The Melbourne Cricket Ground: Australia's Sporting Cathedral
The Melbourne Cricket Ground, in Yarra Park east of the Melbourne city centre, is the largest sporting venue in the southern hemisphere and the spiritual home of Australian cricket and of Australian Rules football. Officially capable of seating 100,024 spectators, the MCG hosts the Boxing Day Test, the AFL Grand Final, the Anzac Day AFL match, and the major Australian fixtures of international cricket — and has done so, in different forms of the ground, since 1854. The location is on the map.
A long lineage (1854 onwards)
The MCG was established by the Melbourne Cricket Club in 1853-1854, making it one of the oldest cricket grounds still in continuous use. The first organised cricket match at the site was played in September 1854. The first international rules football match — predecessor of the Australian Rules code — followed in 1858. The MCG hosted the very first Test match in cricket history, between Australia and England in March 1877 (Australia won by 45 runs), establishing the ground's central role in the global cricket calendar from the start.
The Olympic Games of 1956
The MCG was the main stadium for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games — the first Olympics held in the southern hemisphere. The opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, and football final were all staged at the MCG, with a capacity at the time of around 100,000 (boosted by temporary seating to 120,000 for the opening ceremony). The 1956 Olympics established the MCG's reputation as a multi-purpose major-event venue beyond cricket and football.
The Boxing Day Test
The Boxing Day Test — the day-after-Christmas international cricket fixture at the MCG — is one of cricket's foundational annual events. Held since 1980 in its current modern form (and intermittently earlier), the Boxing Day Test regularly draws opening-day crowds in excess of 80,000 and is broadcast across the cricket-playing world. The 2013 Ashes Test drew an opening-day crowd of 91,092 against England, then a record for a Test match at the ground.
The AFL Grand Final
The Australian Football League Grand Final — Australia's largest domestic sporting event — is held at the MCG each year on the last Saturday of September. The fixture has been at the MCG continuously since 1902 (with rare exceptions during World War II and the 2020 COVID year, when it moved to Brisbane). The 1970 Grand Final between Carlton and Collingwood drew 121,696 spectators — the largest crowd ever recorded at any Australian sporting event, and a figure that the modernised all-seater MCG cannot reach again.
The Great Southern Stand and the modern reconstruction
The current MCG is the product of two major reconstructions: the Great Southern Stand of 1992 replaced the older southern terraces with a three-tier modern stand, and the Northern Stand of 2002-2006 replaced the rest of the ground for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The result is a continuous bowl of 100,024 seats with all-weather cover for almost all spectators, and one of the most modern major sporting venues in the world. The Members' Pavilion of the Melbourne Cricket Club, with its distinct architectural identity, is integrated into the modern structure.
The Anzac Day match
The Anzac Day AFL match between Collingwood and Essendon, held annually at the MCG on 25 April since 1995, has become one of the most-followed fixtures of the AFL calendar — combining the sporting rivalry with the national day of remembrance for Australian and New Zealand military service. The fixture regularly attracts crowds of 90,000 or more and includes a pre-match commemoration with veterans, the Last Post, and a minute's silence.
Cricket beyond Test cricket
The MCG hosts the Australian fixtures of Cricket World Cups, the Big Bash League finals, and the recurring one-day-international matches against major touring sides. The 2015 Cricket World Cup final, Australia 7-wickets-down for 184 chasing 184 to beat New Zealand by 7 wickets, was held at the MCG with 93,013 in attendance. The 2022 T20 World Cup final between Pakistan and England drew 80,462 to the ground in the rain.
The National Sports Museum
The National Sports Museum, located within the MCG complex, traces the history of Australian sport across cricket, AFL, the Olympics, swimming, tennis, and other codes. The MCG also offers daily stadium tours that include the players' dressing rooms, the Long Room of the Members' Pavilion, the press box, and the playing surface. The ground is reached on foot from Richmond Station or Jolimont Station, both a few minutes' walk from the gates. See the location on the map.