The AFL is set to change venues for the new women's competition after a capacity crowd left fans locked out of Carlton's win over Collingwood.
A remarkable 24,500 fans packed out Princes Park on Friday night as the Blues powered to a 7.4 (46) to 1.5 (11) victory in the competition's first game.
The AFL had been expecting about 12,000 punters to take advantage of free admission, with the game already having been moved from Collingwood's smaller base at Olympic Park.
The crowd far exceeded expectations with up to 2000 fans locked out midway through the first quarter, prompting a public apology from AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan.
Collingwood are scheduled to host another three games at 7000-capacity Olympic Park during the season, including a clash against Melbourne next Saturday night.
But AFL game development manager Simon Lethlean says the league will consider shifting that game to Princes Park as part of a double-header after Carlton's clash with Greater Western Sydney.
"We don't want to have a game at Olympic Park if it's going to be locking people out and unsafe so we'll have a look at that," Lethlean said.
"Collingwood were quite relaxed about this game. They're quite relaxed about next week. It's not about a home environment for them - if they can get 15,000 people, they'll want to, so they'll do whatever we suggest is best."
The league couldn't have scheduled a bigger match to launch the competition, with the Blues and Magpies boasting strong fanbases and a healthy rivalry built over more than a century.
But few had expected to see Carlton's traditional base rocking in a way that resembled its VFL heyday in the 1980s.
"You looked at that game, it was like old-school Princes Park back in the 80s, the crowd that was there," Lethlean said.
"It's a pretty phenomenal success for women's sport."
For Carlton forward Darcy Vescio, who announced herself with four goals, playing in front of a capacity crowd was another surreal moment in the journey to a national competition.
"It was quite loud out there. I felt like I was screaming for no reason sometimes, just adding to the noise," she said.
"I think every girl who was out there tonight will just cherish that moment for the rest of their lives."
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