Docklands Stadium

"Telstra Dome" redirects here. For the stadium in Sydney previously known as Telstra Stadium, see Stadium Australia. For the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, see City of Manchester Stadium.

Docklands Stadium

File:Etihad Stadium Melbourne logo.svg
Former names	Colonial Stadium Telstra Dome
Location	Harbour Esplanade, Docklands
Coordinates	37°48′59″S 144°56′51″E
Owner	Australian Football League
Operator	Melbourne Stadiums Limited
Capacity	56,347 (venue capacity) 53,359 (seating capacity) 47,000 (Cricket and rectangular mode)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	October 1997
Opened	9 March 2000
Construction cost	A$460 million
Architect	Daryl Jackson in association with Bligh Lobb & Populous (company)
General contractor	Baulderstone Hornibrook
Tenants
Essendon Football Club (AFL) (2000–present) St Kilda Football Club (AFL) (2000–present) Western Bulldogs (AFL) (2000–present) Melbourne Storm (NRL) (2001, 2010) North Melbourne Football Club (AFL) (2002–present) Carlton Football Club (AFL) (2005–present) Melbourne Victory FC (A-League) (2006–present) Melbourne Renegades (BBL) (2011–present) Melbourne Renegades (WBBL) (2015–present)
Website
www.etihadstadium.com.au
Ground information
End names
Lockett End Coventry End
International information
First ODI	16 August 2000: Australia v South Africa
Last ODI	3 February 2006: Australia v South Africa
As of 22 August 2015 Source: ESPNcricinfo

Docklands Stadium (also known by its former sponsored names of Colonial Stadium and Telstra Dome as well as its current sponsorship name of Etihad 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) which, since 7 October 2016, has had exclusive ownership of the venue. Also headquartered in the stadium precinct is Seven Network's digital broadcast centre.

The stadium also hosts a number of other sporting events, including some domestic Twenty20 cricket matches, Melbourne Victory Association football home matches, one-off rugby league and rugby union matches as well as number of special events and concerts.

History

Docklands Stadium is seen here under construction (Christmas 1998)

The stadium was announced on 31 October 1996 as a replacement for the much larger Waverley Park as a headquarters for the Australian Football League. 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. Under the terms of the agreement governing construction and operation of the venue, in 2025 the AFL were to win ownership of the stadium for a $30 fee.

Docklands Stadium, like Waverley Park, was built primarily for Australian rules football, unlike most grounds of a similar size in Australia which were originally designed for cricket.

The first match to be played at the ground was between Essendon and Port Adelaide, before a crowd of 43,012, in Round 1 of the 2000 AFL season. Essendon won the match by 94 points.

The stadium was the first stadium in Australia to have movable seating. 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).

Docklands Stadium first featured rugby league football when it was used as the Melbourne Storm's home ground for one season in 2001. The Storm continued to play home games at the ground sporadically in the following years. Docklands was also the venue for the third and deciding game of the 2006 State of Origin series and Australia's home game against New Zealand in the 2006 Tri-nations series. During the 2008 Rugby League World Cup Australia played England at the stadium and the opening games of the 2009 and 2012 State of Origin series were also played here, the latter attracting 56,021, a new record for rugby league at the stadium.

In 2015, LED electronic advertising was added around the perimeter of the ground on level 1 and 2.

On 24 October 2015, the stadium hosted Motorcycle speedway when it played host to the 2015 Speedway Grand Prix of Australia (on a 346 metres (378 yards) long temporary track) which was the twelfth and final round of the 2015 Speedway Grand Prix World Championship season. It was the first time Australia had hosted a round of the SGP event since the final round of the 2002 season in Sydney. With stadium capacity capped at 42,000 for the event, 26,609 fans saw 45 year old American rider Greg Hancock take out his 20th SGP Final (coincidentally, Hancock had also won the 2002 event). Danish rider Niels-Kristian Iversen finished second with Poland's Maciej Janowski finishing third. Reigning Australian Champion Jason Doyle qualified for the final but was outed in a crash in the first turn in which he suffered neck and chest injuries. A fully conscious Doyle was then transported to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for observation.

In March 2016, it was announced that Collingwood president Eddie McGuire had taken a proposal to the state government for the stadium to be sold for redevelopment when the AFL gain ownership of the stadium in 2025, with a new similar size stadium built within the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct. The plan was rejected by the AFL. Prior to the start of the 2016 AFL season the seats in the Medallion Club were replaced. The old seats in the Medallion Club section were relocated to other areas in the ground.

On 7 October 2016, the AFL Commission announced that the league had acquired exclusive ownership of the stadium. The league elected to buy out the Etihad Stadium owners for a figure believed to be approximately $200 million, rather than wait until 2025 when the league would automatically acquire ownership of the venue for $30.

