Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG ) is one of the most important and biggest stadiums in Australia. The history of the stadium can be traced back to 1853.
It is located in Yarra Park in the district of Richmond near the city center of Melbourne. After approximately AUD 400 million redevelopment project, which was completed in late 2006, the stadium holds now almost 100,000 seats. The MCG, rarely referred to as The G, it one of the largest stadiums in the world.
Events
International events
The MCG was the stadium of the Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956 and the Commonwealth Games 2006. During the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the MCG was the venue of group matches of the football tournament.
Australian Football
In MCG regularly Games of the Australian Football League (AFL ) take place. Australian Rules Football, rugby and Gaelic football related to, is the most popular sport in Australia. In MCG carry four clubs from Melbourne play their home games: Collingwood Magpies, Melbourne Demons, Hawthorn Hawks and the Richmond Tigers. In addition, The G is every September hosts the Grand Finals, the final of the AFL. Judging by the crowd present on site, the AFL Grand Final is currently the largest national sporting event. Followed by the way of the finals of the Australian National Rugby League ( NRL), which takes place about a week earlier in Sydney renamed ANZ Stadium Olympic Stadium of the games of 2000.
Cricket
The stadium is used as intense in summer for cricket, a very important sport in Australia, and (more rarely) for football matches. Among other things took place here in 1877 ever held between England and Australia, the first Cricket Test Match ( National team ). 1971 saw the stadium the first One- Day International ( one-day international match ) between the same countries.
Concerts and other major events
Over the years, international superstars like David Bowie, Paul McCartney, U2, Madonna, the Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson have been in front of huge crowds concerts at the MCG. Pope John Paul II celebrated a Mass here in 1986.
Attendance Records
The attendance record at the MCG is 130,000 spectators who were present at an exhibition of the American revivalist preacher Billy Graham in 1959. The record for a sporting event is 121 696 spectators during the VFL Grand Finals in Australian Rules Football between the Carlton Football Club and the Collingwood Football Club in 1970.
Gallery
- Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2006
- Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1998
- Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1878
- Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1864