Telstra Dome
Encyclopedia
Docklands Stadium is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium
in the Docklands
precinct of Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
. Construction started in October 1997 under the working name, "Victoria Stadium" and was completed in 2000 at a cost of A$
460 million.
Originally built as a replacement for Waverley Park
, the stadium is primarily used for Australian rules football
and is the headquarters of the Australian Football League
(AFL) who, as part of the construction deal, assume ownership of the ground in 2025. Also headquartered at the stadium is Seven Network
's digital broadcast centre.
The stadium has been host to other sporting events, including Melbourne Victory
soccer
matches, one-off matches for sports including cricket
, rugby league
and rugby union
, and several specialised events and concert
s.
The stadium has been controversial since its first construction and there has been a significant amount of criticism directed toward the facility, particularly from its major tenant, the AFL. The AFL have increasingly regarded the stadium owner as a hostile landlord, engaging in numerous lawsuits against the current owners and threatening to build a rival stadium as close as a kilometre away in the short-term.
as a headquarters for the Australian Football League
. The opening match was played between Essendon
and Port Adelaide before a crowd of 43,012. Eventual premiers of that season, Essendon, ended up victorious by 94 points, with full-forward Matthew Lloyd
(who was booked in the second quarter of that match for striking) kicking seven goals. Originally developed by the Docklands Stadium Consortium and thereafter controlled by the Seven Network
, the remaining leasehold interest in the stadium was sold to James Fielding Funds Management on 21 June 2006 for A$330 million. In 2025 the AFL
is expected to take over the ownership.
Like Waverley it was built for Australian rules football
, unlike most grounds of a similar size in Australia which were originally designed for cricket
.
In 2000, the first indoor One Day International was held when the Australian cricket team
played South Africa
in the "Super Challenge". It has been a venue for usually off-season one day matches but it held VB Series
matches in 2006 due to the Melbourne Cricket Ground
being unavailable due to preparations for it being the main stadium for the 2006 Commonwealth Games
.
The stadium is the first stadium to have movable seating
in Australia. All four level-one tiers of the stadium can be moved up to 18 metres forward into a rectangular configuration. It was first used for a Melbourne Storm
game in July 2001. Despite the seating being a key feature of the stadium, it has rarely been used, citing damage to turf, time to deploy the seats and a reduced capacity (the corners of the stadium in level 1 are not movable).
The last time it was used in its rectangular configuration was the 2010 A-League
Grand Final between Melbourne Victory
and Sydney FC
.
The first AFL goal at this ground was kicked by 's Michael Long, in Essendon's 94-point demolition of on 9 March 2000. player Mark LeCras
holds the record for most goals kicked in a single match at this ground, with 12. player Stephen Milne
holds the records for most games played at this ground, with 124, and most goals kicked at this ground overall, with 305 (both records stand as of 10 September 2011), six more than Matthew Lloyd
of . has the best winning percentage of any team at 63.24% (from 43 wins and 25 losses) whilst have won the most games of any team at the venue (93 wins, 4 draws and 55 losses at 62.50%). Geelong hold the records for biggest score (35.12 (222)) and biggest win (157 points) at the venue, both against in Round 6, 2007.
KISS
performed on 28 February 2003, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
, for their live CD/DVD, Kiss Symphony: Alive IV
.
Other events include wrestling (World Wrestling Entertainment
Global Warning, 2002) and boxing (Kostya Tszyu vs Jesse James Leilya, 2003).
The stadium is one of only two in the world that have hosted One Day International cricket indoors, as it is the only fully enclosed stadium in any major cricket playing country with a playing surface large enough to accommodate a conventional cricket match. The other stadium to have hosted an Indoor Cricket
match is the Millennium Stadium
in Wales
.
The ground hosted two quarter finals of the 2003 Rugby World Cup
and the Rugby 7s at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The stadium was used in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
for the Australia vs England
game. In the summer months it is used as the home ground for Melbourne Victory games in the A-League and the AFC Champions League
. The stadium is used for Rugby League State of Origin
matches when they are played in Melbourne
. This ground will host the opening match of the 2012 series, earmarked as a New South Wales home game.
The stadium hosted a match from the International Rules Series
in 2005
(due to the MCG undergoing works for the Commonwealth Games) and will host another in 2011
. Since 2003, it has been the venue for the E. J. Whitten Legends Game
.
