I agree Surrey Blue.

It's not bitching and moaning; it's agitating, and it's an opinion based on the fact that the GF is played there, that we could be a big crowd club again there. Did people notice that with such hype during the week last week we only got 57K to the ground? Icelands is good for boutique purposes and I believe we have learned to play it well (see bulldogs, saints, swans wins last year), but you're absolutely discouraged from just rocking up there. At the 'G you can do that, and i think we have a few fair weather supporters who would go to the 'G but not Icelands.

Princes Park would be brilliant, but like others I see energies best spent on getting to the 'G. The pre-season game against the Crows with a couple of home brews sitting in the Pratt stand with a view to the Mt Macedon....that was enjoyable. It's where I saw my first full season of footy with reserved seats, in 1981, when the mosquito fleet were flying. One can dream.

Surrey you're living in fantasy land.

Geelong wasn't so profitable until Steve Bracks decided he wanted to win a few seats in geelong. The ground was developed with Govt, AFL and Geelong council money. Nobody was willing to fund Princes Park's upgrade. The MCC wanted us out of there, AFL wanted us out. We weren't making any money while we there, so the status quo wasnt an option.

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T E A M

Sorry Buzzah but you need to have a chat with some people in the know (club).

I don't know the details of how profitable we were when we were playing at PP, but I do know that we were millions of dollars in debt at the time, which suggests maybe we weren't making money.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

We were making heaps. But spending more.

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"I had to eat"

I think I can safely say that we all agree that we want Carlton to be a superpower again. In order to achieve our objective, I believe that if we control our ground, we can control our own destiny. If Carlton can control the ground, they can control the spectacle and therefore the gate receipts and the broadcast rights. I recall a media report that the AFL may be putting a value for the broadcast rights for the next agreement at about $1 Billion.

If Carlton's home ground is under the control of the owners of the MCG (that is, the MCG Trustees), I would have to assume that those owners discharge their responsibilities and duties that are in the best interests of the MCG, not necessarily Carlton (and properly so).

I believe that the MCG should be our home ground, as an interim measure, until such time we return to Princes Park. Princes Park should be developed to a pure AFL stadium, not a multi-purpose stadium. There are options to develop.

Live the dream!

That is a beautiful dream Mossy.Its one i share with you,and despite the doubters,i shall forever be hopefull.If that dream is fullfilled,we shall return to that indominatable force we once were.

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All my dangerous friends

I want to move to Primces as much as the next person but without multi level parking that can accomodate 5000+ vehicles it will never happen.... building a multi level car park will cost big money and the tarrifs will be huge..and unlike the parking at Etihad which is used on a daily basis; it will only be used once per week if lucky..... too hard unfortunately.

What could PP be developed to hold 30-40K? we're talking games with interstate clubs only aren't we? Yes, some parking would be needed. But look around the area and think about the tens of thousands of people that make their way to melb uni and work everyday without their cars...either melb uni would be very interested in sharing some new car space, or else....aren't we the green club??! couldn't we aim to reduce supporter car use and BE that green club??

Mossy makes an important point, and my point is also this: why not dream large, and why not say it loud? I'm concerned that the current board don't do so. The audaciousness of Pratt is behind us unfortunately, and we seem to still be looking for a new way of parading the confident Carlton to the world. We need it back!

The problem with dreams is that the REAL world is happening whilst you're dreaming.

"You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one"

-John Lennon

With 2 new interstate teams coming in do you think the AFL is not worried about melbourne crowds?

Now I am not saying it will be at PP but there will be a small venue in Melbourne for financial reasons it will definately happen.

The point is either way we will know in the next year on where we stand.

In all honesty, I hope that the stars do allign because AFL is here to stay in a big way. Being a financial powerhouse is just as important as being a football powerhouse.

If the club wants both it should be pushing as hard as it can for a PP, MCG deal with generous rights to the AFL and other teams who play at. We turn a decent buck on all games played there but we are not greedy ... we do the Italian thing in us and wet our beak.

Hi Doc, could you please elaborate further as to why in the Executive Summary the Report states that there "is a lack of suitable public transport and no car parking", given that it is my understanding that at Princess Park, there is:
(1) a train line direct to Flinders Street, and a train station which is a 5 minute walk from Princes Park;
(2) Tram Lines (and a line switch section) next to the ground direct to Flinders Street, along Royal Parade; and
(3) Acres of Parkland to hold enough car parking space along the surrounding grounds; and
(4) Scope for a bus service to Parliament Station and Flinders Street; and
(5) Roads direct to City Link and therefore the Airport; and
(6) Princes Park only being 5 minutes from the City.

I look forward to receiving your thoughts. Thanks.

Regardless of the arguments for and against, Princes Park will never happen because the Melbourne City council and residents won't let it happen.

We need to play 11 home games at the MCG and be entrenched there. It's the perfect ground to be our home ground, and we can strike a financially sound deal. I cannot see how the MCC would not want us as a full time tenant.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

There's your big one there.

1. Community Sport. Parking on a Saturday arvo when you have cricket and/or soccer being played is a bit of a nightmare and these are all run by Melbourne City Council and/or Parks Victoria.

2. Residents. The residents wouldn't allow it, and are probably the main reason the place it'll never be a stadium used for AFL matches.

The parking does clash with weekend day amateur sports, But surely there wouls be a night/twilight timeslot when it would be available.

But then the night fixture would be least agreeable to the residents due to the noise... Can't see it happening.

Maybe it could be used more for Nab cup/ challenge

Thanks Doc. Your comments raise some very interesting issues. My thoughts are:

I can recall that East Melbourne residents have voiced their concerns in the past with the MCC about the use of the MCG public parklands for MCG car parking purposes. I stand to be corrected, but it is my understanding that the MCG parklands are not owned by the MCG. The MCG parklands can be used by all members of the public, including East Melbourne residents for other purposes such as picnics. Therefore, in the case of Princes Park, it seems to me that both CFC's interests could co-exist with the interests of the Carlton residents and the sporting clubs by mutual agreement. I would like to suggest that this issue could be solved at a government/political level through dialogue by the CFC and/or the AFL.

I also stand to be corrected, but Carlton residents do not own the Princes Park public parkland. Such parkland has to be shared with all local interests, including the CFC, who have been situated at Princes Park for over 100 years. A mutual arrangement could be sorted out by all interests, if there was a will. Would you agree?

Not a hope in the world of playing twilight or night footy at Princes Park.

You need lights

The residents would never allow it. Their kids would not be able to go to sleep

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Cheats never prosper (except in the AFL)

We'd all love for it to happen, but anyone even suggesting Princes Park as a home ground facility for matches in future is delusional. It's done.

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Premierships: 1869, 1871, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1887, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1914, 1915, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1995.

"GIBBS."