IKON Park’s status as the AFLW’s premium venue has already been confirmed – and to that you can add a playing surface that’s quite probably second to none in the comp.
It’s a credit to the venue management team that IKON Park’s pristine surface endured through an unprecedented period of usage. In 108 days, from August 14 to November 29 (AFLW Grand Final day), a total of 23 matches including the VFL and Under 18s Grand Finals were held on the hallowed Carlton turf.
In fact, six of the seven AFLW finals were staged at IKON Park - the first of them the North Melbourne-Hawthorn Qualifying Final on the night of Friday, November 7.
Week 1 of the 2025 AFLW finals series saw three of the four matches staged within a 36-hour period at IKON Park – the North-Hawthorn qualifier, the Saturday afternoon Carlton-West Coast Elimination Final (in which the home team won with a nine-goal scoreline despite the atrocious weather conditions) and the Sunday afternoon Melbourne-Brisbane Qualifying Final.
Week 2 involved a doubleheader, with Melbourne meeting Adelaide in the Second-Semi Final on Saturday afternoon and Carlton confronting Hawthorn six hours later in a twilight First-Semi – and not so much as a divot appeared. To that can be added the Week 3 First Preliminary Final and the Week 4 Grand Final.
Notwithstanding the VFL’s ten home and away matches and the VFL Grand Final between Footscray and Southport, a total of eight VFLW and 12 AFLW home matches (which included Richmond’s five rescheduled games due to the redevelopment of Punt Road Oval and Melbourne’s one) have been staged at Carlton’s spiritual home through Season Ten.
The surface’s upkeep is the responsibility of IKON Park’s Ground Manager Jake Scicluna – one of a nine-man team employed full-time by the AFL to maintain IKON Park and the surfaces of three other venues - Marvel Stadium, Whitten Oval and RSEA Park (Moorabbin Oval).
“The ground is in a sweet spot at the moment after the resurfacing in December last year,” said Scicluna, who is in his first year in the role.
“With Melbourne a climate that’s suitable for cold turf in winter and warm turf in summer it’s a challenge to keep the grounds in good nick all year round, so when the ground (IKON Park) was resurfaced a warm season santa ana couch grass, which provides stability, was used with rye grass. That’s because without rye in there the couch goes dormant during winter.”
Scicluna said that all four playing surfaces under the team’s watch were in excellent shape, with each posing its own unique challenges.
“Here it’s scheduling,” said Scicluna of the IKON Park challenge.
Carlton’s Inaugural Game Changer Darcy Vescio, reflecting the AFLW players’ perspective, recently described the surface as “amazing” – and equally so, the ground staff and the work that they do”.
“It’s awesome. An amazing deck,” Vescio said. “I don’t know how they do it and how they find the time. My lawn at home is disgusting.
“It (the playing surface) is like a carpet out there. When you go and play all around the country you realise how beautiful the deck is. There’s so much wear and tear [with so many games] but you wouldn’t tell.
“So many of the players have commented on how great its condition is – and we all feel very lucky to train where we play as well.”