In 2001, Melbourne Knights
and South Melbourne Hellas staged the first and only National Soccer League
game to be held at this stadium.
On 1 and 3 December 2010, U2
played their Melbourne shows of the U2 360° Tour
at the stadium with Jay Z as their support act. The stage was so large that the roof could not be closed.
In December 2010, legendary New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi
played the stadium as part of The Circle Tour
.
The stadium hosted the Armin van Buuren Armin Only Mirage event on 31 December 2010.
The stadium hosted the 1st day of Eminem
Australian Tour 2011. Eminem
also supported by Lil Wayne
and Hilltop Hoods
. The concert on 1st December 2011
teams. The , , , and use the stadium as their primary home ground. and , also play home games there, but their official home ground is the Melbourne Cricket Ground
. also use it for a number of home games, but the club's home ground is Skilled Stadium in Geelong.
The AFL highest home and away attendance recorded at the Docklands Stadium was set on 5 July 2009 when 54,444 people attended to see St. Kilda and Geelong
play in Round 14 as they were 1st and 2nd, respectively, on the AFL ladder.
Melbourne Victory
also occasionally play matches at Docklands. Originally, the plan was that the stadium would only be used for A-League games against the Victory's biggest rivals Sydney FC
in the 2006/07 A-League season due to the prediction of a large crowd. All other games were supposed to be at the Victory's usual home ground, Olympic Park Stadium
.
Due to the success of the game, a record crowd of 39,730 attended the game. Due to the success of the game, the Victory found Olympic Park's capacity of 18,000 too small, especially after the Round 4 match at Olympic Park attracted a capacity crowd of 17,617. Melbourne then moved all their home games bar one against the struggling New Zealand Knights to Docklands for the 2006/07 season. The move was a success, with a 27,000 crowd average. The Victory decided to move all their home games permanently from the 2007/08 season. This also gave the stadium a major summer tenant, of which the stadium lacked in its early years.
Melbourne Victory
continued to play all games at Docklands until the end of the 2009/10 season, when their new home at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
was completed. The Victory will play blockbuster and finals games at Docklands, with all other games being played at the new stadium. The Victory will play five blockbuster games against Gold Coast United, Adelaide United (twice), Sydney FC
and Melbourne Heart.
In the 2001 NRL season it was the home ground for the Melbourne Storm
, as well as hosting one home game in 2008 and three in 2010. Until the end of 2009, the stadium was also used as the Storm's home finals venue due to the low capacity of its then normal home ground, Olympic Park Stadium
(preliminary finals must be played in a 25,000 seat venue). Home finals are now played at their current home ground, AAMI Park
.
In 2011, it was announced that new Big Bash League
side Melbourne Renegades
would play its home games at the Docklands Stadium.
for about $50 million. The name was changed to Telstra Dome on 1 October 2002. During this time it was colloquially referred to as simply "The Dome", including by clubs who are sponsored by rival telecommunications companies (such as , who at the time were sponsored by 3). On 1 March 2009 the name was changed to Etihad Stadium, for an expected period of five years, when the naming rights transferred to Etihad Airways
. Etihad Airways
are paying an estimated $5–$8 million a year for naming rights at the Docklands stadium. Controversy surrounds the new name, with the AFL initially refusing to recognise it. AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan confirmed the AFL would not recognise the new name due to a lucrative sponsorship deal between the AFL and Australia's largest airline, Qantas
. After negotiation between the two parties, AFL broadcasters and clubs are permitted by the governing body to use the stadium's sponsored name.
and prompted the league to publicly investigate an alternative third venue. At times this venue has been suggested as a redeveloped Princes Park Football Ground or a rival stadium in the Docklands area.
Since its inception, the Docklands Stadium has endured criticism over the quality and suitability of its playing surface, in particular for AFL
requirements. It has been criticised by players and coaches for its slipperiness, hardness and lack of grass coverage. The turf has required regular expensive replacement since its inception due to a lack of sunlight inside the stadium. The turf itself is supplied under contract by HG Turf, whereas the responsibility of laying and managing the turf lies with Docklands Stadium management.
Issues with the ground's ability to grow grass all year round can be attributed to the stadium's irregular North-South orientation which was a requirement due to its placement between the surrounding roads and Docklands body of water. In particular, the Northern end of the stadium only receives 6 weeks of sunlight a year. Concerts held at the stadium are also usually placed at the Southern end due to the ability for grass to recover faster in that section of the ground.
