddler]

It's a great outcome to get these facilities but I'm extremely disappointed that it comes at the cost of a few thousand seats. It will really hurt the atmosphere and buzz of the place to have half the ground as just buildings.

The Pratt stand had the best views, could fit a lot of people and was quite iconic with its curvy shape so it's sad to see it gone. Seating wise, what's left? The shitty Elliott stand staring straight into the sun, the heroes stand which is essentially just an admin building itself with very few seats and the run-down Gardiner stand which has restricted views due to the big training building next to it. I wish they had put more thought into accommodating for spectators (look at Brisbane's new training base for example). I think we are going to live to regret this as the AFLW grows.

Completely agree with this. It's hard to see how they could have pushed the interests and experience of supporters any further down the list of priorities.

 

[DangerousD]

Alfred reading the comments in regards to what appears to be no seating in the new plans, I think the club is making a mistake if thats the case, I love the Pratt stand but I fully understand why it’s going, I am frustrated that the new designs pay no respect to the stands history/design and I too worry about the lack of searing and atmosphere at that end of the ground. The redevelopment is being done on the basis of making PP the home of women’s football, why would it stay the home if the atmosphere was crap?

The state government has committed $15M to Punt Road, they are knocking down the stand there but the new design at least has made an effort to look like the old stand and it includes seating. I have attached a link.

I hope that there is more detailed plans that address these issues.

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/...G4Um4WcQO2rCRVcyrXJQj48416vgtJuMzGnLp51vfsZqA

 

[HARKER]

Are there any renders on the proposed works?

Hard to make heads or tails out of those sketches.

 

[Red Bull]

Anyone have any idea when we might see what is proposed for Princes Park ?

 

[Aphrodite]

Email just received from The Pres ...


Redevelopment Vid:-

Official AFL Website of the Carlton Football Club

The official AFL website of the Carlton Football Club.

www.carltonfc.com.au

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Dear Aph,

I am delighted to share with you a further update on the redevelopment of Ikon Park.

As communicated to members at the beginning of last month, Stage One of the Ikon Park Masterplan has commenced, with the proud support of both the Victorian Government and Australian Government and approval from the City of Melbourne.

We have now received approval for the planning scheme amendment from the Victorian Planning Minister and we are currently working with the City of Melbourne on design approvals. It is our intention to commence Stage Two construction in April 2021.

Extending on the internal works that have already commenced as part of Stage One, including the focus on the high-performance areas of Ikon Park, Stage Two will focus on the construction of key areas of the football club, including:​

• New indoor training field measuring 25m x 50m​
• New entry plaza, foyer, and café – filled with CFC memorabilia​
• New match day entry from Royal Parade​
• New match day pavilion – housing two new locker rooms and umpires change rooms​
• Broadcast-quality lighting​
• New wet recovery pools​
• Allied health centre​
• New function and events centre​
• Improved amenities for all AFL and AFLW players, staff, spectators, and users of Princes Park​
• Improved landscaping and connections between Ikon Park and Princes Park.​

The entire Stage Two construction is set for completion by mid-2022.

This project is funded under the Australian Government’s CDG Programme and the Victorian State Government Women and Girls in Sport initiative.

In 2021, we will be offering the entire Carlton family an opportunity to be part of this special project. To register your interest, click here.

We look forward to providing further updates to you, as we progress with the design and construction process.

We hope you are as excited as we are to embark on what will be the largest redevelopment undertaken at Ikon Park. We are thrilled to be able to share this update with you today.




Mark LoGiudice
President
Member ID: 1201017​

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[drunkill]

Even less boundary-side seating along the Royal Parade end of the ground, an even larger deadzone behind the goals there.


Not a good outcome, given this is effectively a permanent change like the current admin building was. Won't be able to sort this out in 15 years in some other further redevelopment.


Not sure how this is supposed to become the home of AFLW in Melbourne when one goal has no seating within the 50m arc. It'll be awful for the atmosphere of any games played there, AFL pre-season, AFLW, VFL or VFLW games. No cheersquad behind the goals unless they go sit way up the other end of the ground in the Legends stand.


Otherwise, the other things look good, our players need better facilities and the indoor training room should help out a lot. I'd just push the new shed back from the boundary 5-7m and have a few bays of seats continue to the goals. Or put seating on the roof of it given some of the best seats in the house currently are about to be torn down (Pratt stand level 2)

 

[CrazyJoeFevola]

goodbye to any hope of real top level footy at home. spose it was a pipe dream anyway.

 

[HBF]

goodbye to any hope of real top level footy at home. spose it was a pipe dream anyway.

