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The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park in East Melbourne, inner Melbourne, home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the largest stadium in Australia, and holds the world record for the highest light towers at any sporting venue. The MCG is within walking distance of the city centre, and is serviced by Richmond railway station, Richmond and Jolimont railway station, East Melbourne. It is part of the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct. Internationally, the MCG is remembered as the centerpiece stadium of both the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The open-air stadium is also one of the world's most famous cricket venues, with the well-attended Boxing Day Test match commencing on Boxing Day every year. Throughout the winter, it serves as the home of Australian rules football, with at least one game (though usually more) held there each round. The stadium fills to capacity for the AFL Grand Final in late September. Until the 1970s, more than 120,000 people sometimes crammed into the venue - the record crowd standing at around 130,000 for a Billy Graham evangelistic crusade in 1959, followed by 121,696 for the 1970 VFL Grand Final. Renovations and safety regulations now limit the maximum capacity to just over 100,000. This makes it the fourth largest stadium in the world. The MCG, often referred to by locals as "The G", has also hosted other major events, including International Rules between the Australian Football League and Gaelic Athletic Association, international Rugby union, State of Origin rugby league, FIFA World Cup qualifiers and International Friendly matches, serves as the finish line for the Melbourne Marathon, and also large rock concerts. Punt Road Oval, home of Richmond Football Club is located only a few hundred metres to the east of the stadium. The MCG is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and was included on the Australian National Heritage List on Boxing Day, December 2005. It is referred to within Victoria as the "Spiritual Home of Australian Sport". On the 30th of January 2009, the MCG was named as one of the 7 wonders of the sporting world. |
