Melbourne is a crazy city for sports. When you step into the city, from Australian football to the Formula one Grand Prix, every sport will drive you crazy. Here are some of the most popular sports in Melbourne, where you can experience their different charms.
Australian Football (also known as AFL)
Australian football has great influence in Australia. The AFL season starts in March and the Finals are usually held on the last Saturday of September or the first Saturday of October. The match will be held across the country, including the Melbourne cricket court (MCG). AFL, which is considered the sport's biggest finals, with 18 teams from five states, as well as the women's league AFLW, which currently has eight teams.
Image source: Herald Sun
basketball
Ben Simmons,Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova are only a fraction of Australia's best basketball players. From street basketball to league basketball, you'll find a lot of places to play basketball. From Melbourne's Sports and Aquatics Center to Melbourne's Royal Institute of Technology, you can always find basketball players from morning to night. The number of participants in the game is growing as Melbourne United represents the state in the National Basketball League.
Image source: Herald Sun
socce
Football is becoming more and more popular in Melbourne. There are currently two Melbourne teams in Australian League A, Melbourne Victory Football Club and Melbourne City Football Club. It also makes football a favorite sport for many Melbourne people.
Source: ABC
cricket
Victoria alone has more than 1,000 local cricket clubs and more than 100,000 registered cricket players. The city's professional team, Melbourne Stars, and Melbourne's rebel forces played in the Australian cricket professional league and played home at MCG and Etihad Stadium, respectively.
Image source: Newcastle Herald
Special Events
In the course of the year, many world-class athletes will gather in Melbourne for various international sports events. Here are some games to watch.
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the annual tennis event held in Melbourne Park in January. The Australian Open, which brings together the best tennis players in the world, is one of Melbourne's most anticipated sporting events, with more than seven hundred thousand people participating each year.
Image source: The National
Australian Grand Prix (Australian Grand Prix)
The Formula one Australian Grand Prix has been held in Melbourne's Albert Park since 1996. It was the first game of the Formula one World Championships, held in March every year.
Source: www.grandprix.com.au
Melbourne Racing Festival (The Melbourne Cup)
When talking about Australia's most prestigious pure race, people think of fancy hats and fast horses. In sports, the Melbourne Cup has become a convention. As part of the Victoria Spring Horse Carnival, spectators gathered at the famed Flemington Racecourse to watch the best purebred horse compete for the highest prize in Australia's horse race.
This year's Melbourne Racing Festival will open on November 6, 2018. You must not miss it if you are interested.
Source: SBS
Traditional Boxing Day cricket match
The event is not only a public holiday, but also marks the beginning of the Boxing Day cricket match between Australia and rival national cricket teams in the MCG. Since its debut in 1950, the four-day event has been held once a year since 1980, attracting more than 250000 viewers a year.
Source: SBS
Gymnasium
Melbourne has many major stadiums for local and international events.
Melbourne cricket court (MCG)
MCG is an iconic Victorian landmark built in 1853. Since 1859, MCG has been the home of Australian football and the main stadium for the 1956 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Source: Melbournestars
Melbourne Olympic Park
Melbourne Olympic Park has a variety of facilities to host a variety of sports events and concerts. Melbourne Park has three multi-purpose stadiums, Rodeira Ward, Marguerite and Hisense. In addition to these three, there are two tennis courts and several open to the public practice range.
Source: News.com.au
Etihad Stadium (to be named Marvel Stadium)
Originally known as the Old Pier area Stadium, Etihad Stadium is a multi-purpose venue that hosts a number of sports events including AFL, cricket, rugby league and rugby league games.
Image source: Time Out
Flemington Racecourse
The Flemington Racecourse has held Melbourne horse races since 1861. There are many races here, especially during the spring and autumn horse racing carnivals.
Source: Flick
Melbourne is a diverse city with a wide range of sports venues to meet anyone's different sports needs. Walking along the streets of Melbourne, you will be attracted to all kinds of sports. Taking part in sports is not only a good way to keep healthy, but also a good opportunity to meet new friends.