Universal Love Princes Park Update

[Jimmae]

I do find it amusing they want to demolish the Pratt stand, which is where I saw MLG sit for two games this season and where I saw Gil, MLG and Nicole Livingston sitting during the AFLW grand final broadcast.

The Heroes stand is much much worse and such a waste of space, given the 'basement' carpark is useless other than a food van during matches, the scoreboard doens't work and is a waste of space, there are only a few hundred seats in the top area, but I guess hopefully that becomes a stage 2 in a decade for a bigger replacement of similar height and thousands more seats.

I don't think the proposals for stage 2 will be a decade away, and I'm pretty confident the club is going to try and angle its way into providing something approaching 50k, which is possible if they time it right.

 

[ITCHY EYEBALLS]

Read the fine print...its contingent upon the Federal Gov coming on board.
Could end up being a big fat ZERO given to us.
As I said earlier, just Pork Barreling, by a corrupt

 

[LanceRomance]

How much are the AFL putting in?

 

[AceAndy]

They were NEVER going to play senior AFL games for men there ever again.

So instead of continuing to sit there while thise wooden seats rotted they found a way to keep our ground relevant in 2018 and beyond.

Carlton the club who can do no right as voted by their BigFooty forum.

I have seen it sugested that the ground could be redeveloped for AFLW but that would not be suitable for AFL.

Unsure why this would be the case ?

 

[Dadadadaaaaaa]

Read the fine print...its contingent upon the Federal Gov coming on board.
Could end up being a big fat ZERO given to us.
As I said earlier, just Pork Barreling, by a corrupt

Maybe thats a good thing

Liberal government said their going to oppose it anyway

Was listening to the 3AW show and Tom reckons Etihad doesn't even need a revamp! Many criticle of the huge spending spree

 

[El Topo]

Read the fine print...its contingent upon the Federal Gov coming on board.
Could end up being a big fat ZERO given to us.
As I said earlier, just Pork Barreling, by a corrupt

You won't find any Geelong fans complaining about their swanky Govt funded stadium. Carlton is the traditional football club of Tory w***ers, their descendants in Canberra will do the right thing.

 

[BIuebagger]

Those who think Etihad doesn't need a revamp, have no soul themselves. The place has no life in it

Then again, my feelings toward that place could be correlated with how many times I have walked out of that place reeling after another loss....

 

[The Blueseum]

Those who think Etihad doesn't need a revamp, have no soul themselves. The place has no life in it

Then again, my feelings toward that place could be correlated with how many times I have walked out of that place reeling after another loss....

Wiggins touched that kick by Riccardi!

 

[DangerousD]

And so they should. AFL makes enough money to make these calls on its own. Vote grabbing from Andrews

Do you think the AFL would have ever put $20M in to Ikon Park?
A massive boost for sport across the state.

 

[DangerousD]

Just received this email:-





Dear Aphrodite,

We are delighted to inform you that the Victorian State Government will be committing $20M to the redevelopment of Ikon Park.

As part of the Budget package that allows the upgrade of facilities at suburban grounds and local clubs, we welcome the Andrews Government commitment to Ikon Park as the home of AFLW and the long-term home of the Carlton Football Club.

We are incredibly appreciative of the investment that will see a state-of-the-art facility developed at our iconic ground. The Premier Daniel Andrews and his government must be applauded for their investment in Ikon Park and our football club.

As part of the Masterplan, the stands in the south west corner of Ikon Park will be demolished to make way for new training facilities, an education hub and an administration area to cater for the expansion and growth of female football, the broader Carlton Football Club and the wider football community.

Our AFLW players will have access to facilities that are equitable with the facilities that our AFL players have access to, and that is something we are very proud of being able to deliver.

In addition, the State Government support ensures that the premium AFLW games held each season, whether that be the season opener or the grand final, will be played at a facility that will help improve the fan experience and take the women’s game to a whole new level for our players, coaches and fans.

As is also the case with these major re-developments of club facilities, Carlton Football Club will also be contributing to the funding and we look forward to sharing our capital raising plans with our members and key partners.

We also acknowledge the State Government funding is contingent upon Federal Government investment and we will continue to work with the Federal Government to ensure the entire project is delivered.

Once again, we must thank the Victorian Government, Gillon McLachlan and his team at the AFL and the AFL Commission for confirming their belief in our vision for Ikon Park.

We will keep you informed of any further developments.

Go Blues!

Mark LoGiudice
President

Still really pissed off the master plan is to knock down the Pratt, i hate it. I really hope if this does happen then the Elliott gets a refurb.

 

[choo]

Still really pissed off the master plan is to knock down the Pratt, i hate it. I really hope if this does happen then the Elliott gets a refurb.

Have to pull down the Pratt stand; it’s made of cardboard.
You can recycle it.

 

[DangerousD]

Someone’s seen the grand plans and not showing...what else can you glean from incredibly negative and backwards thinking views some are posting in here

Wooden ****en seats....the MCG is looking at replacing the entire Southern stand 25 years after being built and we are hanging on to a dilapidated waste of space nearing 50 years old, seriously some people argue for the sake of arguing

The upgrade to the southern stand was reported as being up to 10 years away.

Im so happy that the ground is getting upgraded, why can't we have a preference as to which side gets redeveloped? Have you been to any of the AFLW games? Know one sits in the Elliott stand and its an eyesore that has a huge footprint but seats hardly any people. The Pratt stand however is an iconic part of the ground history and seats about 1/3 of the capacity.

Who wants to keep wooden seats, get rid of them.

