SportEng
SPORTENG specialises in the Planning, Design and Construction inspection of Fields of Play for all sports. Blending engineering with the specialist knowledge gained from working closely with sport…
read moreTennis Australia has launched a $1 billion bid to gain control of Melbourne Park with a view to transforming the home of Grand Slam tournament the Australian Open into a destination that can be utilised on a year-round basis.
First reported by Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun, the offer, which is under consideration by the Victorian Government includes management of the Park’s Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena and Margaret Court Arena, as well as the surrounding precinct, on a 21-year lease.
The proposal would include wider redevelopment of the Park with new entertainment options such as an outdoor cinema, retail outlets and restaurants with a view of the River Yarra. Melbourne Park would also continue to be a major home for live music events, while Tennis Australia is said to be keen to rename Hisense Arena to Melbourne Arena.
Tennis Australia Chief Operations Officer Tom Larner told the news.com.au website “the Australian Open has grown massively over the past few years and we are now in the unique position of being able to use this experience to benefit the whole community.
“Melbourne Park truly is the world’s best sports and entertainment precinct and our proposal will help bring it to life year round. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback and are strong in our belief that this is the way to go.
“We believe there’s enormous scope to activate the whole precinct throughout the year, creating great experiences and giving the community more reasons to come and enjoy the world-class facilities. And this in turn will generate a greater return for the taxpayer.”
With the venue undergoing ongoing renovation, the nest stage of Melbourne’s Park’s redevelopment will include a new 5,000-seat arena as part of plans to ensure the Australian Open continues to be staged at the venue.
The new arena will form part of a $271.55 million project that is scheduled to break ground in 2019. The project will act as the third stage of the Melbourne Park redevelopment. It is hoped the ongoing development work will ensure Melbourne, which has staged the Australian Open since 1988, will retain hosting rights to the tournament until at least 2036.
Images: Melbourne Park from the air, with AAMI Park in the foreground (top) and an impression of the next stage of Melbourne Park's redevelopment with the new 5,000 seat venue in the middle (below).
29th March 2018 - CHANNEL 9 AND TENNIS AUSTRALIA AGREE FIVE YEAR TOURNAMENT BROADCAST DEAL
2nd March 2018 - REDEVELOPMENT WORK RECOMMENCES IN ROD LAVER ARENA’S ANNIVERSARY YEAR
18th January 2018 - MELBOURNE PARK VENUES MUST BE DESIGNED TO COPE WITH AUSTRALIAN OPEN HEAT
8th January 2018 - REVAMPED MELBOURNE PARK READY FOR 2018 AUSTRALIAN OPEN
7th December 2017 - HISENSE ARENA TO HOST AUSTRALIAN OPEN AND NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE COMPETITION ON THE SAME DAY
10th November 2017 - AUSTRALIAN OPEN NAMED BEST INTERNATIONAL SPORTING EVENT AT 2017 SPIA ASIA AWARDS
8th August 2017 - AUSTRALIAN OPEN INVESTS IN COMMUNITY TENNIS
14th June 2017 - TENNIS AUSTRALIA UNVEILS ATHLETE WELLBEING PROGRAM
11th May 2017 - NATIONAL SCHOOL ROADSHOW TO CELEBRATE RECORD DELIVERY OF 80,000 TENNIS RACQUETS
23rd April 2017 - STAGE THREE MELBOURNE PARK REDEVELOPMENT TO INCLUDE NEW 5000-SEAT TENNIS ARENA
23rd March 2017 - MASSIVE DECLINE IN AUSTRALIANS’ PARTICIPATION IN RUGBY, SQUASH AND TENPIN BOWLING
16th January 2017 - KIDS TENNIS DAY ATTRACTS MORE THAN 17,500 TO MELBOURNE PARK
19th September 2016 - COX ARCHITECTURE REVEALS ROD LAVER ARENA REDEVELOPMENT DESIGNS
25th April 2013 - MELBOURNE PARK AWARDS CATERING TENDER TO DELAWARE NORTH
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