The Melbourne Cricket Ground
The MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) has been, and continues to be, the focal point for many Melbourne sporting events and large concert performances. Name the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue is more commonly know as the MCG and for the locals it is simply known as ‘The G’. With a seating capacity in excess of 100,000 spectators the ground is the cultural home of Victoria’s international and domestic cricket matches as well as being the home of Australian Rules football. No longer a parochial State, Victoria now embraces many other sporting events such as Rugby Union, Rugby League and Soccer games which may also be played here at different times throughout the year. The MCG has also hosted a number of one off concerts and performances with musicians including David Bowie performing in 1978, The very popular U2, Paul McCartney and Madonna in 1993, the Rolling Stones in 1995, the then King of Pop, Michael Jackson in 1996, and the highly entertaining Billy Joel and Elton John in 1998.
Dating back to 1853 when the MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club) selected the site as the location for the Melbourne Cricket Ground through to February 2006 the MCG has gone through regular renovations and redevelopments to keep it up to date with modern technologies and structural enhancements. The very first cricket match was played at the MCG on September 30, 1854 and since then the ground has been host to regular cricket matches featuring teams from around Australia and worldwide. Hen talking of Cricket and the MCG there is one name that is as iconic as the stadium itself, Sir Donald Bradman and in keeping with all good Australian abbreviations he is often referred to as ‘The Don’. Sir Donald Bradman played eleven test matches at the MCG and made centuries in nine of them.
Various major sporting events have been, and are, held at the MCG each year including the 1992 Cricket World Cup Final, AFL home and way matches and Finals, Rugby Union Bledisloe Cup and the FIFA (Soccer) World Cup Qualifiers. In 1956 the Olympic Games held in Melbourne Australia were to a large extent played at the MCG and in 2009 the Commonwealth Games were also here there. On the opening day of the 1956 Olympic Games a crowd of over 103,000 attended the MCG.
Located with a short distance to the city of Melbourne there are also several hotels and other accommodations near to the MCG many of them within easy walking distance. The comfortable Flag Choice Hotel and Metro Inns are less that one kilometre away on Jolimont Road and for people looking for Five Star accommodation the Hilton Hotel on the Park, Park Hyatt Melbourne and the Royal Hotel all good choices for hotels near the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It should be noted that accommodation near the MCG is often only available at inflated prices during major events. People with limited budgets should consider the budget hotels and backpacker hostels within the city of Melbourne for their MCG accommodation.
Many hotels and apartments near the MCG offer self-contained facilities apartments. Accommodation such as Albert Heights Executive Apartments and Birches Serviced Apartments are convenient self contained options for accommodation near the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Finding a suitable hotel, apartment or Melbourne motel close to the MCG is not difficult but be sure to reserve your accommodation early as accommodation such as the Swanston Hotel, Grand Mercure, Amora Hotel Riverwalk Melbourne and Mercure Melbourne, which are all mid-range do book up quickly around major events the MCG. Alternate accommodation close to the Melbourne Cricket Ground include Oaks on Market, Knightsbridge Apartments, Eastern Town House and City Edge Serviced Apartments which are all very affordable.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground was elevated to international recognition on January 30, 2009 when it was included as one of the world’s seven sporting wonders. During Australia’s cooler winter periods two or three Australian Rules football matches played at ‘The G’ each week. The AFL has become a significant business in Australia and each week directly or indirectly employs significant staff at the MCG.
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