Princes Park was the last suburban ground to be used in the AFL. The 35,000-seat Carlton ground played host to its final official match in 2005 when the Blues played Melbourne in front of a sell-out crowd.
The ground was one of the first in Australia to enter a naming rights deal, when it became Optus Oval in late 1993. It was known as this until the end of the 2005 AFL season, the last season the ground played host to AFL games. The Carlton Football Club entered into a new 2-year agreement in 2006 to officially name the ground MC Labour Park.
 Princes Park is a 35,000 all-seater stadium with the newest grandstand being the Legends Stand situated at the eastern end of the ground. There are five other grandstands surrounding the arena, all of which are starting to show their age.
The ground is the traditional home of the Carlton Football Club and although they now play their home games at Telstra Dome, they still use the ground as their training and administration base. NRL club Melbourne Storm have joined the Blues at the ground while their training facilities at Olympic Park are redeveloped. Other clubs who have called the ground home over the years include the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn.
Australian Rules Football hasn't been the only sport played at Princes Park over the years. During the 1980's and 90's, the ground played host to a number of Rugby League games, Cricket and even Boxing. Former NSL club, Carlton Soccer Club, which were created and originally owned by the Carlton Football Club, played their home games at the ground from when they were established in 1997 until 1999 when they moved to Olympic Park.
Princes Park's current official name is Visy Park with Visy being one of Carlton's major sponsors.
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Location: |
Melbourne, Victoria |
Address: |
Royal Parade, Carlton North 3054
Phone: (03) 9387 1400 |
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Capacity: |
35,000 |
Seats: |
35,000 (100% of capacity) |
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Record Crowd: |
62,986 - 1945
VFL GF: South Melbourne v Carlton |
Highest Crowd since 1/1/2003: |
30,052 - 21/05/05: AFL: Carlton v Melbourne
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Lights: |
No |
Arena Roof: |
No |
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Video Screen: |
No |
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Built: |
1897 |
Redeveloped: |
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Former/Other Names: |
Optus Oval
MC Labour Park
Visy Park |
Ticketing: |
Ticketek |
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Sports Played: |
Australian Football |
Home Teams: |
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Annual Events: |
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Historic Events: |
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Last Event: |
13/03/09: AFL Pre-Season: Hawthorn v West Coast
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Next Event: |
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Directions: |
Transport: |
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Follow Royal Parade from the city, Optus Oval is located on the right. |
Transport to the ground is via tram which can be caught from the city. |
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Parking: |
Accommodation: |
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Limited parking is available at the venue. |
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