Sport in Victoria: Difference between revisions

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The state of Victoria, Australia, has a strong sporting culture and includes many popular sports.

The most popular sports played in the state are basketball, Australian rules football, cricket, shooting, soccer, and netball. Horse racing joins that list as the most popular spectator sports.

Team Sports

Australian rules football

In terms of both attendance and media coverage, Australian rules football is the most popular sport in the state. The participation rate of 4% is the third highest in the country with 223,999 players counted in 2004. Australian rules football originated in Melbourne in 1858. Ten of the eighteen Australian Football League clubs are based in Victoria, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is held by many to be the spiritual home of the game. Victoria hosted all Australian Football International Cup competitions from 2002 to 2017.

Current Teams

Basketball

Basketball has the highest participation rate in the state.^[1]^[2]^[3] Melbourne United (previously Melbourne Tigers) and South East Melbourne Phoenix are Melbourne's current teams in the National Basketball League (Australia). United have won the championship 4 times, in 1993, 1997, 2005-2006 and 2007-2008, with the Phoenix, being a new club, having yet to win a title. Both teams currently play home games at John Cain Arena in the centre of Melbourne, with SE Phoenix playing several games a year at the State Basketball Centre in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South. Between 2010 and 2013, Basketball in Victoria experienced an increase in participation and at the time had more players in the state than any other sport.^[4]^[5]

Current Teams

Melbourne United est 1984
South East Melbourne Phoenix est 2018

Cricket

Cricket is also popular in Victoria. The governing body for the sport is Cricket Victoria which administers the 1,182 cricket clubs and 112,000 registered cricketers in Victoria, and 62,774 children involved in school-based competition. The Victorian cricket team is the state team for both men and women and currently competes in the Sheffield Shield, Marsh One-Day Cup and Women's National Cricket League.

Since 2011, the Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars have competed in the Big Bash League, Australia's professional domestic Twenty20 series.

Current Teams

Soccer

Soccer in Victoria is governed by the Football Victoria. It is particularly popular among migrant communities and has one of the highest sporting participation level in the state (after basketball). Victoria currently features three teams in the National A-League in both the men's and women's competitions.^[6]

Current Teams

Rugby league

The predominantly Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria didn't play host to much rugby league football, which was traditionally a New South Wales and Queensland-based game during the 20th century. Some representative games were played in Melbourne to gauge public interest in the sport in the early 1990s and the crowds were encouraging.

Travel back a few years and you find that, in rugby league circles, Melbourne was viewed as a great, succulent peach ready for picking. Almost 90,000 people had turned up to the MCG in 1994 to watch NSW play Queensland in a State of Origin match. In a period where the robust sport was focused on expansion, Melbourne loomed as the obvious next frontier. Then the code imploded.
— The Sunday Age, 1999^[7]

When the newly formed National Rugby League re-emerged in 1998, Melbourne Storm was part of the lineup of clubs. They have since become one of the most successful teams in the League and gained a significant following in their home state.^[8]

As of 2022, there are 17 amateur clubs based in Melbourne with further clubs in regional areas around the state.^[9]

Melbourne hosted several international matches including: Australia vs England during the 2008 Rugby League World Cup and again in the 2010 Four Nations Series^{[citation needed]}, the 2010 ANZAC Test, which attracted a capacity crowd at the newly opened AAMI Park and several games at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup including a quarter final.

Current Teams

Melbourne Storm est 1997

Motorsport

^{[citation needed]}

Motor racing has its Australian roots in Melbourne. One of the earlier motor races was held on a horse racing venue in Melbourne, but organised motor racing as we know it today began with the first running of the Australian Grand Prix, held on a rectangular dirt road course on the streets of Phillip Island in 1928. The Grand Prix wandered across the country in subsequent decades but today is held as part of the Formula One World Drivers Championship on the streets of inner Melbourne around Albert Park Lake. A modern Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit hosts the Australian motorcycle Grand Prix. The state has more motor racing circuits than any other as well as providing the home base for more than half of the teams contesting the premier domestic motor racing series, V8 Supercar. Even New South Wales' signature motor race, the Bathurst 1000, has its roots in Victoria, having been first held as a 500-mile race at Phillip Island.

Netball

Netball is recognised as the largest female participation sport in Australia. In Victoria there are in excess of 105,000 registered participants, which does not include the tens of thousands of school children that participate in school netball programs annually.

Approximately 240 associations/groups affiliate with Netball Victoria on an annual basis. Affiliation provides access to netball events, programs and services as well as a pathway to State, National and International representation. Associations are geographically grouped into one of the 20 Regions, and then Regions are grouped into one of six Zones. 96% of the Netball Victoria membership is female. 55% of the membership resides in regional Victoria with the remaining 45% in the metropolitan suburbs in and around Melbourne. 62% of the Netball Victoria membership is aged seventeen (17) and under, with the majority of the remaining participants aged between eighteen and fifty. Victoria has two teams in the national Super Netball competition, the Melbourne Vixens and the Melbourne Mavericks.

