Melbourne's 5 Premier Sports Venues and Annual Events Guide

Melbourne is the most sports-obsessed city in Australia and one of the most sporting cities on earth by any measure of participation, attendance, and professional sporting density. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere (capacity 100,024), the Australian Open (Grand Slam tennis, January, Melbourne Park), the Melbourne Cup (Flemington Racecourse, November), the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix (Albert Park, March), and ten AFL clubs provide a sporting calendar that is without parallel in the Southern Hemisphere.

AFL (Australian Rules Football) — Melbourne is the birthplace and spiritual home of Australian Rules Football, with ten of the AFL's eighteen clubs based in the Melbourne metropolitan area: the Melbourne Demons, the Collingwood Magpies, the Carlton Blues, the Richmond Tigers, the Essendon Bombers, the Hawthorn Hawks, the St Kilda Saints, the Western Bulldogs, the North Melbourne Kangaroos, and the Geelong Cats (Geelong). The MCG on AFL Grand Final Day (late September) is the city's defining sporting moment, with the 100,000-seat capacity regularly filled and the surrounding parklands hosting an additional 50,000-plus fans watching on big screens.

Cricket (Melbourne Test) — the Boxing Day Melbourne Test at the MCG is Australia's most attended cricket match, with the first day of the Boxing Day Test regularly attracting 80,000-plus spectators in a single day. The MCG's historic and cultural significance to Australian cricket is extraordinary.

Australian Open — the Australian Open (January, Melbourne Park, Rod Laver Arena) is Australia's only Grand Slam tennis tournament and Melbourne's highest-profile international sporting event, with the two-week tournament attracting over 900,000 attendees and a global television audience. Melbourne Park has been significantly expanded and now includes Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and John Cain Arena.

Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix — the Albert Park street circuit hosts the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix (March), typically the opening race of the F1 season, with the Albert Park Lake circuit providing one of the most visually spectacular F1 venues in the world championship calendar.

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