Ikon Park | Princes Park

Princes Park in Carlton North has been the traditional home of the Carlton Football Club since 1897. Officially known as Carlton Recreation Ground, Princes Park (Ikon Park*) is a football venue (ground) located in the urban park that is Princes Park. Princes Park has the second oldest grandstand associated with the VFL/AFL competition. Princes Park hosted 962 VFL/AFL premiership matches starting in 1897. Its final VFL/AFL game occurred on May 21, 2005. At its highest, the ground held 35,000*, and now holds approximately 13,000 for AFLW games. *Naming rights Under commercial naming rights, Princes Park has been known as Optus Oval (1993), MC Labour Park (2006), Visy Park (2009) and Ikon Park (2015). Princes Park Trivia Tenants: Carlton since 1897, Hawthorn for 18 seasons, Western Bulldogs, Fitzroy Lions and South Melbourne. The Bloodbath: Princes Park hosted the fiery 1945 VFL Grand Final between Carlton and South Melbourne, widely remembered as one of the most violent and spiteful matches in league history. Wartime Venue: The ground hosted the 1942, 1943, and 1945 Grand Finals because the MCG was occupied by military forces during World War II. **Record Crowd: A massive crowd of 36,530 packed the suburban ground in 1980 against Collingwood, though capacities exceeded 60,000 in earlier eras and special events. Peanut Man: The iconic man who sold peanuts at Princes Park was John Leslie "Johnny" Boyd, widely known simply as "The Peanut Man". He carried a heavy hessian sack filled with small brown paper bags of peanuts over his shoulder.He was famous for his gruff call of "Peanuts, shilling a bag!" Though from a famous Collingwood-supporting family, he was a diehard Carlton fan who loved working the crowds at Princes Park. AFLW: The inaugural match of the AFL Women's competition between Carlton and Collingwood was held at Princes Park in February 2017 watched by 24,568. The venue hosted the 2018 AFL Women's Grand Final, Western Bulldogs defeated Brisbane in front of a crowd of 7,083. Menzies Matchday Primer Minister Sir Robert Menzies watching the Carlton v Footscray game at Princes Park in 1972. Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, famously watched VFL matches from the back seat of his chauffeur-driven Bentley. Carlton's home ground, Princes Park, even had a special ramp built so his car could park right up near the boundary. The Fan: Menzies was a passionate, life-long supporter and ticket-holder of the Carlton Football Club. The Car: He watched games from his vehicle, often sitting in the passenger or back seat of a Bentley driven by his regular driver. The Ramp: Carlton constructed a special entry ramp at Princes Park to accommodate him in his later years due to mobility issues Source: facebook.com Official Ticket Partner ticketmaster.com.au ticketmaster.com.au Getting there Car Northern Lawn provided for public parking (Cost - $10) Royal Parade parking (Cost – Free on weekends) Garton street & Bowen crescent available Barkly square (3 hour parking) Public Transport Tram number #19 Royal Park Train Station is a 15 minute walk from IKON Park Stop #16 Walker Street (Heading North) Stop #16 Walker street (Heading South) Uber Drop off zone Royal Parade Accessibility 4 Accessibility parking spots provided in the main carpark Accessibility seating located at Gate 5 & Gate 6 Lift access into Pavilion function spaces