Current Teams

Melbourne Vixens est 2007
Melbourne Mavericks est 2023

Former Teams

Collingwood Magpies 2016-2023

Rugby union

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007), Victoria has very low rugby participation (less than 1%), dominated by amateur competition run by the Victorian Rugby Union, and participation in many private schools.^[10] However, international rugby matches attract large attendances,^{[citation needed]} (e.g. 2003 Rugby World Cup, and sevens at the 2006 Commonwealth Games).

The Melbourne Rebels represented Victoria in the professional Super Rugby competition. Their formation was long-awaited in the state, the Victorian Rugby Union having bid twice previously for a licence, the first time in 1995, losing to the ACT Brumbies, and the second time in 2005, losing to the Western Force. Their bid for the 15th licence was successful in 2010, however, after 14 years, Rugby Australia pulled the Rebel's licence, citing excessive debts incurred in running the team as the reason. The team folded in 2024, leaving Australia's second largest city without a team in Super Rugby.

Open Water Swimming

Open water swimming is a popular sport throughout Victoria. There is an ever-growing number of races right around Port Phillip Bay, Western Port Bay and Victoria's Ocean Coast. There are even a small number of races held in Rivers and Lakes.

The open water swim season in Victoria runs from early December to Mid-March of the following year. Several swims occur on Australia Day which also marks the "middle" of the season. The largest open water swim in Victoria (and As of 2009^[update], the largest in the world) is the Lorne Pier to Pub. It attracts up to 4000 participants each year.

Some other well known swims include;

Melbourne Swim Classic - Held on the first Saturday of March - St Kilda
Swim for Your Life - Brighton
Point Leo Swim Classic
Portsea Swim Classic
Mount Martha Australia Day Swim
Big Bay Swim - Port Melbourne to Williamstown
Bloody Big Swim - Frankston to Mornington
Pier to Perignon - Sorrento to Portsea^[11]

The standard distance of the majority of the swims on the open water swim calendar is between 1 km and 2 km with the most common distance used being 1.2 km. Other swims however, cover much longer distances, including the Bloody Big Swim which covers 11.2 km.

Many famous swimmers are known to have participated in these swims including Olympic Gold medalists Kieren Perkins and Michael Klim. It is also a popular hobby of many other famous people including many AFL footballers, Australian cricketers including Simon O'Donnell and politicians including former Premiers of Victoria Steve Bracks and Ted Baillieu.

Special events

Annually, Melbourne hosts the Australian Open tennis tournament, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments; the famous Melbourne Cup horse race; the 'Boxing Day' cricket test match held each year from 26–30 December at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; and the Australian Masters golf tournament. The Wallabies, Australia's national rugby union team, usually also play at least one Test annually in Melbourne.

Rivalling the Open early in the year, the Formula One World Drivers' Championship visits the Albert Park Street Circuit to contest the Australian Grand Prix (which was originally hosted by Adelaide, South Australia). Also Phillip Island hosts the Australian motorcycle Grand Prix for MotoGP bikes as well as a round of the World Superbike Championship, and Stawell is the home of Australia's most prestigious foot race, the Stawell Gift.

The MCG was the site of the first ever cricket test match between Australia and England in 1877, and has been the main stadium for the 1956 Summer Olympics and 2006 Commonwealth Games.

As well as Olympic and Commonwealth Games, Melbourne has hosted numerous sporting events which rotate host cities. Melbourne co-hosted the 2003 Rugby World Cup, including many pool matches as well as a quarter final – all of which were played at the Telstra Dome; hosted the 1975, 1979, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015 events of the basketball FIBA Oceania Championship; hosted the 2002 World Masters Games; the first city outside the United States to host the World Police and Fire Games in 1995, and the Presidents Cup golf tournament in 1999; and was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the World Cup Polo Championship in 2001. The city has hosted FIFA World Cup qualifiers in both 1997 2001 and 2009

The state was to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, regionally across Victoria and Melbourne until they were cancelled in July 2023.^[12]^[13]

