Ikon Park — Local services in Melbourne

For a Father’s Day treat, I took my 89-year-old dad to Ikon Park, home of AFL/AFLW Carlton Football Club. We’ve been fans of the club our whole lives. We enjoyed a wonderful brunch in the 1864 Café (best chili scrambled eggs ever, on gluten free toast, and my pot of tea was fantastic! Dad enjoyed a barista-made latte). Then, we went on a tour of the facilities and club history, led by Tony. He was amazing. Super knowledgeable, personable and passionate. What we learned was fascinating!

The tours are only available for a few days each year, but there are magnificent historic displays in the building near the cafe and shop. The collection of memorabilia is tremendous, with photos, footies, jerseys etc dating back to the 1800s. One of my favourite items was a photo of a team of women players in Carlton jerseys in 1933! They formed a team and played to raise money for the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

On the tour, we were escorted into the inner sanctum, including the gym, pool and locker room. Rest day for players, but Voss was pumping iron in the gym.

A truly unforgettable, bucket list experience for us both. Many thanks to Tony, Sara and all the staff for making us feel so...

Went here for the opening AFLW match and another one the week after. Some parts are good, but lord is the lack of signage for the stands a problem. I don't know if it's just expected that it was general admission everywhere aka a free-for-all on seats, if not then I had no idea where I was meant to sit. It's a big stadium but still has a lot of local football vibes with the catering - under the main stand it's just some fridges and bain-maries with volunteers serving. I guess I just had too high expectations.

The football was good though, and it's easy to get in and out of...

Went to the VFL grand final with my 9 year old son. Advertisements stated entry for children under 15 is free. Went to purchase my ticket and a ticket for my son. Was told by ‘Raj’ in ticket booth I needed to prove my sons age in order to get a free child ticket. He is 9 years old you idiot! Unfortunately I don’t carry his birth certificate and he doesn’t have photo ID or a proof of age card. Was slugged $15 for a concession ticket which isn’t much but I wonder how many other parents copped the same thing...