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Margaret Court Arena

Coordinates: 37°49′16″S 144°58′40″E / 37.8210°S 144.9777°E / -37.8210; 144.9777
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Margaret Court Arena
Arena in use during the 2017 Australian Open
Map
Full nameMargaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park
Former namesShow Court 1 (1988–2003)
Address200 Batman Avenue
Melbourne Victoria, Australia
LocationMelbourne Park
Coordinates37°49′16″S 144°58′40″E / 37.8210°S 144.9777°E / -37.8210; 144.9777
OwnerGovernment of Victoria
OperatorMelbourne and Olympic Park Trust
Capacity7,500[1]
Formerly 6,000
SurfaceGreenSet (Tennis)
Hardwood (Basketball / Netball)
Construction
Broke ground1987
Built1987
Opened1988
Renovated2014
Expanded2014
Construction costA$ 180 million
(2014 expansion)
ArchitectNH Architecture and Populous
Tenants
Tennis
Australian Open (1988–present)
Davis Cup (Australian national team)
Basketball
Melbourne United (NBL) (2014–2015)
Netball
Melbourne Vixens (ANZ/NNL) (2015–present)
Collingwood Magpies (NNL) (2017–18)
Website
Venue Website

Margaret Court Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue located in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[2] The arena, which was built in 1987 and redeveloped in the mid-2010s, has a capacity of 7,500. It is named after Margaret Court.

History

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Margaret Court Arena, prior to its redevelopment in 2014

Originally named Show Court One, the venue was opened in 1988, the year the Australian Open tennis championships moved from Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club to Melbourne Park. The show court had a capacity of 6,000 people and was renamed to Margaret Court Arena in early 2003, as a tribute to Australia’s most successful female tennis player.[3]

Redevelopment

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Entrance to Margaret Court Arena
Margaret Court Arena during the 2023 Australian Open

In response to the issue of recurring heatwaves at the Australian Open, as well as a demand for a smaller multi-purpose stadium in the city, the Government of Victoria announced in January 2010 a redevelopment plan for Margaret Court Arena, to occur in tandem with a broader upgrade to the Melbourne Park precinct, at a total cost of $363 million.[4] Lendlease was awarded the contract in October 2011, at which point the government announced the cost of the upgrade to the arena exclusively; $180 million. Construction of the arena began in March 2012 to a design by NH Architecture and Populous.[5]

The redevelopment made the arena the third in the precinct to have a retractable roof and increased the stadium capacity from 6,000 to 7,500 seats.[4] The redevelopment was completed in January 2015, prior to that month's Australian Open.[6] The arena is the third largest capacity venue at the Australian Open tournament, behind the 15,000 capacity Rod Laver Arena (centre court) and the 10,500 seat John Cain Arena.

Sports and events

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The arena has hosted tennis matches at the Australian Open every year since 1988. Since the redevelopment in 2014, the arena has increasingly been used for sports such as basketball and netball, as well as musical concerts.[7]

Professional netball clubs the Melbourne Vixens and Collingwood Magpies play some home matches at Margaret Court Arena, typically when the adjacent John Cain Arena is unavailable. The Vixens announced their intention to move home games to the venue in March 2013, stating that the "redeveloped venue is going to be fantastic for us for at least the next five years." In netball mode, the venue can be configured to hold either 5000 people in its bottom tier or 7500 when both sections are open.[8][9] The Australia national netball team have also hosted test matches at the venue.[10]

National Basketball League club Melbourne United played some of their home matches at Margaret Court Arena. The club announced it had signed a "multi-year deal" in August 2014 to split 12 of its 14 home matches at Margaret Court Arena and Melbourne Arena.[11] United played their first home game at the arena on 12 November 2014 and they defeated the Cairns Taipans 91-76 before a crowd of 3,393 fans. The club later shifted all home matches to John Cain Arena.