Correct. Outside of preseason games, there were never going to be H&A games played at Princes Park.

 

[Revenant1965]

What will be seating capacity after development?

 

[Metalcrusher]

Correct. Outside of preseason games, there were never going to be H&A games played at Princes Park.

May not bode well for AFLW if it keeps gaining the traction it has either mate

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

Maybe I'm stupid but don't you redevelop stadiums with your fans in mind. Seems it is totally all about big business these days. Very sad.

 

[Red Bull]

Failed to give a feel/view of what will be outside of the training facilities.
The venue looks like being developed as a training complex with another factory type eyesore planned in place of the hawthorn stand.
The home of women’s football my arse, a pretty characterless training venue is all that Princes Park promises going forward ...

 

[huddler]

Yup, almost every cent of the grant seems to be directed towards creating a more lavish environment for players, staff, directors, media, and officials. There has clearly been little or no thought given to spectators and fans in these plans. Those who just want to go and watch games in this iconic old ground, maybe have a choice of vantage points, in a stadium which can offer something approximating a proper matchday atmosphere. Oh, I forgot, they have included plans for fans - a cafe and merchandise stores so they can milk a few more dollars from us.

You might wonder if they have some contempt for us, or if it’s just apathy, incompetence or a complete lack of the common touch.

 

[WFGodot]

Doesn’t look like they want to do anything other than create facilitates for the club. It looks a shitty venue for fans. They already screwed the area where the old Heatley Stand and social club once stood and now there is nothing but a large box where the Pratt stand stood. It would have been relatively simple to incorporate on seating in front of or on top of the new structures. The ground just becomes a training track. Typical lack consideration and disrespect for people who will not bother watching anything there. Built for the AFLW, oh please. Final nail in the coffin for the fans who want to see any football played there. Great for players, admin etc but an absolute eyesore and farce for anyone else.

 

[Honour]

I don't like it... It ignores the club and ground's history. It ignores supporters needs. It's rubbish.

 

[Doro]

I take it that the crowds are given some concrete to stand on in the refurbished areas. Comfy.

 

[teagueyubeauty]

I want to win premierships, absolute elite facilities helps that. Council and local residents won’t extend boundaries even 1 metre further into parkland so you can’t have both.

Just rapt we will be staying at Princes Park for the long term future and not moving to a soulless facility in the middle of nowhere well outside the heart of the clubs foundations like just about every other club out there.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[The Great Ian]

For $35M of taxpayers money, the fans should have got better facilities to watch footy than what this offers.
Fans dudded.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[thylacine60]

anyone would think you were surprised - this is carlton, the fans have always been dudded, by everyone at the club but the players who do their best to perform

 

[Elmer_Judd]

For $35M of taxpayers money, the fans should have got better facilities to watch footy than what this offers.
Fans dudded.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

Meh, as long as they win more games, the players can train in a stadium constructed with poo for all i care

 

[FRUMPY]

I dont really get the complaining about 'the fans' - there are no AFL games played there, enough room for practice games and AFLW games fans.

Personally, if i have a complaint, is the tax payers money that gets spent on this stuff - when 99.99% of taxpayers wont be allowed to use any of it - bar some bullshit community centre aspect all clubs throw in to get the government money.

 

[thylacine60]

I take it that the crowds are given some concrete to stand on in the refurbished areas. Comfy.

we used to swoon when during the off-season they slapped a coat of shitty brown paint over the splintered benches in the ald gardiner stand..........fans at princes park have always been a club irritant............

 

[HBF]

we used to swoon when during the off-season they slapped a coat of shitty brown paint over the splintered benches in the ald gardiner stand..........fans at princes park have always been a club irritant............

I remember the preseason they actually used some weedkiller in the terraces of the Pratt Stand.
I had to take my milkcrate to see above most of them.

 

[blueycarlton]

I remember the preseason they actually used some weedkiller in the terraces of the Pratt Stand.
I had to take my milkcrate to see above most of them.

By Gum, Absolute luxury!
We had to make do with standing in the outer and rushing under the tin shed when it rained, if we were lucky.
No sitting undercover in a freshly painted Gardiner Stand, no, or, having the means to purchase a milk crate!
Bloody silver tails!
And as for weed killer..............

 

[Blue and Blue]

The day we played Geelong and kicked three goals and still won on the coldest wettest Princes Park day ever. There were 44 gallon drums around the terraces with fires lit. Only the diehards turned up that day.
Thought it would end with a team goalless but cats got two in the last ten minutes from memory.