Five reasons why Melbourne is the 'sporting capital of the world' and unlike any other city
Stepping into the heart of Melbourne Cricket Ground and hearing 90,307 rabid fans serenade one another with duelling choruses of Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' and Men at Work's 'Down Under' perfectly sums up what sport is all about.
Raw passion, emotion and above all else, excitement to watch what ultimately turned out to be the most thrilling comeback in Lions history in their second test on Saturday, July 26th.
There is no doubt how special it is to see Andy Farrell's team in action, given that they tour once every four years. It's a rarity. However, in the city of Melbourne, this kind of spectacle is becoming a common occurrence.
Sport has become a key part of Melbourne's identity, and after a stay at the Vibe Hotel during a packed calendar, SPORTbible is here to let you know that all the rumours are true. Melbourne has truly moved ahead of the competition and is a must-visit destination for every sports fan.
1.) Total British and Irish Lions takeover
One glance out of the hotel lobby was all it took to know Melbourne had a big case of Lions fever. A sea of red tracksuits as far as the eye could see as Brits playfully poked fun at Wallabies supporters, who weren't worried about clapping back.
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Most cities have to undergo a radical transformation to welcome fans for sporting events, but Victoria's capital felt well-equipped for a return 12 years in the making. Anticipation bubbled throughout the day, and MCG, commonly known as 'the G' to locals, shone the Wallabies' famous green and gold colours in the winter night. The game lived up to its billing.
Shockingly, the Lions trailed 23-5 at one point after three tries in the space of nine minutes. The Wallabies pounded away at their opponents, making the home advantage count. A second-half comeback saw the Lions get back to 26-24 with seconds on the clock. Hugo Keenan's try in the 79th minute had it all. Jubilation, which then turned to a nervous murmuring thanks to a referee check, then back to unimaginable glee as the try stood.
It'd be enough to send any arena in the world into meltdown, never mind the biggest crowd for a Lions test in Australian history. A game worthy of 'the G'.
2.) Grand Slam that's unlike any other
Rod Laver Arena is the main venue of the Australian Open, which kicks off the Grand Slam tennis tournaments every year. It was named after three-time Australian Open winner Rod Laver in 2000, with Laver continuing to attend events at the stadium to this day. It's a venue with significance to players across the country, including Sydney icon Todd Woodbridge. The 54-year-old is a three-time doubles winner at the Open, and speaking to SPORTbible, he explained why every sports fan should visit at least once in their life. He explained: "Rod Laver Arena can do everything. It’s able to give you the best view of tennis, whether you're sitting courtside or sitting up at the back. It’s still been able to be just big enough to keep an intimacy about it, which is what I love. It’s just the right size."
The Australian Open, commonly referred to as the 'Happy Slam' by players and fans alike, offers a unique experience to the other three Grand Slam tournaments (French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open).
Woodbridge declared: "The Australian Open has set the bar for tennis and for events. The other Grand Slam nations have watched us go, 'Wow, how did they manage to pull that off?'
"The innovation that we have continued to create, the first to use LED screening, the first to host concerts onsite to bring people in. Putting the big screens up, the first to do that. The first to really create an atmosphere of summer and use what we have in Australia to make our tournament even better. That, for me, is the reason that we have such an incredible tournament.
"It's really the ‘Happy Slam’ and part of that actually was born from the players and their comments for coming down to Australia. You can start a new season every year."
He added: "If you haven't had the best of years, you can sort of sever it right there. If you're European or American, it's winter (in January). Whereas when you come down to Australia, it's summer. There's a lot of vibrancy around summer holidays in Australia, and that just oozes out of people when they come to watch. The players love it for that reason, and they're the ones who have created that atmosphere."
If you want to experience the 'Happy Slam' for yourself, tickets for the AO go on sale Tuesday, October 7th.
3.) State-of-the-art stadiums within walking distance
What do Marvel Stadium, AAMI Park, Melbourne Cricket Ground, and Rod Laver Arena have in common? They're all within 15 minutes of one another. Trust us, it's not an exaggeration.
