Close Menu
The Stadium BusinessThe Stadium Business
  • News
  • Projects
  • Operations
  • Business
  • Job Listings
    • Job Dashboard
  • Insights
  • Meetings
    • The Stadium Business Summit
    • Design & Development Summit
    • The Stadium Business Asia
    • The Ticketing Business Forum
    • The Ticketing Business Asia
  • Regions
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
LATEST:
  • Shah Alam Sports Complex set for major redevelopment
  • Council ends negotiations over Salford Community Stadium sale
  • EV Zug, St. Gallen agree naming rights deals
  • United Center to introduce Banner Level, Monaco extends with Roche Bobois
  • Roig Arena lands CaixaBank as third founding partner
  • Air taxis to connect venues at LA28
YouTube LinkedIn Flickr
Register for #SBS25
The Stadium BusinessThe Stadium Business
  • News
  • Projects
  • Operations
  • Business
  • Job Listings
    • Job Dashboard
  • Insights
  • Meetings
    • The Stadium Business Summit
    • Design & Development Summit
    • The Stadium Business Asia
    • The Ticketing Business Forum
    • The Ticketing Business Asia
  • Regions
Subscribe
The Stadium BusinessThe Stadium Business
Home»Features»MCG set for renovation amid crowded stadium scene

MCG set for renovation amid crowded stadium scene

NewsEditorBy NewsEditor3rd January 20193 Mins Read Features Industry News 268 Views
MCG
Share
Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Email WhatsApp Copy Link

More than Aus$50m (£28m/€31m/$35m) is set to be spent on upgrading the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) over the next year as the venue strives to maintain its status in the increasingly competitive Australian stadium market.

Stuart Fox, chief executive of the Melbourne Cricket Club, told local newspaper The Age that renovation work at the iconic ground is necessary for it to keep pace with newer venues such as Perth’s Optus Stadium.

The MCG hosts the annual Boxing Day Test and Fox also revealed that the MCC is weighing up the possibility of hosting a day-night Test. Optus Stadium, which opened last January, has expressed an interest in becoming the new home of the Boxing Day Test but Fox is confident the fixture will remain at its long-term home.

Fox told The Age: “We are in discussions with Cricket Australia. They are progressing. Hopefully in the New Year, we can work towards a new content arrangement that will lock down the Boxing Day Test.

“Why would you want to take it away from one of the most iconic stadiums in the world that has the capacity to bring 250,000 to 300,000 people through the gates over the five days? I don’t know why you would want to ever explore taking that away.

“I certainly don’t think it is going anywhere and Cricket Australia have said that. We are, obviously, working on a new arrangement with them that will unfold in the new year but it’s a very competitive landscape across Australia. You would expect rival stadiums to be pitching for your content and that happens.”

On the possibility of the MCG hosting a day-night Test, Fox said the MCC has “pondered” what it would look like. The day-night Test has been held in Adelaide for three consecutive years and this year it will head to Brisbane.

Fox said: “This traditional (Boxing Day) slot has worked pretty well and it’s really not our call – we are a venue for hire and Cricket Australia will determine those factors. We have pondered on it, whether we would ever make a play for it, we haven’t discussed that in any sort of detail. We have traditionally enjoyed the current slot.”

The MCG opened back in 1853 and has a current capacity of 100,000, making it the largest stadium in Australia. Fox is aware of the stadium’s need to innovate and revealed that a number of upgrades are planned for 2019.

“The MCG is always going to be special but I watch with great interest about stadia development. We have just got to stay ahead of the game,” Fox said.

“We can’t let this asset age and we have got a lot of capital works planned – a new PA system, progressing to LED sports lighting, we have got a number of public bars and catering facilities to be upgraded. I think we will spend well over Aus$50m in the next financial year on the stadium. I think it’s (about) being competitive and relevant across the stadia landscape.”

Image: Richard Munckton

Boxing Day Test Cricket mcc MCG Melbourne Cricket Club Melbourne Cricket Ground
Follow on Google News Follow on RSS
Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email WhatsApp Copy Link
Previous ArticleNAC Breda reaches crowdfunding target for stadium purchase
Next Article BaAM ‘festivalises’ the fan experience
NewsEditor

Related Posts

Features

Designing a ‘seamless guest journey that drives fan re-engagement’ – AECOM’s Andrea Patry

28th April 20251,159 Views
Features

Putting women’s sport at the heart of BC Place’s events strategy

15th April 2025298 Views
Features

Gimnasia pursuing major revamp of historic El Bosque

11th April 2025815 Views

Get this News delivered to your inbox

Top Posts

Shah Alam Sports Complex set for major redevelopment

16th May 20254 Mins Read

Council ends negotiations over Salford Community Stadium sale

16th May 20254 Mins Read
YouTube LinkedIn Flickr
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Job Listings
  • Contact Us
Copyright © 2025 Xperiology. All rights reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

X We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However you may visit Settings to provide a controlled consent.
Read More Settings ACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
__cf_bm30 minutesThis cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
__lc_cid2 yearsThis is an essential cookie for the website live chat box to function properly.
__lc_cst2 yearsThis cookie is used for the website live chat box to function properly.
__oauth_redirect_detectorpastThis cookie is used to recognize the visitors using live chat at different times inorder to optimize the chat-box functionality.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
last_pys_landing_page7 daysAnonymous cookie used to facilitate the 'PixelYourSite' plugin which manages our analytical services.
last_pysTrafficSource7 daysAnonymous cookie used to facilitate the 'PixelYourSite' plugin which manages our analytical services.
pys_first_visit7 daysAnonymous cookie used to facilitate the 'PixelYourSite' plugin which manages our analytical services.
pys_landing_page7 daysAnonymous cookie used to facilitate the 'PixelYourSite' plugin which manages our analytical services.
pys_session_limit1 hourAnonymous cookie used to facilitate the 'PixelYourSite' plugin which manages our analytical services.
pys_start_sessionsessionAnonymous cookie used to facilitate the 'PixelYourSite' plugin which manages our analytical services.
pysTrafficSource7 daysAnonymous cookie used to facilitate the 'PixelYourSite' plugin which manages our analytical services.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
vuid2 yearsVimeo installs this cookie to collect tracking information by setting a unique ID to embed videos to the website.
advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
Save & Accept