In August 2007, Docklands Stadium chief executive Ian Collins
confirmed talks were underway to purchase an elaborate lighting and heating system to allow grass to be grown by curators all year round. This followed extensive visits by Docklands Stadium officials to several FIFA World Cup
venues in Germany
, locations in the United States
and Arsenal's
new Emirates Stadium
.
Studies have also been conducted due to concerns that hard surfaces like the surface at the Docklands Stadium increase the likelihood of player injury, in particular in contributing to anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) injuries (knee).
venue, it rarely reaches a full capacity for AFL matches due to the positioning of the coaching boxes and LCD screens. From some areas high in the stands and even standing areas, viewing of the full oval is obscured. This, however does not affect sports which use a smaller rectangular section of the ground.
Additionally, spectators have objected to high food costs at the venue.
. Its name, wherever visible, has been digitally changed to the SoBe
Dome. It can also be seen in the video for Jessica Mauboy
's single Running Back
, as well as some high rating television shows, such as the Seven Network
's City Homicide
and Network Ten
's Rush. The stadium was also visible in the background during broadcasts of Seven News Melbourne until the background camera was changed in August 2010. It was also visible in broadcasts of Nine News Melbourne for a period up until 2006 when it was replaced with a shot overlooking the city's east.
. The external roof (not the main retractable roof) caved in, causing damage and flooding in one of the stadium's entertainment precincts. Because of the damage, the St. Kilda v Fremantle NAB Cup Semi Final was delayed due to worksafe inspections. Only around 5,000 people made it back into the arena when it was safe to return.
Bibliography
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in the Docklands
Melbourne Docklands
Docklands is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia occupying an area extending up to 2 km west of and adjacent to Melbourne's Central Business District . Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
precinct of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Construction started in October 1997 under the working name, "Victoria Stadium" and was completed in 2000 at a cost of A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
460 million.
Originally built as a replacement for Waverley Park
Waverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...
, the stadium is primarily used for Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
and is the headquarters of the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL) who, as part of the construction deal, assume ownership of the ground in 2025. Also headquartered at the stadium is Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's digital broadcast centre.
The stadium has been host to other sporting events, including Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
matches, one-off matches for sports including cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, and several specialised events and concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s.
The stadium has been controversial since its first construction and there has been a significant amount of criticism directed toward the facility, particularly from its major tenant, the AFL. The AFL have increasingly regarded the stadium owner as a hostile landlord, engaging in numerous lawsuits against the current owners and threatening to build a rival stadium as close as a kilometre away in the short-term.
History
The stadium was announced on 31 October 1996 as a replacement for the much larger Waverley ParkWaverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...
as a headquarters for the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. The opening match was played between Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and Port Adelaide before a crowd of 43,012. Eventual premiers of that season, Essendon, ended up victorious by 94 points, with full-forward Matthew Lloyd
Matthew Lloyd
Matthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
(who was booked in the second quarter of that match for striking) kicking seven goals. Originally developed by the Docklands Stadium Consortium and thereafter controlled by the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, the remaining leasehold interest in the stadium was sold to James Fielding Funds Management on 21 June 2006 for A$330 million. In 2025 the AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
is expected to take over the ownership.
Like Waverley it was built for Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, unlike most grounds of a similar size in Australia which were originally designed for cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
.
In 2000, the first indoor One Day International was held when the Australian cricket team
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
played South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in the "Super Challenge". It has been a venue for usually off-season one day matches but it held VB Series
VB Series
The Australian Tri-Series refers to the one day international cricket tournament held between 1979-80 and 2007-08 between the home side and two touring teams, in the height of the Australian cricket season, i.e. during the summer months of December, January and February. Between 1979–80 and 1995–96...
matches in 2006 due to the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
being unavailable due to preparations for it being the main stadium for the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
.
The stadium is the first stadium to have movable seating
Movable seating
Movable seating is a feature of some facilities like stadiums, often known as convertible stadiums, or moduable stadiums. It allows for the movement of parts of the grandstand to allow for a change of the playing surface shape...
in Australia. All four level-one tiers of the stadium can be moved up to 18 metres forward into a rectangular configuration. It was first used for a Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
game in July 2001. Despite the seating being a key feature of the stadium, it has rarely been used, citing damage to turf, time to deploy the seats and a reduced capacity (the corners of the stadium in level 1 are not movable).
