The Sporting Capital
1. Melbourne enjoys a well deserved reputation as a sport-loving city. Scarcely a month passes when there is not a major sporting event being hosted in Victoria which people across the country and world will be watching. Victoria hosts seven of Australia’s 10 most popular sporting events: Australian Formula One Grand Prix; Australian 500cc Motor Cycle Grand Prix; the annual Australian Open grand slam tennis tournament; one of the world’s most famous horse races, the Melbourne Cup; the Grand Final of the Australian Rules Football Competition; the Heineken Classic Melbourne (Golf); and the Volvo Ocean Race (Melbourne Stopover). (Source: www.vmec.com.au)
2. Victoria is Australia’s racing capital. The Victorian Racing Industry comprises three major codes: Thoroughbred racing, Harness racing and Greyhound racing. Over 1800 race meetings are conducted annually at 83 licensed racecourses across Victoria. Thoroughbred racing is the second most popular spectator sport in Australia (second to Australian Rules Football) with the Melbourne Cup being the most widely known event. Research conducted by Roy Morgan revealed that 284,000 Victorians (6.7%) visited a racetrack within a three month period during July 2003 and June 2004. this figure is higher than any other State in terms of total number of visitors and proportion of population. Racing is ranked alongside the largest manufacturing sectors in its contribution to economic activity and employment. (Source: www.tourismvictoria.com.au)
3. The Melbourne Cup Carnival has played a principal role in establishing the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival as Australia's major annual sporting event. Visitors to the 2005 Spring Racing Carnival injected $524.3 million into the Victorian economy. They spent record amounts on corporate race-day packages, choosing to wine and dine in marquees, on and around the track. They also spent $20 million on their outfits, purchasing over 300,000 items, including dresses, gloves, hats, jewellery, shoes, sunglasses, ties and more. The $5.1m Melbourne Cup is more than just a horse race - it is a 145- year old social and cultural tradition that literally brings Australia to a standstill. The race draws competitors from all over the world with the annual invasion of northern hemisphere-trained stayers making it a truly international event. The Melbourne Cup attracts a worldwide television audience of around 700 million people in 120 countries and territories while millions more either view or listen to the event via the internet. (Source: The Spring Racing Carnival website)
4. The MCG is the 'super stage' of Australian sport and entertainment, having housed events ranging from the 1956 Olympics to concerts by the likes of the Rolling Stones and Madonna. Heavily utilised, the MCG hosts more than 90 days of cricket and football each year and attendances exceed 3.5 million people annually. The ground is currently undertaking the biggest redevelopment project in its 150-year history with the aim of improving facilities in time for the 2006 Commonwealth Games and increasing the seating capacity from 72,814 to 100,000. (Source: www3.visitvictoria.com)
5. Melbourne receives unparalleled public support for events. Huge numbers of Victorians turn out as spectators for events, giving us a reputation across Australia as being ‘events mad’. Melbourne holds the world record for the highest attendance at: A cricket match – 90,000 on 11 February, 1961 to watch Australia v West Indies; A tennis tournament - In 1996, a record 389,598 patrons attended the Australian Tennis Open; Australian Rules Football - 121,690 attended the 1970 Carlton v Collingwood game; Rugby League - 87,161 attended the 1994 New South Wales v Queensland match; Limited overs cricket – 87,182 attended the 1992 World Cup Final match between Pakistan and England (Source: www.vmec.com.au)
6. Melbourne’s Commonwealth Games Ballot was the most successful in history. Organisers have confirmed that over 110,000 individual orders were received nationally, with an average of over 12 tickets per order. This smashes the previous record set at Manchester in 2002, where 750,000 tickets were available through the Ballot, 500,000 tickets were requested and 310,000, or 41 per cent, were confirmed sales. It is also equals the success of the Sydney 2000 Olympic’s first Ticket Ballot, where 49 per cent of the tickets available were fulfilled in the Ballot.(Source: www.melbourne2006.com.au)
7. An hour from Melbourne are 10 world-class golf courses. These lie in the ‘sand belt’ region on the Mornington Peninsula. Kingston Heath also appears in the top 20 and the Australian Golf Open is held there. Royal Melbourne is the Southern Hemisphere's best golf course. The course is ranked number 5 in the world and number 1 in Australia. (Source: http://www.ausgolf.com.au/)  |
