We’re only one week away from tradition being reimagined. From the newest chapter in a traditional rivalry being written. From the Game Changers etching their names in another piece of history.
Ikon Park is Navy Blue, and it’s time to show Richmond why.
Don’t let a Tiger sit in your seat! Be there on Friday February 7, as Carlton and Richmond go head-to-head in the AFLW for the first time.
The newest chapter in a tradition rivalry
Carlton and Richmond have played each other 221 times in a rich AFL history full of tradition and spirited rivalry.
No less than 78 of those matches have taken place at none other than at the heart of Carlton: Ikon Park. Of those 78, 54 have been won by the Blues.
Ikon Park hasn’t hosted a battle between the Blues and the Tigers since 1997.
Season: Launched. 🚀#BoundByBlue pic.twitter.com/pAObmCm58j
— Carlton Womens (@carltonfc_w) January 30, 2020
But now, 23 years later, there’ll be a brand-new instalment of the story when Carlton’s AFLW team goes head-to-head against Richmond’s first-ever AFLW side.
With the men first facing off in 1908, it is now time for AFLW to take centre stage in a historic clash on Friday night.
Ikon Park is Navy Blue
Although it is Richmond’s home game on the fixture, Ikon Park is – and always will be – Navy Blue.
It is the Club’s traditional home, where age-old rituals are still in place today.
Bluebaggers will be fond of the walk down Royal Parade, the view in the coveted Legends Stand and of course, some classic on-field clashes.
The Game Changers are making a legacy of their own at Ikon Park, having played 11 games in three AFLW seasons.
The most memorable game was Carlton hosting Collingwood in the inaugural AFLW game in front of a packed crowd, followed closely by the Game Changers’ historic preliminary final win over Fremantle in 2019.
The venue has since been dubbed as the home of women’s football — a title that represents the significance of the place to Bluebaggers young and old.
Ikon Park will be the host of four Game Changers matches in 2020, including a blockbuster clash with traditional rivals Collingwood in Round 2, as well as hosting newcomers St Kilda and West Coast later in the season.
Game Changers, history makers
The Game Changers will host yet another historic game in the AFLW competition.
A crowd of over 20,000 is expected for Friday night, when Carlton aims to spoil the yellow and black party.
Not that Carlton is any stranger to big crowds.
Carlton kicked off not only the 2017 season but also welcomed in a game-changing competition, capped off with a win against Collingwood at Ikon Park three years ago. It was a lockout crowd that night.
The Blues were then part of another landmark day in 2019, when 50,000 piled into Adelaide Oval for the AFLW Grand Final: while the result didn’t go Carlton’s way, history was well and truly made.
And the Game Changers aren’t done yet.