Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known as The G, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Melbourne, Australia. It is used mostly for cricket and Australian rules football, hosting the home games of the Australian national cricket team and the Melbourne Football Club, its primary tenants.
Opened on 23 September 1853, it replaced the original site in South Yarra. The MCG is currently set with a seating capacity of 100,024, making it the largest stadium in the southern hemisphere and the 10th largest globally. The stadium was designed by architect Edwin Bell and had a construction cost of £24,000.
The MCG is one of the largest stadiums by capacity in the world and has hosted numerous iconic sports events like the 1956 Summer Olympics, the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and annual Boxing Day Test match. It has also hosted the finals of the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. In 2005, it was elected the most famous cricket ground by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. By its 150th anniversary, MCG had welcomed more than 100 million spectators. The stadium is one of the potential venues for the 2032 Summer Olympics, which Australia is bidding to host.
While the previous Melbourne stadium was also officially named 'Melbourne Cricket Club', both the old and the new stadia are invariably referred to by their unofficial name, Melbourne Cricket Ground. Melbourne is the name of the city the stadium was built on, on the border between the suburbs of Richmond and East Melbourne, which itself derives its name from the nearby Yarra River. This unofficial name caught on soon after the original stadium's construction; the people of Melbourne used to simply call it MCG ('Melbourne Cricket Ground'). Therefore, the stadium's common name became 'Melbourne Cricket Ground', which is usually shortened to 'MCG'. This short form, however, could be argued to be inaccurate, since MCG refers not to 'Melbourne Cricket Ground' but to the original name of the stadium: Melbourne Cricket Club ('MCC').
The Melbourne Cricket Ground, also known locally as 'The G', is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. It is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the 11th largest globally, and the second largest cricket ground by capacity. The stadium is part of the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct. The 'G' stands for Ground as in Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The decision to build a new stadium was made in 1853. The Melbourne Cricket Club was founded in 1838 and has been continuously in operation since then. The club had been playing at several sites around Melbourne and the new ground was to be a dedicated cricket and Australian rules football venue. Since its establishment, more than 100 sports and entertainment events have been held at the MCG, with over 10 million people attending events each year. The MCG has a seating capacity of 100,024, making it one of the largest stadiums in the world. The MCG is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and was included on the Australian National Heritage List in 2005.
Over the years, MCG has undergone several renovations and expansions. The most notable of these was the replacement of the old Southern Stand with a new structure in the 1990s. This increased the seating capacity and provided improved facilities for players and spectators. The MCG has been the venue for numerous major sporting events, including the 1956 Summer Olympics, the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and the Cricket World Cup finals in 1992 and 2015. It is also the home ground for the Melbourne Cricket Club, the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League, and the Melbourne Demons in the Australian Football League.
An excellent location with easy accessibility and extensive space for future expansion, was identified in Yarra Park, Melbourne. Being located in the heart of the city, the new stadium was initially known as the 'Melbourne Cricket Ground' or 'MCG'.
It was always the objective of the Melbourne Cricket Club to own both the stadium and the surrounding parklands, though at first a lease was made on the municipal terrains, with a final buy-out occurring only in 1863. The plans for the sports complex had been sketched as early as the mid-1850s by members of the club.
Driven by the club's president, Sir William Clarke, the members coped with an increased fee for supporting the building costs for the new stadium, offered large donations, and some even went as far as to work themselves on the building site on holidays or weekends. There was even a 'brick campaign', whereby large quantities of bricks were offered to the club.
The works officially started on 20 November 1853. Less than two years after, and at a cost of £4,842, on 30 September 1854 (a holiday), a 30,000-capacity crowd filled the stadium for the inaugural cricket match against rivals The Australian Eleven.
The MCG has undergone numerous renovations since its establishment, with the most significant being the construction of the Great Southern Stand in 1992 and the replacement of the old Northern Stand with the new, state-of-the-art Olympic Stand in 2006. Today, the MCG is recognised as one of the world's greatest sporting venues, with a total capacity of over 100,000 spectators.
The MCG is not just a sporting venue. It has also played host to numerous other events and activities over the years. These include concerts by some of the world's biggest musical acts, major sporting events like the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, as well as being a significant site for Australia's Anzac Day commemorations.
One of the most iconic features of the MCG is the light towers, which were first installed in 1985. These towers, six in total, are the tallest of any sporting venue in the world and allow for night-time events to be held at the ground. The MCG was also one of the first stadiums in the world to have an electronic scoreboard, which was first used in 1982.
The MCG is more than just a stadium; it's a symbol of Melbourne's rich sporting culture and history, and remains an integral part of the city's identity.
'Melbourne Cricket Ground (1853)': This is a reference from the Melbourne Cricket Club, it provides detailed information about the establishment and history of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. https://www.mcc.org.au
'Melbourne Cricket Ground (The G) – until 2003': This reference from StadiumDB.com provides a comprehensive history of the Melbourne Cricket Ground until the year 2003. https://www.stadiumdb.com
'The G doesn't fade': This preface from a book titled 'The G doesn't fade' provides an insight into the cultural significance of the MCG in Melbourne and Australia. https://www.primebooks.com
'Melbourne Cricket Club 100 glorious years - The History 1': This source is a book that provides a detailed history of the Melbourne Cricket Club and the Melbourne Cricket Ground. https://www.amazon.com
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