Melbourne prepares for a summer of sport

Following a highly successful 2013/14 summer, Melbourne is preparing for a sizzling season of sport through the 2014/15 summer.

A record crowd of 90,831 on the first day of the 2013 Boxing Day Ashes Test was a highlight of the 2013/14 summer, followed by the Australian Open which saw 640,000 people through the gates earlier this year.

This year, the action starts in the water with the World Rowing Masters Regatta 2014, the pinnacle global event in masters rowing. Thousands of competitors from around the world will descend on Melbourne for the regatta which will be held at the historic venue of Lake Wendouree, Ballarat. 

The 2014 Australian Motocycle Grand Prix welcomes the world’s best riders to Phillip Island from 17th to 19th October 2014. World Champion Marc Marquez, crowd favourite Valentino Rossi and defending race winner Jorge Lorenzo are expected to compete at the famous circuit. Fans will also have the chance to see Australian’s Jack Miller, Ant West and Arthur Sissis in action in the Moto3 and Moto2 categories.

November brings possibly the most exciting month on Melbourne’s busy event calendar. 

The 2014 Four Nations tournament is heading to AAMI Park with a blockbuster rugby league game between Australia and England on 2nd November 2014.

The Melbourne Cup Carnival 2014, held at the famous Flemington Racecourse, is the key event of each Melbourne spring. More than just horse racing, it is a unique social and cultural tradition dating back to 1861 encompassing the famous Emirates Melbourne Cup (held on the first Tuesday in November) along with three other key race days, AAMI Victoria Derby Day, Crown Oaks Day and Emirates Stakes Day.

While the Socceroos didn’t progress past the first round of the FIFA World Cup 2014, football fans will be looking forward to seeing how they rebound at the AFC Asian Cup Australia when they open the tournament with a match against Kuwait at AAMI Park on 9th January 2015. The city also plays host to teams from Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Bahrain, Japan, Palestine and Jordan.

Australian Open Tennis Championships needs no introduction as the biggest sporting event in the southern hemisphere. Held in Melbourne in the last fortnight of January, the event is second only in attendance figures to the US Open. On the busiest day of this year’s Championships, Heineken Day, 80,000+ people flocked to be a part of the Tennis Grand Slam of the Asia-Pacific region.

Rolling on to February and the eyes of the cricketing world will be firmly on Australasia as Australia and New Zealand host the flagship event of the international cricket calendar, the ICC Cricket World Cup over February and March 2015. 

As well as hosting its annual Boxing Day Test, this year against India, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the proud host of the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup on 29th March.

The last of the major sporting events of the summer is the ever exciting, ever ear piercing Australian F1 Grand Prix, which will be staged from 12th to 15th March 2015. More than 300,000 fans are expected to flock to the stunning Albert Park venue to see the world’s fastest cars, elite drivers and a dazzling array of local and international celebrities as they unite in Melbourne for four days of high revving action.

Other events in Melbourne through the summer of 2014/15:

Australian Masters (Golf) – 20th to 23rd November 2014
ISAF Sailing World Cup – 7th to 14th December 2014
SBK Superbike World Championship – 20th to 22nd February 2015
Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships – 22nd March 2015
 
For more information go to www.visitvictoria.com and www.visitmelbourne.com

12th February 2014 - MELBOURNE VENUES BOOSTED BY THE ASHES AND AUSTRALIAN OPEN CROWDS