Ikon Park
 Princes Park in 2007 |
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| Full name | Carlton Recreation Ground/Princes Park |
|---|---|
| Former names | Princes Park (1897–1994) Optus Oval (1994–2006) MC Labour Park (2007–2008) Visy Park (2009-2015) IKON Park (2015-Present) |
| Location | Princes Park, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°47′2″S 144°57′42″E / 37.78389°S 144.96167°ECoordinates: 37°47′2″S 144°57′42″E / 37.78389°S 144.96167°E |
| Owner | City of Melbourne |
| Operator | Carlton Football Club |
| Capacity | 24,568 approx |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1892 |
| Opened | 1897 |
| Closed | 2005 (for AFL matches) |
| Reopened | 2017 (for AFLW matches) |
| Tenants | |
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Carlton Football Club (Administration & Training) (AFL) Carlton Football Club (AFL Women's) Northern Blues (2012-present) (VFL) Melbourne Rebels (Administration & Training) (Super Rugby) |
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Princes Park (or Carlton Recreation Ground, currently officially known by its sponsored name IKON Park) is an Australian rules football ground located at Princes Park in the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton North, Victoria.
Prior to a partial redevelopment the ground had a capacity of 35,000, making the ground the third largest Australian rules football venue in Melbourne after the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Docklands Stadium. Two stands were removed and replaced with an indoor training facility and administration building, reducing the capacity. Austadiums lists the capacity of the stadium at around 22,000.
It is a historic venue, having been the home ground of the Carlton Football Club since the formation of the VFL/AFL in 1897. It has the second oldest grandstand associated with the VFL/AFL competition.
The inaugural AFL Women's (AFLW) season opening match between Carlton Football Club and Collingwood Football Club was hosted at Princes Park on February 3, 2017, with a sell-out crowd of 24,568. This event was also the first night game held at the venue, making use of temporary lighting installed above the grandstands for the occasion.
Princes Park was first used in 1897 by the Carlton Football Club, during the inaugural season of the AFL/VFL. The club went on to win 673 of its 962 VFL/AFL games at the venue. The Alderman Gardiner Stand was designed in 1903 and completed in stages between 1909 and 1913. The mostly iron stand with original cast iron columns remains the second oldest to be associated with the VFL/AFL competition. The Robert Heatley Stand was officially opened by Alderman Sir William Brunton on Saturday, 7 May 1932.
Princes Park was the venue for the second Ashes test of the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour, in which the visitors defeated Australia 33 - 10.
The ground became known as Optus Oval in November 1993 due to a naming rights deal with telecommunications company Optus. In 1994, the Balmain Tigers played two New South Wales Rugby League premiership games at Princes Park. Work on the Legends Stand began in 1995 and was completed for opening on 25 April 1997. The roof, with its curved modern structure, ensured that the oval was now enclosed with a roof all the way around its circumference. The first naming rights deal lapsed at the end of the 2005 season, and Optus declined to renew, citing the ground's lower profile now that AFL matches were no longer played there. In April 2006, it was announced that the naming rights for the stadium had once again been awarded, this time for a two-year term, during which the stadium was known as MC Labour Park.
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