The last time it was used in its rectangular configuration was the 2010 A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
Grand Final between Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
and Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
.
The first AFL goal at this ground was kicked by 's Michael Long, in Essendon's 94-point demolition of on 9 March 2000. player Mark LeCras
Mark LeCras
Mark LeCras is an Australian rules footballer, currently playing for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. Mainly playing as a small forward, he led the West Coast's goalkicking in 2009 and 2010, and was named in the All-Australian team in 2010.-Early life:LeCras was born to...
holds the record for most goals kicked in a single match at this ground, with 12. player Stephen Milne
Stephen Milne
Stephen Milne is a professional footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League .-AFL career:...
holds the records for most games played at this ground, with 124, and most goals kicked at this ground overall, with 305 (both records stand as of 10 September 2011), six more than Matthew Lloyd
Matthew Lloyd
Matthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
of . has the best winning percentage of any team at 63.24% (from 43 wins and 25 losses) whilst have won the most games of any team at the venue (93 wins, 4 draws and 55 losses at 62.50%). Geelong hold the records for biggest score (35.12 (222)) and biggest win (157 points) at the venue, both against in Round 6, 2007.
One-off events
Events that have been held at the Docklands Stadium include concerts by many famous artists.KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
performed on 28 February 2003, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
, for their live CD/DVD, Kiss Symphony: Alive IV
KISS Symphony: Alive IV
Kiss Symphony: Alive IV is a 2003 live album from Kiss performing with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra . The arrangements were made by David Campbell, who also conducted the MSO. It is the group's fourth album in the Alive series and first release under Kiss Records and Sanctuary Records...
.
Other events include wrestling (World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
Global Warning, 2002) and boxing (Kostya Tszyu vs Jesse James Leilya, 2003).
The stadium is one of only two in the world that have hosted One Day International cricket indoors, as it is the only fully enclosed stadium in any major cricket playing country with a playing surface large enough to accommodate a conventional cricket match. The other stadium to have hosted an Indoor Cricket
Indoor cricket
Indoor cricket is a variant of and shares many basic concepts with cricket. The game is most often played between two teams each consisting of eight players, in matches featuring two innings of sixteen 7-ball overs each...
match is the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
The ground hosted two quarter finals of the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
and the Rugby 7s at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The stadium was used in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
for the Australia vs England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
game. In the summer months it is used as the home ground for Melbourne Victory games in the A-League and the AFC Champions League
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
. The stadium is used for Rugby League State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
matches when they are played in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. This ground will host the opening match of the 2012 series, earmarked as a New South Wales home game.
The stadium hosted a match from the International Rules Series
International Rules Series
The International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
in 2005
2005 International Rules Series
The 2005 International Rules series was the 8th annual International Rules Series and the 14th time that a test series of International rules football was played between Ireland and Australia and was won by Australia....
(due to the MCG undergoing works for the Commonwealth Games) and will host another in 2011
2011 International Rules Series
The 2011 International Rules Series was the 13th International Rules Series contested between Gaelic footballers from Ireland and Australian rules footballers from Australia. The series was played over two test matches, with Ireland winning the series by 130-65 points on aggregate...
. Since 2003, it has been the venue for the E. J. Whitten Legends Game
E. J. Whitten Legends Game
The E. J. Whitten Legends Game is an annual charity Australian rules football All-star game, where retired star players are reunited, along with selected non-footballing celebrities, in a State of Origin interstate game, between Victoria and the All Stars .-History:E. J...
.
In 2001, Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights Football Club is a football club representing Melbourne, Australia in the Victorian Premier League . The club is one of the most successful football clubs in Australia, being a two-time championship and four-time premiership winner in the now defunct National Soccer League...
and South Melbourne Hellas staged the first and only National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
game to be held at this stadium.
On 1 and 3 December 2010, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
played their Melbourne shows of the U2 360° Tour
U2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
at the stadium with Jay Z as their support act. The stage was so large that the roof could not be closed.