2010 stadium damage

The venue was damaged by a thunderstorm on the afternoon of 6 March 2010 during the 2010 Victorian storms. 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 5000 people made it back into the arena when it was safe to return.

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 Telstra 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 Essendon, who at the time were sponsored by 3 and Carlton who also at the time were sponsored by Optus). On March 1, 2009, when the naming rights transferred to Etihad Airways, the venue officially became known as Etihad Stadium and in August 2012 the partnership was extended for five more years until 2019. Etihad Airways are paying an estimated $5–$8 million a year for naming rights at the Docklands stadium. Controversy surrounded 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.

Criticism

Several issues with the Docklands Stadium have caused growing resentment within the Australian Football League 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.

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. Prior to assuming ownership of the ground in 2016, the AFL regarded the stadium owner as a hostile landlord, engaging in numerous lawsuits against the-then owners and threatening to build a rival stadium as close as a kilometre away in the short-term.

Playing surface issues

Interior of the Docklands Stadium with the roof closed. Taken during a Collingwood vs Port Adelaide AFL Match, 1 July 2005.

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.

In 2007, studies were conducted by the University of Melbourne to investigate concerns that hard surfaces, such as the surface at the Docklands Stadium increase the likelihood of player injury, in particular anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries (knee).

Before the 2015 AFL season synthetic turf was installed around the perimeter of the playing surface. The most controversial sections were around the AFL interchange gates as well as where the goals are located where the synthetic turf comes right up to the playing area (the synthetic turf at the goals was moved several meters closer to the fence in March 2017). This was highlighted after a Brisbane Lions player suffered a season ending ACL injury and one coach labeling the surface 'dangerous' after a game at the venue.

Stadium features

• Retractable roof 38 metres (125 ft) above the playing surface, opens east-west, and takes eight minutes to fully open or close.
• Movable seating (4 sections of the lower tier can move 18 metres forward to give a rectangular configuration)
• 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 19,053 square metres (205,080 sq ft) or 170 by 140 m (560 by 460 ft)
• 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 AFL 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 AFL goal posts are located, are generally named after VFL/AFL goal-kicking legends Tony 'Plugger' Lockett and Gordon Coventry. The northern end is the Lockett End, and the southern end, the Coventry End. These names are subject to changes as appropriate for circumstances: for Essendon home matches, the Coventry End is renamed the Lloyd End and the Lockett End is renamed the Fletcher End, for Western Bulldogs home matches, the Lockett End is renamed the Footscray End and for VFL games, the ends are renamed after VFA/VFL goal-kicking legends Jim 'Frosty' Miller and Fred Cook.

• 
  A section of the movable seating
• 
  One of the large LCDs at Docklands Stadium
• 
  Docklands Stadium in rectangular configuration during an A-League Melbourne Derby in December 2014

Home teams

The Docklands Stadium is officially home ground to five AFL teams. Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs use the stadium as their primary home ground, although all the Victorian-based teams have played home games at the ground. The AFL highest home and away attendance recorded at the Docklands Stadium was set on 5 July 2009 when 54,444 people watched St Kilda play Geelong in Round 14.

Melbourne Victory also play home 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. A record crowd of 39,730 attended the game. After 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 except 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, 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 would play blockbuster and finals games at Docklands, with all other games being played at the new stadium. The Victory still play 5 home games at the venue as well as all home finals matches.

In the 2001 NRL season the stadium was the home ground for the Melbourne Storm. It also hosted one home game in 2008 and three home games in 2010. In 2007 and 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.

The Big Bash League side Melbourne Renegades also plays its home games at the Docklands Stadium.

Records

Attendance

A typical AFL match at Docklands Stadium

Record setting attendance at the 23 May 2012 State of Origin match between Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues

• Largest attendance
  Adele Live 2017
  18 & 19 March 2017
  77,300 people "Etihad Stadium Records".
• Largest entertainment event attendance
  Adele Live 2017
  18 & 19 March 2017
  77,300 people "Etihad Stadium Records". Archived from the original on 21 May 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• Largest series of concerts
  AC/DC
  11, 13 & 15 February 2010
  181,495 people
• Largest rugby union attendance
  2013 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, 29 June 2013
  Australia vs British and Irish Lions
  56,771 people
• Largest One Day International cricket attendance
  Commonwealth Bank Series
  38,364 people
• Largest A-League attendance
  18 February 2007
  Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United
  55,436 people
• Largest rugby league attendance
  State of Origin Game I, 23 May 2012
  Queensland vs New South Wales
  56,021 people
• Largest AFL attendance
  Round 14, 5 July 2009
  St Kilda vs Geelong
  54,444 people
• Largest NRL attendance
  Preliminary final, 23 September 2007
  Melbourne Storm vs Parramatta
  33,427 people
• Largest International Rules attendance
  2nd test, 28 October 2005
  Australia vs Ireland
  45,428 people
• Largest Big Bash League attendance
  Round 5, 7 January 2017
  Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars
  44,189 people
• Largest motorsport attendance
  Speedway Grand Prix, Round 12, 24 October 2015*
  Speedway Grand Prix of Australia
  26,609 people

