The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park in inner Melbourne, home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the largest stadium in Australia, and holds the world record for the highest light towers at any sporting venue. The MCG is within walking distance of the city centre, and is serviced by Richmond and Jolimont train stations.
Internationally, the MCG is remembered as the centrepiece stadium of the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The open-air stadium is also one of the world's most famous cricket venues, with the well-attended Boxing Day test match commencing on Boxing Day every year. Throughout the winter, it serves as the home of Australian rules football, with at least one game (though usually more) held there each round. The stadium fills to capacity for the AFL Grand Final in late September and the The ANZAC Day clash in April.
Until the 1970s, more than 120,000 people were sometimes crammed into the venue - the record crowd standing at around 130,000 for a Billy Graham religious event in 1959, followed by 121,696 for the 1970 VFL Grand Final. Renovations and safety regulations now limit the maximum capacity to just over 100,000. This makes it the joint eighth largest stadium in the world, alongside Azadi Stadium in Iran and Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Malaysia.
The MCG, often referred to by locals as "The G", has also hosted other major events, including International Rules between the Australian Football League and Gaelic Athletic Association, international Rugby union, State of Origin rugby league, FIFA World Cup qualifiers and International Friendly matches, and large rock concerts. When Madonna performed at the ground during her Girlie Show Tour in 1993, she dubbed it "The G Spot".
Punt Road Oval, home of Richmond Football Club is located only a few hundred metres to the east of the stadium.
The MCG is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and was included on the Australian National Heritage List on Boxing Day, December 2005[1].
It is referred to within Australia as the "Spiritual Home of Australian Sport".
Sunday, November 9, 2008
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