pb_events

Events The Melbourne Cricket Ground is a very special ground. It has several names such as the G, MCG and the People's ground. The MCG is used for many events like football, cricket, soccer and many more events.There have been many famous concerts at the G, some include Michael Jackson in November 1996, Mick Jagger in March in 1995, Elton John and Billy Joel in March 1998 and the Sound Relief in 2009. The G has the AFL grand final every year in the last weekend in september. The G is preffered by most people for major events or concerts, as its the largest Cricket ground in the world and holds a crowd of 100,000 plus. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is regarded as Australia's premier sporting venue for over one hundred years now. Its has hosted many of the country's biggiest Cricket and Australian Rules Football. Many historic events are played at the MCG such as the AFL Grand Final which is only played on the last weekend in September.The boxing day test match is played every year at the MCG.The Australian cricket team plays a different opponent each test series.This year (2009) Australia will be playing Pakistan in the Boxing Day Test match.

The Ashes is a test series played every 2 years against Australia and England. It is played at England and Australia, at all major sporting venues such as the Lord's, MCG, SCG, Gabba, Wacca, Old Trafford cricket ground, County cricket ground, etc. The winner of this series will gain the ashes, which is nothing but a small wooden urn consisting of possibly a burnt bail. In 2005/06 Australia played England in the ashes, when Australia white washed England 5-0, and in that series Shane Warne got his 500th test wicket at the MCG. The Ashes test series started in 1877, between Australia and England, although the name, 'The Ashes', was acquired in 1882, when Australia beat England at the Oval, which was the first time Austalia won on the English soil.

The MCG has many home teams such as Hawthorn, Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon, that sometimes train at the G' during the football season and play matches on a Friday nights and the weekends. Durning the cricket season, the Victorian Bushrangers train in the cricket nets located near gate one and they have their home games at the G. The Australian Cricket team also play and train at the MCG when they visit Melbourne.

Some other sporting spectacles that have been held there include Australian World Cup soccer qualifiers, rugby league home and away matches and State of Origin as well as Bledisloe Cup rugby union clashes.The MCG has also witnessed many blockbuster music concerts, and even the Pope John Paul II held a mass there when he visited Melbourne in 1986. In addition, the World Police and Fire Games in 1995 and World Masters Games 2002 have featured at the ground.

The first known soccer match was between Victoria and Tasmania was played at the MCG. Now there has been more than 45 soccer matches played at the G. Some of the games have been friendlys, world cup qualifiers and up to olympic competition.The record for a soccer match at the MCG was 95,103 when Australia played Greece and won 1-0.

The MCG has hosted three Bledisloe Cup rugby union matches in its history, with an average attendance of a healthy 81,529. In 1997, a total of 90,119 people saw New Zealand win 33-18. One year later, another 75,127 attended Australia’s 24-16 victory.On June 30, 2007 a crowd of 79,322 saw Australia win 20-15 after three years domination by the All Blacks. The All-Blacks(New Zealand) are currently placed no.1 in the world at Rugby.

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