* Stadium capacity capped at 42,000 for the Speedway Grand Prix

AFL records

Players

• Most games played: Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda), 184
• Most goals kicked: Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda), 452
• Most goals kicked in a match: Mark LeCras (West Coast), 12.2 (74), 17 July 2010 (West Coast 20.12 (132) defeated Essendon 14.16 (100))
• Most disposals in a match: Tom Rockliff (Brisbane Lions), 48 vs. Carlton, 4 June 2016 (Carlton 16.6 (102) defeated Brisbane Lions 9.10 (64)) and Patrick Dangerfield, 48 vs. North Melbourne, 11 June 2016 (Geelong 15.15 (105) defeated North Melbourne 12.2 (74))
• First AFL goal kicked: Michael Long (Essendon), 9 March 2000 (Essendon 24.12 (156) defeated Port Adelaide 8.14 (62))

Teams

• Highest winning percentage: Geelong at 67.89% from 64 wins, 30 losses and one draw
• Lowest winning percentage: Gold Coast at 18.75% from 3 wins, 13 losses
• Most wins: St Kilda with 128 wins, 5 draws and 93 losses at 57.74%
• Highest score: Geelong 35.12 (222) defeated Richmond 9.11 (65), 6 May 2007
• Lowest score: Adelaide 3.6 (24) defeated by St Kilda 19.13 (127), 22 July 2011
• Highest margin: Geelong (vs Richmond), 157 points, 6 May 2007
• Highest score in a quarter: Essendon 15.4 (94) vs. Gold Coast 0.1 (1), 1 May 2011

Last updated 31 August 2017.

International cricket

On 16 August 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 the first game of the 2004 Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series in December and 3 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.

ODI centuries

The following table summarises the ODI centuries scored at Docklands.

No.	Score	Player	Team	Balls	Inns.	Opposing team	Date	Result
1	106	Michael Bevan	Australia	125	1	South Africa	16 August 2000	Won
2	114*	Mark Waugh	Australia	103	1	South Africa	16 August 2000	Won
3	103	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	79	1	ICC World XI	7 October 2005	Won

Rugby league test matches

The Docklands Stadium hosted two Australia internationals. The stadium was in rectangular mode for the 2006 Tri-Nations game.

Date	Opponents	Result	Attendance	Part of
21 October 2006	New Zealand	20–15	30,732	2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations group stage
2 November 2008	England	52–4	36,297	2008 Rugby League World Cup Group A

Rugby league state of origin matches

The Docklands Stadium has hosted three rugby league State of Origin series games between Queensland and New South Wales.

Game	Date	Result	Attendance	Notes
1	5 July 2006	Queensland def. New South Wales 18–16	54,833	2006 State of Origin series Game III
2	3 June 2009	Queensland def. New South Wales 28–18	50,967	2009 State of Origin series Game I
3	23 May 2012	Queensland def. New South Wales 18–10	56,021	2012 State of Origin series Game I

Rugby Union internationals

The Docklands has also hosted a number of rugby union internationals including matches during the 2003 Rugby World Cup which was held in Australia.

Date	Competition	Home team		Away team		Attendance
7 July 2001	2001 Tom Richards Trophy	Australia	13	British and Irish Lions	29	56,605
22 June 2002	2002 Trophée des Bicentenaires	Australia	29	France	17	37,482
6 June 2003	2003 Cook Cup	Australia	14	England	25	54,868
11 October 2003	2003 Rugby World Cup Pool D	New Zealand	70	Italy	7	41,715
12 October 2003	2003 Rugby World Cup Pool D	Wales	41	Canada	10	24,874
17 October 2003	2003 Rugby World Cup Pool D	New Zealand	68	Canada	6	38,899
26 October 2003	2003 Rugby World Cup Pool C	England	35	Samoa	22	50,647
1 November 2003	2003 Rugby World Cup Pool A	Australia	17	Ireland	16	54,206
8 November 2003	2003 Rugby World Cup Quarter-final 1	New Zealand	29	South Africa	9	40,734
9 November 2003	2003 Rugby World Cup Quarter-final 3	France	43	Ireland	21	33,134
13 June 2004	2004 Hopetoun Cup	Australia	35	Scotland	15	38,222
25 June 2005	2005 mid-year internationals	Australia	69	Italy	21	26,520
17 June 2006	2006 Cook Cup	Australia	43	England	18	56,000
14 June 2008	2008 Lansdowne Cup	Australia	18	Ireland	12	41,700
20 June 2009	2009 mid-year internationals	Australia	34	Italy	12	20,280
31 July 2010	2010 Tri Nations Series / Bledisloe Cup	Australia	28	New Zealand	49	51,409
16 June 2012	2012 James Bevan Trophy	Australia	25	Wales	23	33,880
29 June 2013	2013 Tom Richards Trophy	Australia	16	British and Irish Lions	15	56,771
14 June 2014	2014 Trophée des Bicentenaires	Australia	6	France	0	27,189

