Carlton Olympic Stadium

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Carlton Olympic Stadium
Carlton Olympic Stadium 4.png
Carlton Olympic Stadium
Interactive map of Carlton Olympic Stadium
Location Princes Park, Carlton North
Coordinates 37°47′2″S144°57′42″E / 37.78389°S 144.96167°E / -37.78389; 144.96167
Capacity125,000 (50,000 seated) [1]
Construction
Construction cost£2 million (estimated in January 1953) [2]
Architect Frank Heath [3] [4]

The Carlton Olympic Stadium was a proposed stadium located inside the Princes Park precinct in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton North. [5] It was planned for the 1956 Summer Olympics to replace the existing Princes Park stadium; however, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) became the primary venue of the Games after the Victorian state government announced that it would not provide funding for a new stadium. [6] [7]

History

Melbourne won the bid to host the 1956 Summer Olympics on 28 April 1949. [8] By early 1952, Princes Park had emerged as the most likely primary venue for the Games, as the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds was deemed unsuitable and the conversion of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) was considered "engineeringly impracticable". [9]

On 24 March 1952, the Melbourne City Council agreed that the federal government should cover 50% of the cost of making the Carlton stadium available as the primary venue, while the Victorian state government and the Melbourne City Council would cover 25% each. [10]

The proposed stadium was to have a capacity of 125,000. [11] As part of its construction, the Gardner Stand at Princes Park would be demolished. [12] The Carlton Football Club also began preparations to move its home matches from Princes Park to Coburg City Oval in the months leading up to the Olympic Games' opening ceremony on 22 November 1956. [13] At this time, the cost of construction was estimated to be £1.2 million. [10]

In April 1952, The Argus reported that Victorian Football League (VFL) finals matches "may be played" at Carlton Olympic Stadium, with the VFL also considering moving its administrative offices to the new stadium after 1956. [14]

Victorian premier John Cain opposed the construction of a new stadium, believing that the cost was too expensive. [15] On 14 January 1953 (one day before construction was scheduled to begin), he ordered work on the stadium to stop, saying he was "extremely worried about Victoria's financial position". [16] [17]

At a conference of the Olympics organising committee on 2 February 1953, all relevant parties – excluding Cain – supported the construction of the new stadium. [15] However, after Cain declared that no state government funding would be made available if the Games were to be based in Princes Park, the committee agreed to make the MCG the primary venue. [15] [18]

References

  1. ↑ "We'll hold Games in this stadium". The Herald. 20 October 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "Work Stops On Olympic Stadium". Maitland Mercury. 15 January 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Carlton stadium planner is 44". The Herald. 20 October 1952. p. 3. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  4. ↑ "STADIUM PLANNER". The Examiner. 30 October 1952. p. 15. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "Melbourne Olympic Stadium". Austadiums. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "Olympic Designs". The Age. 10 October 1952. p. 4. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Gill, Shannon (18 July 2024). "The stadium saga that may have lost the 1956 Olympic Games for Melbourne". CODE Sports. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "1956 OLYMPIC GAMES FOR MELBOURNE". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 30 April 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  9. ↑ De Bolfo, Tony (23 July 2021). "When Carlton pushed for Princes Park Olympiad". Carlton Football Club. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  10. 1 2 De Bolfo, Tony (23 March 2016). "Princes Park and the '56 Olympics – Part 1". Carlton Football Club. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "NEW STADIUM". Goulburn Evening Post. 6 June 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  12. ↑ McGarry, Andrew (21 May 2025). "Carlton's farewell to Princes Park, 20 years on – Anthony Koutoufides to John Nicholls and the 'final play'". ABC News. Archived from the original on 21 September 2025. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  13. ↑ De Bolfo, Tony (24 July 2024). "When Carlton's loss saved the Gardiner Stand from oblivion". Carlton Football Club. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  14. ↑ "VFL sees chance for goal". The Argus. 1 April 1952. p. 11. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 Atkinson, Jeff (28 May 2024). "The Olympic Games in Princes Park?". Inner City News. Archived from the original on 19 June 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  16. ↑ "Olympic Stadium". The West Australian. 18 December 1952. p. 30. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  17. ↑ "CAIN CALLS STADIUM WORK OFF". The Argus. 15 January 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  18. ↑ De Bolfo, Tony (24 May 2016). "Princes Park and the '56 Olympics – Part 2". Carlton Football Club. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
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