In December 2010, legendary New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
played the stadium as part of The Circle Tour
The Circle Tour
The Circle Tour is a worldwide concert tour by American rock band Bon Jovi. The arena leg of the tour has finished and the stadium run has begun, starting off in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and then heading to East Rutherford, New Jersey for the grand opening of New Meadowlands Stadium...
.
The stadium hosted the Armin van Buuren Armin Only Mirage event on 31 December 2010.
The stadium hosted the 1st day of Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
Australian Tour 2011. Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
also supported by Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
and Hilltop Hoods
Hilltop Hoods
The Hilltop Hoods are an ARIA Award winning Australian hip hop group, from Adelaide, South Australia. Their members are MCs Suffa , MC Pressure , DJ Debris and formerly DJ Next. They have been at the centre of the Australian hip hop scene for the better part of two decades, originally forming back...
. The concert on 1st December 2011
Home teams
The Docklands Stadium is officially home ground to five AFLAustralian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
teams. The , , , and use the stadium as their primary home ground. and , also play home games there, but their official home ground is the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. also use it for a number of home games, but the club's home ground is Skilled Stadium in Geelong.
The AFL highest home and away attendance recorded at the Docklands Stadium was set on 5 July 2009 when 54,444 people attended to see St. Kilda and Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
play in Round 14 as they were 1st and 2nd, respectively, on the AFL ladder.
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
also occasionally play matches at Docklands. Originally, the plan was that the stadium would only be used for A-League games against the Victory's biggest rivals Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
in the 2006/07 A-League season due to the prediction of a large crowd. All other games were supposed to be at the Victory's usual home ground, Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium was a multi-purpose outdoor stadium located on Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne. The stadium was built as an athletics training venue for the 1956 Olympics, a short distance from the MCG, which served as the Olympic Stadium...
.
Due to the success of the game, a record crowd of 39,730 attended the game. Due to the success of the game, the Victory found Olympic Park's capacity of 18,000 too small, especially after the Round 4 match at Olympic Park attracted a capacity crowd of 17,617. Melbourne then moved all their home games bar one against the struggling New Zealand Knights to Docklands for the 2006/07 season. The move was a success, with a 27,000 crowd average. The Victory decided to move all their home games permanently from the 2007/08 season. This also gave the stadium a major summer tenant, of which the stadium lacked in its early years.
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
continued to play all games at Docklands until the end of the 2009/10 season, when their new home at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field on Olympic Boulevard in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct, in inner Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
was completed. The Victory will play blockbuster and finals games at Docklands, with all other games being played at the new stadium. The Victory will play five blockbuster games against Gold Coast United, Adelaide United (twice), Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
and Melbourne Heart.
In the 2001 NRL season it was the home ground for the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
, as well as hosting one home game in 2008 and three in 2010. Until the end of 2009, the stadium was also used as the Storm's home finals venue due to the low capacity of its then normal home ground, Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium was a multi-purpose outdoor stadium located on Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne. The stadium was built as an athletics training venue for the 1956 Olympics, a short distance from the MCG, which served as the Olympic Stadium...
(preliminary finals must be played in a 25,000 seat venue). Home finals are now played at their current home ground, AAMI Park
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field on Olympic Boulevard in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct, in inner Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
.
In 2011, it was announced that new Big Bash League
Big Bash League
The KFC t20 Big Bash League is the Australian domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament. The Big Bash League replaces the previous competition, the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash and will feature city-based franchises instead of the state teams which had participated previously. The inaugural season will begin...
side Melbourne Renegades
Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades is a franchise in Australia's newly announced Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League. The Renegades will wear a red kit....
would play its home games at the Docklands Stadium.
Naming rights history
The stadium was constructed by Baulderstone Hornibrook and opened on 9 March 2000, as Colonial Stadium. Colonial State Bank paid $32.5 million for 10 years of naming rights. In 2000, Commonwealth Bank took over Colonial State Bank and sold the naming rights to TelstraTelstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
for about $50 million. The name was changed to Telstra Dome on 1 October 2002. During this time it was colloquially referred to as simply "The Dome", including by clubs who are sponsored by rival telecommunications companies (such as , who at the time were sponsored by 3). On 1 March 2009 the name was changed to Etihad Stadium, for an expected period of five years, when the naming rights transferred to Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. Established in July 2003 and based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad commenced operations in November 2003....
. Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. Established in July 2003 and based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad commenced operations in November 2003....
are paying an estimated $5–$8 million a year for naming rights at the Docklands stadium. Controversy surrounds the new name, with the AFL initially refusing to recognise it. AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan confirmed the AFL would not recognise the new name due to a lucrative sponsorship deal between the AFL and Australia's largest airline, Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
. After negotiation between the two parties, AFL broadcasters and clubs are permitted by the governing body to use the stadium's sponsored name.
Stadium features
- Retractable roof 38 metres (124.7 ft) above the playing surface, opens east-west, and takes eight minutes to fully open or close.
- Movable seatingMovable seatingMovable seating is a feature of some facilities like stadiums, often known as convertible stadiums, or moduable stadiums. It allows for the movement of parts of the grandstand to allow for a change of the playing surface shape...
- Two large internal replay screens which display scores and advertisements.
- External super screen
- 1000 video seats
- 13 function rooms
- 66 corporate boxes
- Premium Club membership area, The Medallion Club
- 500 car parking spaces below the ground
- Oval shaped, turf playing surface of 19053 square metres (205,084.8 sq ft) or 170 by
- Over 700 2000-watt lights for arena illumination
- A varying capacity of between 12,000 and 74,000, depending on the event. For example seats can be laid on the ground.
- An AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
capacity of 53,359 - Dimensions of playing area are 159.5 metres by 128.5 metres (174.4 yards by 140.5 yards)
- The ends of the ground, where the AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
goal posts are located, are generally named after VFL/AFL goal-kicking legends Tony 'Plugger' LockettTony LockettAnthony Howard "Tony" Lockett is a former Australian rules football player. Lockett is the highest goal scorer in the history of the VFL/AFL with 1,360 goals in a career of 281 games, that commenced in 1983 with the St Kilda Football Club, and finished in 2002 with the Sydney Swans...
and Gordon CoventryGordon CoventryGordon "Nuts" Coventry was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League . With 1,299 goals over 18 seasons, Coventry remains one of the greatest full forwards the game has ever seen...
. The northern end is the Lockett End, and the southern end, the Coventry End. These names are subject to changed as appropriate for circumstances: for Essendon home matches, the Coventry End is renamed the Lloyd EndMatthew LloydMatthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
, and for VFLVictorian Football LeagueThe Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
games, the ends are renamed after VFA/VFL goal-kicking legends Jim 'Frosty' Miller and Fred Cook.
Criticism
Several issues with the Docklands Stadium have caused growing resentment within the Australian Football LeagueAustralian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
and prompted the league to publicly investigate an alternative third venue. At times this venue has been suggested as a redeveloped Princes Park Football Ground or a rival stadium in the Docklands area.
Playing surface issues
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
requirements. It has been criticised by players and coaches for its slipperiness, hardness and lack of grass coverage. The turf has required regular expensive replacement since its inception due to a lack of sunlight inside the stadium. The turf itself is supplied under contract by HG Turf, whereas the responsibility of laying and managing the turf lies with Docklands Stadium management.
Issues with the ground's ability to grow grass all year round can be attributed to the stadium's irregular North-South orientation which was a requirement due to its placement between the surrounding roads and Docklands body of water. In particular, the Northern end of the stadium only receives 6 weeks of sunlight a year. Concerts held at the stadium are also usually placed at the Southern end due to the ability for grass to recover faster in that section of the ground.
In August 2007, Docklands Stadium chief executive Ian Collins
Ian Collins (Australian)
Ian "Collo" Collins AM is a former Australian rules footballer and is now a high-profile businessman.- Playing career :...
confirmed talks were underway to purchase an elaborate lighting and heating system to allow grass to be grown by curators all year round. This followed extensive visits by Docklands Stadium officials to several FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
venues in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, locations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Arsenal's
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
new Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...
.
Studies have also been conducted due to concerns that hard surfaces like the surface at the Docklands Stadium increase the likelihood of player injury, in particular in contributing to anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
(ACL) injuries (knee).
Spectators
Despite being a purpose-built Australian rules footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
venue, it rarely reaches a full capacity for AFL matches due to the positioning of the coaching boxes and LCD screens. From some areas high in the stands and even standing areas, viewing of the full oval is obscured. This, however does not affect sports which use a smaller rectangular section of the ground.
Additionally, spectators have objected to high food costs at the venue.