Major Sports Venues

Melbourne

Venue	Capacity	Main Sports
Flemington Racecourse	110,000	Horse racing
Albert Park	100,000+	Formula One & Supercars Championship
Melbourne Cricket Ground	100,024	Australian rules football, cricket, association football
Marvel Stadium	56,347	Australian rules football, cricket, association football, rugby league
Caulfield Racecourse	50,000	Horse racing
Sandown Racecourse	50,000	Horse racing, motorsport
Calder Park Raceway	44,000	Motorsport
Moonee Valley Racecourse	40,000	Horse racing
AAMI Park	30,050	Association football, Rugby league, Rugby union
Ikon Park	22,000	Australian rules football, Cricket
Knights Stadium	15,000	Association football
Victoria Park	15,000	Australian rules football
Whitten Oval	12,000	Australian rules football
Rod Laver Arena	14,820	Tennis, Basketball, Netball, Swimming
Lakeside Stadium	12,000	Association football, athletics, gridiron
Olympic Village	12,000	Association football
John Cain Arena	10,500	Tennis, Netball, Cycling, Gymnastics, Basketball
Epping Stadium	10,000	Association football
Green Gully Reserve	10,000	Association football
Junction Oval	10,000	Cricket
Kooyong Stadium	8,500	Tennis
Margaret Court Arena	7,500	Tennis, netball, basketball
Melbourne Ballpark	5,000	Baseball
State Netball & Hockey Centre	3,500 (1,000 for Hockey)	Netball, hockey, basketball
State Basketball Centre	3,200	Basketball
The Home of the Matildas	3,000	Association football
Dandenong Stadium	2,500	Basketball
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre	2,000	Swimming
O'Brien Icehouse	1,500	Ice hockey
Darebin Velodrome	1,250	Cycling

Outside Melbourne

Venue	Capacity	Main Sports
Kardinia Park	40,000	Australian rules football
Eureka Stadium	11,000	Australian rules football
Bendigo Stadium	4,000	Basketball
Ballarat Sports Events Centre	3,000	Basketball and Netball
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit	90,000	Motorcycle racing, touring car racing
Winton Motor Raceway	30,000	Motorsport

Current professional bodies in national competitions

Melbourne

Club	League	Venue	Established	Premierships/Championships
Carlton Football Club	Australian Football League AFL Women's	Marvel Stadium	1864	16
Team 18	Supercars Championship	Sandown Raceway	2013	0
Collingwood Football Club	Australian Football League AFL Women's	Melbourne Cricket Ground	1892	16
Essendon Football Club	Australian Football League AFL Women's	Marvel Stadium	1871	16
Garry Rogers Motorsport	Australian S5000 Championship TCR Australia Touring Car Series	Sandown Raceway	1989	0
Hawthorn Football Club	Australian Football League AFL Women's	Melbourne Cricket Ground	1902	13
Grove Racing	Supercars Championship	Winton Motor Raceway	2009	0
Melbourne Aces	Australian Baseball League	Melbourne Ballpark	2010	0
Melbourne Boomers	Women's National Basketball League	Parkville Stadium	1984	2
Melbourne Football Club	Australian Football League AFL Women's	Melbourne Cricket Ground	1858	13
Melbourne City FC	A-League Men A-League Women	AAMI Park	2009	2
Melbourne Ice	Australian Ice Hockey League	O'Brien Icehouse	2000	4
Melbourne Mavericks	Suncorp Super Netball	John Cain Arena, Margaret Court Arena, Rod Laver Arena	2023	0
Melbourne Mustangs	Australian Ice Hockey League	O'Brien Icehouse	2010	1
Melbourne Rebels	Super Rugby Super Rugby Women's	AAMI Park	2010	0
Melbourne Renegades	KFC Big Bash League Women's Big Bash League	Marvel Stadium	2011	1
Melbourne Stars	KFC Big Bash League Women's Big Bash League	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Junction Oval	2011	0
Melbourne Storm	National Rugby League	AAMI Park, Marvel Stadium	1997	4
Melbourne United	National Basketball League	John Cain Arena, Margaret Court Arena, State Netball & Hockey Centre	1931	5
Melbourne Victory	A-League Men A-League Women	AAMI Park, Marvel Stadium	2004	4
Melbourne Vixens	Suncorp Super Netball	John Cain Arena, Margaret Court Arena, Rod Laver Arena	2008	2
North Melbourne Football Club	Australian Football League AFL Women's	Marvel Stadium	1869	4
Richmond Football Club	Australian Football League AFL Women's	Melbourne Cricket Ground	1885	11
South East Melbourne Phoenix	National Basketball League	John Cain Arena, State Basketball Centre	2018	0
Southside Flyers	Women's National Basketball League	State Basketball Centre	1992	5
St Kilda Football Club	Australian Football League AFL Women's	Marvel Stadium	1873	1
Victorian cricket team	Marsh One-Day Cup, Sheffield Shield, Women's National Cricket League	Melbourne Cricket Ground / Junction Oval	1851	28 (SS), 4 (T20 Bash), 5 (Ryobi One Day Cup)
Walkinshaw Andretti United	Supercars Championship	Winton Motor Raceway	1988	6
Western Bulldogs	Australian Football League AFL Women's	Marvel Stadium and Eureka Stadium Ballarat	1883	2