Marvel Stadium, located in the Docklands area of Melbourne, saw the Western Bulldogs smash Essendon 143-50 on Friday, July 25th, in front of over 20,000 spectators. Not too shabby on a Friday night, which is known as being a tough ticket to sell in most venues across the globe. The ground has undergone a $225 million overhaul in recent years to provide the best viewing experience, regardless of where you're sitting.
A whopping five AFL teams (Essendon, Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne, St Kilda and Carlton) call Marvel Stadium home in addition to the cricket franchise Melbourne Renegades. In total, that's six fanbases that have forged a connection with the ground since opening in 2000. That's a quarter of a century of memories, which will only grow with time.
AAMI Park isn't too shabby either. Australia's first large, purpose-built rectangular stadium hosts the NRL outfit Melbourne Storm, as well as football (or soccer) teams Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City. If those names sound familiar to football lovers, that's because Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou had a stint managing his native Victory in the early 2010s. City have also had a few legends of the game on their books - World Cup winner David Villa plied his trade at AAMI Park for four games in 2014, where he managed to triple attendances.
4.) As much incredible AFL action as you want
At this point, you're an AFL sceptic. It's okay, you can admit it. I was, too, until I attended two games. It changed my perception of the sport forever. Nothing else on the planet is as physical or fast-paced as Australian rules football. All you need to know to sit back and enjoy the chaos is that kicking the ball through the goals on either side of the giant pitch without anyone touching it is worth six points.
Created by the Melbourne Cricket Club as a method to keep cricket players fit during the winter, AFL has become a beast of its own since the league's inception in 1896. Imagine marrying up the end-to-end intensity of basketball or football with the tackling of rugby, then sprinkling in four quarters worth of game time like the NFL. That's how you arrive at the AFL, a beautifully bizarre cocktail of rules and regulations that always leaves you wanting more when watching inside a stadium.
On average, an AFL player runs seven miles during a 120-minute game. That's the average of a Premier League footballer, although that's only for 90 minutes compared to two full hours. You don't get away with hiding on an Australian Rules pitch, either. Many in the crowd argue the hardest work is put in off the ball, contesting with your opponent and getting into the best positions possible, only for a bobbling ball (It's shaped like a rugby ball to make things harder) to mess it all up and see you run as fast as possible in the opposite direction.
If the AFL captures your attention, you're not alone. Former NFL punter Pat McAfee stumbled across the sport on a late-night channel hop in 2020 and became a lifelong fan after seeing the raw physicality on display.
5.) Sporting expertise in every corner of the city
If you think you know your stuff, chat to a Melburnian about sport. Pick a sport and you'll end up tapping into a fountain of knowledge you wouldn't know was possible. Deep below the MCG is the Australian Sports Museum, where you can spend hours immersing yourself in stories of yesteryear and icons who formed the very foundation of sport to this day.
Woodbridge has fond memories of being inside the MCG for the biggest soccer match in history. In July 2013, Liverpool defeated Melbourne Victory 2-0 in front of 95,446 supporters, and a pre-match rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' still makes everyone's hair stand up on the back of their neck.
"I think about what the MCG has brought to Melbourne, and I was fortunate enough to go to a friendly, as they call them in soccer, European football when Liverpool came down", Woodbridge reminisces.
"And you had 90,000 people singing ‘You'll Never Walk Alone’ in the stadium, the largest crowd ever that Liverpool has played in front of. That’s what Melbourne is capable of. Just these spine-tingling moments personally and then also professionally."
So, what's next for Melbourne?
"Obviously, Brisbane has an Olympics. I think Melbourne would've done an incredible job hosting the Olympics. It probably won’t happen again in my lifetime, but it's built to host and welcome the world for something as important and as special as that," Woodbridge says.
"There is no other city in the world that I know of (I've been pretty much everywhere) that can run so many events simultaneously, side by side and make them work, not feel too overcrowded and have incredible atmospheres."
Daniel Marland