Arena in concert configuration during Lizzy McAlpine's The Older Tour in July 2024

In addition to being able to host various sporting events, Margaret Court Arena also hosts a number of concerts, ensuring Melbourne has a third indoor entertainment venue, all of which are located within Melbourne Park and feature retractable roofing. The arena has played host to artists such as Bob Dylan, Cloud Control, The Black Keys, Delta Goodrem, Demi Lovato, Hilltop Hoods, Kraftwerk, LCD Soundsystem, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Selena Gomez, Imagine Dragons, 5 Seconds of Summer, Angus & Julia Stone, Little Mix, The B-52s, ATEEZ and many more. The venue has a capacity of 6,500 for concerts though has the flexibility to downsize for smaller events.[12]

Naming controversy

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The name of the arena, which recognises one of the most successful female tennis players, Margaret Court, has attracted debate over Court's views regarding LGBT issues.[13][14] In May 2017, an open letter by Court was published in The West Australian, addressed to the board of Qantas and its CEO Alan Joyce. In it, Court declared her intention to boycott the airline (where possible) over it having "become an active promoter for same-sex marriage."[15][16] Joyce has advocated for same-sex marriage, writing that "[s]ame-sex marriage isn't a niche issue. It's about basic rights and equality – the 'fair go' that's such a fundamental Australian value."[17] Court has been a critic of homosexuality and gender identity for several decades and is quoted as saying that the presence of "LGBT in the schools, it's the devil, it's not of God".[18][19] Various campaigns have been instigated to change the name of the arena.[20][21] Whilst some former tennis players such as Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe have staged on-court protests over the name of the arena,[22] other public figures such as former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have opposed these efforts on the basis that the arena "celebrates Margaret Court the tennis player" and not her personal beliefs.[23] Venue management has previously stated that it does not support Court's comments and "embrace[s] equality, diversity and inclusion".[24]

Awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Margaret Court Arena". City of Melbourne. 15 April 2019. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Margaret Court Arena website".
  3. ^ "History: Margaret Court Arena". margaretcourtarena.com.au. 1 January 2016. Archived from the original on 24 May 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Margaret Court Arena Redevelopment". Austadiums. 1 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Lend Lease wins tender for Margaret Court Arena redevelopment". Urbanalyst. 25 October 2011.
  6. ^ "Australian Open could be played entirely indoors, as Margaret Court Arena gets retractable roof". ABC News. 4 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Sport: Margaret Court Arena". margaretcourtarena.com.au. 1 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Vixens move some games to Margaret Court Arena". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 March 2013.
  9. ^ "Netball: Melbourne teams Vixens and Magpies set sights on Rod Laver arena". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Australian Diamonds d New Zealand". Austadiums. 4 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Melbourne United to play home games at Hisense, Margaret Court". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 August 2014.
  12. ^ "Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena Emerges As A New Venue For Live Music". Australasian Leisure Management. 16 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Should Margaret Court's Name Be Removed From An Arena At The Australian Open?". The New Yorker. 24 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Badly served: should tennis be celebrating Margaret Court?". The Guardian. 30 January 2020.
  15. ^ "Gay, set and match: Tennis legend Margaret Court boycotts Qantas". The West Australian. 25 May 2017. Archived from the original on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017 – via AAP.
  16. ^ Vescio, Darcy [@darcyvee] (25 May 2017). "It's time Margaret Court up with the times" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Joyce, Alan (15 September 2017). "The marriage equality plebiscite message: our parliament can't do its job". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  18. ^ "Former tennis champion Margaret Court claims LGBTQ teaching in schools is controlled by 'the devil'". CNN. 31 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Margaret Court vows to stop flying Qantas over marriage equality stance". The Guardian. 25 May 2017. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017 – via AAP.
  20. ^ "It's Time For Promoters To Boycott Margaret Court Arena - Noise11.com". www.noise11.com. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  21. ^ FitzSimons, Peter (25 May 2017). "Margaret Court's anti-gay rights stance deserves a boycott of its own". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  22. ^ "Martina Navratilova takes fight on-court for name change to Evonne Goolagong Arena". The Guardian. 28 January 2020.
  23. ^ "Malcolm Turnbull says Margaret Court's name should stay on tennis arena". Australian Financial Review. 26 May 2017.
  24. ^ MCA – Margaret Court Arena [@MCourtArena] (25 May 2017). "Melbourne & Olympic Parks does not support Margaret Court's comments" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "Margaret Court Arena". NH Architecture. 1 January 2016.
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