Attendance records
- Largest attendance
Catholic Jubilee Mass
15 November 2000
70,000 people - Largest entertainment event attendance
Robbie WilliamsRobbie WilliamsRobert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
Close Encounters TourClose Encounters TourThe Close Encounters Tour is Robbie Williams' 2006 worldwide concert tour. It kicked off in Durban's ABSA Stadium on 10 April, and ended in Melbourne on 18 December. The tour was a great success financially, with every date selling out the morning the tickets went on sale...
18 December 2006
64,619 people - Largest sporting event attendance
WWE Global Warning –
10 August 2002
56,700 people - Largest Rugby UnionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
attendance
2001 British Lions tour to Australia second test2001 British Lions tour to AustraliaThe 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia was a series of matches played by the British Lions rugby union team in Australia.This tour followed the Lions' 1997 tour to South Africa and preceded the 2005 tour to New Zealand....
, 7 July 2001
AustraliaAustralia national rugby union teamThe Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
vs British and Irish LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
56,605 people - Largest ODI CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
attendance
Commonwealth Bank Series
38,364 people - Largest A-LeagueA-LeagueThe A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
attendance
Grand Final, 18 February 2007
Melbourne VictoryMelbourne VictoryMelbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
vs Adelaide United
55,436 people - Largest Rugby LeagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
attendance
State of Origin Game III, 5 July 2006
Queensland vs New South Wales
54,833 people - Largest AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
attendance
Round 14, 5 July 2009
St Kilda vs GeelongGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
54,444 people - Largest NRLNational Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
attendance
Preliminary final, 23 September 2007
Melbourne StormMelbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
vs ParramattaParramatta EelsThe Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
33,427 people - Largest International RulesInternational Rules SeriesThe International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
attendance
2nd test2005 International Rules SeriesThe 2005 International Rules series was the 8th annual International Rules Series and the 14th time that a test series of International rules football was played between Ireland and Australia and was won by Australia....
, 28 October 2005
AustraliaAustralia international rules football teamThis article concerns the men's team; for information on the Australian women's team, see Australia women's international rules football team....
vs IrelandIreland international rules football teamThe Ireland International rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football...
45,428 people
In popular culture
The venue appeared in the 2007 film Ghost RiderGhost Rider (film)
Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
. Its name, wherever visible, has been digitally changed to the SoBe
SoBe
SoBe is a brand of teas, fruit-juice blends and enhanced water beverages owned by PepsiCo. The name SoBe is an abbreviation of South Beach, named after the upscale area located in Miami Beach, Florida. In the past, the SoBe name has also been licensed for gum and chocolate products...
Dome. It can also be seen in the video for Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Hilda Mauboy , is an Indigenous Australian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol, she had auditioned for the talent show in Alice Springs to pursue a recording career...
's single Running Back
Running Back (Jessica Mauboy song)
"Running Back" is the debut single by Australian R&B recording artist Jessica Mauboy, which features American rapper Flo Rida. It was written by Mauboy, Audius Mtawarira, and Sean Ray Mullins, and was produced by Audius. "Running Back" was released for digital download on 19 September 2008, as the...
, as well as some high rating television shows, such as the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's City Homicide
City Homicide
City Homicide was an Australian television drama series that aired on the Seven Network between 27 August 2007 – 30 March 2011. The series was set on the Homicide floor of a metropolitan police headquarters in Melbourne...
and Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
's Rush. The stadium was also visible in the background during broadcasts of Seven News Melbourne until the background camera was changed in August 2010. It was also visible in broadcasts of Nine News Melbourne for a period up until 2006 when it was replaced with a shot overlooking the city's east.
March 2010 stadium damage
The venue was damaged by a super-cell thunderstorm on the afternoon of 6 March 2010 during the 2010 Victorian storms2010 Victorian storms
The 2010 Victorian storms were a series of storms that passed through much of the Australian state of Victoria on 6 March and 7 March 2010. One of the most severe storms passed directly over Greater Melbourne, bringing lightning, flash flooding, very large hail and strong winds to the state's capital...
. The external roof (not the main retractable roof) caved in, causing damage and flooding in one of the stadium's entertainment precincts. Because of the damage, the St. Kilda v Fremantle NAB Cup Semi Final was delayed due to worksafe inspections. Only around 5,000 people made it back into the arena when it was safe to return.
External links
Footnotes
ReferencesBibliography