 

[DangerousD]

Maybe thats a good thing

Liberal government said their going to oppose it anyway

Was listening to the 3AW show and Tom reckons Etihad doesn't even need a revamp! Many criticle of the huge spending spree

Liberal state gov opposes the project, know where did i see any mention of the funding being dependant on federal funding. The spokesman said he would like the federal gov to MATCH spending.

 

[mediumsizered]

I see Gil McLachlan has stated that there is no need to use suburban grounds (e.g. Princes Park) for AFL games & went on to state that average crowds are 45k therefore smaller boutique grounds in Melbourne are no longer suitable.

There was a reason the AFL brought forward the purchase of Etihad Stadium. This enables them to fully control the fixturing there, as well as being able to offer clubs who play home games there a better financial return.

The funding announcement has totally put to bed any hopes that Carlton will play home games at Princes Park in the future.

 

[DangerousD]

Just wanted to clarify something.

The spokesman at the announcement of funding said, he hoped the FEDERAL govt would match the $20M for IKON Park.

The STATE Liberal govt oppose the plan.

Ironically the Liberal party opposed the funding at a press conference held at Balwyn football club, the richest club in the EFL

 

[DangerousD]

I see Gil McLachlan has stated that there is no need to use suburban grounds (e.g. Princes Park) for AFL games & went on to state that average crowds are 45k therefore smaller boutique grounds in Melbourne are no longer suitable.

There was a reason the AFL brought forward the purchase of Etihad Stadium. This enables them to fully control the fixturing there, as well as being able to offer clubs who play home games there a better financial return.

The funding announcement has totally put to bed any hopes that Carlton will play home games at Princes Park in the future.

I think this thinking is very short sighted, the avg attendance might be 45K but the Saints last three home games have all drawn under 30,000, one game only 23,000. There might not be a direct need now but in the future who knows, another 1-2 teams might make games more viable.

At least this upgrade means IKON would still be a viable option if things change down the track.

 

[teagueyubeauty]

Those who think Etihad doesn't need a revamp, have no soul themselves. The place has no life in it

Then again, my feelings toward that place could be correlated with how many times I have walked out of that place reeling after another loss....

What life do you want or need?

I go to the G to watch footy or cricket, I never venture there or within the walking distance from Flinders Street station at any other time...it’s a sports stadium for crying out loud.

Same with Etihad, though I venture closer to there to watch ice hockey or go shopping in docklands than I would the G.

I often whinge at the lack of bars/pubs right near Etihad (there’s a couple but they’re s**t) but the G is no different. You walk 15-20 mins from the Duke or transport or 15-20 mins from decent bars in swan street.

At least Etihad has a public bar overlooking the ground, G has nothing for the public and only something for “some” home club members not ours

 

[teagueyubeauty]

Still really pissed off the master plan is to knock down the Pratt, i hate it. I really hope if this does happen then the Elliott gets a refurb.

The Elliott stand will be further rundown so government/AFL money is put forward to remove it and rebuild

 

[mediumsizered]

Just wanted to clarify something.

The spokesman at the announcement of funding said, he hoped the FEDERAL govt would match the $20M for IKON Park.

The STATE Liberal govt oppose the plan.

Ironically the Liberal party opposed the funding at a press conference held at Balwyn football club, the richest club in the EFL

Not sure there are too many Carlton supporters among the Federal Liberal MPs. Not like in the days of Menzies, Fraser & Chipp.

Without starting a political discussion, one would wonder if the Federal Government would have any interest in providing funding for a stadium located in an electorate held by the Greens.

 

[mediumsizered]

I think this thinking is very short sighted, the avg attendance might be 45K but the Saints last three home games have all drawn under 30,000, one game only 23,000. There might not be a direct need now but in the future who knows, another 1-2 teams might make games more viable.

At least this upgrade means IKON would still be a viable option if things change down the track.

On the basis of what MLG has stated, the upgrade does the opposite.

The demolition of the Pratt Stand so that training & admin facilities can be built (similar to what replaced the Heatley Stand), considerably reduces the capacity of the ground, particularly if the terraced area in front of the stand is lost as well. This would leave the capacity under 20k.

 

[Dadadadaaaaaa]

On the basis of what MLG has stated, the upgrade does the opposite.

The demolition of the Pratt Stand so that training & admin facilities can be built (similar to what replaced the Heatley Stand), considerably reduces the capacity of the ground, particularly if the terraced area in front of the stand is lost as well. This would leave the capacity under 20k.

How is it the home of womens footy?

Demolishion of the Pratt Stand would leave the capacity under 15K actually...

 

[mediumsizered]

How is it the home of womens footy?

Demolishion of the Pratt Stand would leave the capacity under 15K actually...

Eventually the AFL will start charging admission to AFLW games. I think this will have an impact on attendances at these games. Regardless of this, outside of the season commencing Carlton v Collingwood games, there haven't been too many games drawing 15k, let alone 20k.

 

[dragonsblues]

I wonder where the member consultation is? The current board are mere custodians of the club. I love what they're doing with the rebuild, on the coaching front. But they're very wrong here.

Simply, the members should be consulted when significantly altering our spiritual home.

 

[AlecDuncan]

Wouldn't their rooms be in the new Pratt Stand.

Well, it would be if they're handing out more than $10M, which was the figure I was replying to.

 

[teagueyubeauty]

I wonder where the member consultation is? The current board are mere custodians of the club. I love what they're doing with the rebuild, on the coaching front. But they're very wrong here.

Simply, the members should be consulted when significantly altering our spiritual home.

What are they wrong about, you’ve seen plans have you?

I completely disagree about members being consulted, there’s someone in this thread lamenting a wooden seat going...fair dinkum