The MCG’s recent NFL game has further solidified Melbourne’s sporting reputation. Photo: Development Victoria, Victorian Government.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground has made history, attracting more than 100,000 fans for the first NFL regular-season game in the Asia-Pacific region.
Fans from more than 30 countries came to see the clash between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, with almost half of all tickets sold to travellers from interstate or overseas.
The crowd was the seventh-largest in NFL history and the second-largest for an NFL regular-season game outside the US.
The MCG also hosted its sixth audience of more than 100,000 in the past five years.
“Some 100,021 fans packed the MCG, the world watched Melbourne and thousands of visitors came to Victoria to be part of history — this is what a major event looks like,” Minister for Major Events Anthony Carbines said.
“This is exactly why we go after the world’s biggest events — they bring visitors to Victoria, put money into our businesses, support jobs and showcase Melbourne to millions around the world.”
Free-to-air broadcast viewers on Network Seven reached 2.19 million, with audiences tuning in from across the world on Netflix and ESPN.
The NFL put Melbourne in the global spotlight, with more than 13,000 domestic media mentions of the game recorded by 6 pm on Friday.
According to NAB, more than $300 million was expected to be spent across Melbourne, spread across the CBD, Docklands and the MCG, with fans patronising hotels, pubs, shops and restaurants.
Hotel occupancy in Melbourne soared to 92 per cent on the night before the game and 83 per cent on game day.
Melbourne is now the first city in the world to host a Formula One Grand Prix, a tennis Grand Slam and an NFL regular-season game, elevating the Victorian capital as a centre for major events.
Visit Victoria CEO Brendan McClements said: “There’s more to come, too, with an unprecedented calendar of events over the next six months, including the AFL grand final, the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the return of Rory McIlroy at the Australian Open golf and the 150th anniversary Test.
“The impact goes well beyond game day. Tens of millions of people around the world have seen Melbourne at its best, converting global attention into future visitation and giving people another reason to visit.”
Victoria’s major events calendar generated $3.64 billion in economic impact last year, attracting close to 8 million attendances and supporting nearly 17,000 jobs across the events sector and the visitor economy.
Last year alone, the government estimates, more than 848,000 people travelled from interstate and overseas to attend major events in Victoria.