In popular culture

The venue appeared in the 2007 film Ghost Rider. Its name, wherever visible, was 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 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 and Nine News Melbourne for periods up until 2013 and 2006 respectively when both bulletins took shots overlooking the city's east.

One-off events

Docklands Stadium with an open roof (Good Friday 2011)

Events that have been held at the Docklands Stadium include concerts by many famous artists.

KISS performed on 28 February 2003, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, for their live CD/DVD, Kiss Symphony: Alive IV.

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 has been used for State of Origin series matches when they are played in Melbourne. This ground hosted 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 hosted 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 only National Soccer League game to be held at this stadium.

WWE hosted a non-televised live event at the stadium on 10 August 2002 as part of the Global Warning Tour. The event attracted 56,734 fans.

In May 2013, the stadium hosted a match between Queanbeyan Football Club and Werribee Football Club as part of the Foxtel Cup.

On 14 November 2015, UFC 193 was held at Etihad Stadium. This was the first UFC event to be held in Melbourne. The event attracted a UFC record attendance of 56,214 fans, beating the previous the record for the highest attendance at a UFC event when 55,724 attended UFC 129 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Concerts

Date	Performer(s)	Attendance	Notes
15 & 17 March 2000	Barbra Streisand	70,000	Part of the Timeless Tour
1 December 2002	Red Hot Chili Peppers	21,729	Part of the By The Way Tour
28 February 2003	KISS	59,958	Recording of Kiss Symphony: Alive IV
20 March 2003	Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band		Part of The Rising Tour
10 December 2003	Robbie Williams	57,027	Part of The 2003 Tour
17 December 2005	Green Day	75,439	Part of the American Idiot World Tour
18–19 November 2006	U2	127,275	Part of the Vertigo Tour
17–18 December 2006	Robbie Williams	125,274	Part of the Close Encounters Tour
13–15 November 2008	André Rieu		Part of the stadium tour with the Johann Strauss Orchestra
20 November 2009	Pearl Jam	45,000	Part of the Backspacer Tour
3 March 2010	George Michael	47,000	Part of the George Michael Live in Australia tour
11,13 & 15 February 2010	AC/DC	181,495	Part of the Black Ice World Tour
1 & 3 December 2010	U2	105,312	Part of the U2 360° Tour
11 December 2010	Bon Jovi	54,414	Part of The Circle Tour
31 December 2010	Armin van Buuren	15,000	Part of 'Armin Only Mirage' event
1 December 2011	Eminem	61,405	Part of The Recovery Tour
13 November 2012	Coldplay	63,378	Part of the Mylo Xyloto Tour
5 January 2013	Mariah Carey	46,500	Part of the one-off Australian tour
5–6 March 2013	KISS/Mötley Crüe		Part of the Monster Tour
7 & 8 December 2013	Bon Jovi	91,505	Part of the Because We Can: The Tour
14 December 2013	Taylor Swift	47,257	Part of the Red Tour
19 February 2014	Eminem	59,675	Part of the Rapture Tour
18 & 19 September 2014	Justin Timberlake	41,777	Part of The 20/20 Experience World Tour
14–15 February 2015	One Direction	59,253	Part of On the Road Again Tour
28 February 2015	Foo Fighters	56,981	Part of the Sonic Highways World Tour
6 & 8 December 2015	AC/DC		Part of the Rock or Bust World Tour
12-14 February 2016	Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo	152,673	Five performances
9 & 10 December 2016	Coldplay	109,492	Part of the A Head Full of Dreams Tour
10 March 2017	Justin Bieber	54,821	Part of the Purpose World Tour
18 & 19 March 2017	Adele	152,300	Part of the Adele Live 2017 Tour
9, 10, 11 & 12 March 2018	Ed Sheeran	—	Part of the ÷ Tour

External links

• Official website
• Satellite photo of Docklands Stadium
• Docklands Stadium at Austadiums