Outside Melbourne

Club	League	Venue	Established	Premierships/Championships
Bendigo Spirit	Women's National Basketball League	Bendigo Stadium	2007	2
Geelong Football Club	Australian Football League	Kardinia Park	1859	10
Tickford Racing	Supercars Championship	Winton Motor Raceway	1989	2
Western United FC	A-Leagues	Ironbark Fields	2018	1

References

^ "Basketball numbers are booming in Geelong - Local News - Geelong, VIC, Australia". Geelongadvertiser.com.au. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
^ "Basketball popularity exploding across Melbourne's fringe". Herald Sun. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
^ "World Cup soccer fans abandon reality for fantasy, says Neil Mitchell". Herald Sun. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
^ "Basketball numbers are booming in Geelong - Local News - Geelong, VIC, Australia". Geelongadvertiser.com.au. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
^ "Basketball popularity exploding across Melbourne's fringe | Herald Sun". Archived from the original on 13 March 2011.
^ "melbourneheartsyn.com". melbourneheartsyn.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
^ Cockerill, Ian (3 October 1999). "Eye of the Storm". The Sunday Age. p. 4. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
^ Heming, Wayne (30 October 2009). "Brisbane Broncos voted Australia's most popular football team". foxsports.com.au. AAP. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
^ "Clubs - NRL Victoria". NRL Victoria. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
^ "1345.4 - SA Stats, Jul 2007". Abs.gov.au. 31 July 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
^ Greg Chaplin. "Victorian Open Water Swimming Calendar". Caseyseals.com.au. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
^ "Regional Victoria announced as host of 2026 Commonwealth Games". The Guardian. 12 April 2022.
^ Victoria to axe Commonwealth Games plans due to financial constraints ABC News 18 July 2023

External links

[1] "Basketball numbers are booming in Geelong - Local News - Geelong, VIC, Australia". Geelongadvertiser.com.au. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2012.

[2] "Basketball popularity exploding across Melbourne's fringe". Herald Sun. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2012.

[3] "World Cup soccer fans abandon reality for fantasy, says Neil Mitchell". Herald Sun. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2012.

[4] "Basketball numbers are booming in Geelong - Local News - Geelong, VIC, Australia". Geelongadvertiser.com.au. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2013.

[5] "Basketball popularity exploding across Melbourne's fringe | Herald Sun". Archived from the original on 13 March 2011.

[6] "melbourneheartsyn.com". melbourneheartsyn.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2013.

[7] Cockerill, Ian (3 October 1999). "Eye of the Storm". The Sunday Age. p. 4. Retrieved 6 October 2009.

[8] Heming, Wayne (30 October 2009). "Brisbane Broncos voted Australia's most popular football team". foxsports.com.au. AAP. Retrieved 31 October 2009.

[9] "Clubs - NRL Victoria". NRL Victoria. Retrieved 5 December 2022.

[10] "1345.4 - SA Stats, Jul 2007". Abs.gov.au. 31 July 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2013.

[11] Greg Chaplin. "Victorian Open Water Swimming Calendar". Caseyseals.com.au. Retrieved 21 August 2013.

[12] "Regional Victoria announced as host of 2026 Commonwealth Games". The Guardian. 12 April 2022.

[13] Victoria to axe Commonwealth Games plans due to financial constraints ABC News 18 July 2023

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v t e Sport in Australia
History Disabled sports Rural and Regional sport Winter sport Women's sport
By state/territory	ACT New South Wales Northern Territory Queensland South Australia Tasmania Victoria Western Australia
Team sports	American football Australian rules football Baseball Basketball Cricket Field hockey Football Futsal Gaelic Games (Gaelic football, hurling) Handball Ice hockey Lacrosse Netball Quidditch Roller derby Rugby league Rugby union Soccer Softball Vigoro Water polo
Individual sports	Athletics Badminton Bodybuilding Boxing Campdrafting Chess Cycling Fives Golf Horse racing (Thoroughbred, harness, and steeplechase) Mixed martial arts Motorsport Pickleball Pro wrestling Rock climbing Sport wrestling Surfing Skeleton Skiing Swimming Tennis Trugo Wood cutting
International competitions	Olympics (Winter) Paralympics (Winter) Commonwealth Games Baseball World Cup Cricket World Cup Deaflympics FIFA Confederations Cup FIFA World Cup FIFA Women's World Cup Rugby World Cup Rugby League World Cup

Latest revision as of 12:43, 20 August 2024

Team Sports

Australian rules football

Basketball

Current Teams

Cricket

Soccer

Rugby league

Motorsport

Netball

Rugby union

Open Water Swimming

Special events

Major Sports Venues

Melbourne

Outside Melbourne

Current professional bodies in national competitions

Melbourne

Outside Melbourne

See also

References

External links