Telstra Dome

Telstra Dome
Docklands Stadium, The Dome, The Phone Dome
Location	Docklands, Melbourne
Broke ground	1996
Opened	2000
Owner	James Fielding Funds Management
Operator	Melbourne Stadiums Limited Access One
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	$250 million AUD
Architect	Daryl Jackson Architects and Hok Sport Architecture
Former names	Colonial Stadium Victoria Stadium Docklands Stadium
Tenants
Carlton Blues (AFL) (2000-present) Essendon Bombers (AFL) (2000-present) Kangaroos (AFL) (2000-present) St. Kilda Saints (AFL) (2000-present) Western Bulldogs (AFL) (2000-present) Melbourne Victory (A-League) (2006-until new Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is built) Melbourne Storm (NRL) (2001 and 2007 for one game)
Capacity
56,347 [1]

This page refers to the Melbourne sporting stadium. There is also a Telstra Stadium in Sydney.

Telstra Dome is a stadium in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, that caters for both sporting and entertainment events. The stadium was opened on March 9 2000, as Colonial Stadium. The name was changed to Telstra Dome on October 1 2002 when the telecommunications company Telstra acquired the naming rights from Colonial State Bank.

The stadium was developed as a replacement for Waverley Park. The Seven Network previously owned the stadium, but on June 21 2006 sold its interests to James Fielding Funds Management for $AUD 330 million.^[1] In 2020 the network was meant to hand the stadium to the AFL.

Like Waverley, it was built specifically for Australian rules football, unlike most grounds of that size in Australia that were originally designed for cricket. It is used as a home ground by Carlton, Essendon, St Kilda and Western Bulldogs. It is also a partial home ground for the Kangaroos, and other Melbourne based teams in the AFL competition (along with the MCG). In the summer months, it is used as the home ground for the Melbourne Victory team games in the A-League football (soccer) competition. The stadium has also been host to other sporting events, including cricket, rugby league and rugby union, as well as many general entertainment events such as concerts (Robbie Williams and U2),wrestling (WWE Global Warning, 2002), and boxing (Kostya Tszyu vs Jesse James Leilya, 2003).

The non-commercial name for the venue is Docklands Stadium, which is named for its location in Melbourne Docklands. The name is used primarily by those who wish to mention the stadium without referring to Telstra, such as non-commercial organisations like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is also colloquially referred to as simply the Dome, particularly by clubs who are sponsored by rival telecommunications companies. Some club and AFL supporters also refer to it as Phone Dome.

Stadium Features

Telstra Dome.

• Retractable roof 38 metres above playing surface, opens east-west, and takes 8 minutes to fully open or close.
• Movable seating
• 'Colosseum' arena structure
• Two large internal replay screens which display scores and advertisements.
• External Super screen
• 1,000 video seats
• 13 function rooms
• 66 corporate boxes
• Premium Club membership area, The Medallion Club
• 2,500 car parks below the ground
• Oval shaped, turf playing surface of 19,053 square metres (170m x 140m)
• Over 700 2000-watt lights for arena illumination
• A varying capacity of 12,000 - 74,000- depending on the event. For example seats can be laid on the ground.
• An AFL capacity of 53,355
• The ends of the ground, where the AFL goal posts are located, are named after VFL/AFL goal-kicking legends Tony 'Plugga' Lockett and Gordon Coventry. The northern end is the Lockett End, and the southern end, the Coventry End.

Turf & Surface Issues

A panoramic view of the interior of Telstra Dome with the roof closed. Taken during a Collingwood vs. Port Adelaide AFL match. July 1, 2005

Since its inception, Telstra Dome has endured a barrage of criticism over the quality and suitability of its turf, in particular for AFL requirements. It has been criticized by players and coaches for its slipperiness, hardness and lack of grass coverage.^[2] 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 Telstra Dome management.^[3]

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.^[4]

In August 2007, Telstra Dome 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 Telstra Dome officials to several World Cup soccer venues in Germany, locations in the USA and Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium.^[5]

Studies have also been conducted due to concerns that hard surfaces like Telstra Dome increase the likelihood of player injury, in particular in contributing to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.^[6]

Events

2000

Telstra Dome as seen from the Docklands side.

• Super Challenge, One Day International Cricket Series - Australia v South Africa (3 matches). These were the first indoor one day internationals ever played.
• Rugby Union International - Australia v South Africa
• Ultimate Rock Symphony Concert
• Barbra Streisand Concert
• Ricky Martin Concert
• Catholic Jubilee Mass
• World Reconciliation Day Concert

2001

• Rugby Union International - Australia v British and Irish Lions
• National Rugby League - Melbourne Storm home games (13 matches)
• National Soccer League - South Melbourne v Melbourne Knights

2002

• Super Challenge II, One Day International Cricket Series - Australia v Pakistan (3 matches)
• Rugby Union International - Australia v France
• Global Warning World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) event
• 2002 AFL Brownlow Medal
• 2002 Grand Final Breakfast
• M-One Rock Concert
• Red Hot Chili Peppers Concert
• Rumba Concert
• Leeds United vs Colo Colo

AFL night match at the Telstra Dome

2003

• World Title Fight - Kostya Tszyu v Jesse James Leija
• KISS Symphony Concert - KISS and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
• Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Concert
• Rugby Union International- Australia v England
• Rugby World Cup 2003 (7 matches)
• Robbie Williams Concert
• The Big Day In

2004

• FIFA Match – Australia v Turkey
• 2004 AFL Coaches Awards
• 2004 Chappell-Hadlee Trophy match 1 Australia vs New Zealand
• Rugby union International - Australia v Scotland

2005

• Australia Unites Telethon
• Festival Victoria
• ICC Super Series, One Day International Cricket Series - Australia vs 'The Rest of the World' (3 matches)
• Green Day Concert
• Rugby union International - Australia v Italy

2006

England playing the Wallabies in a rugby union test match for the Cook Cup.

• Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens (27 matches)
• Rugby union International - Australia v England
• U2 filmed both shows of their Vertigo Tour in the dome
• State of Origin III, NRL, New South Wales v Queensland
• 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations - Australia v New Zealand. This will be the first time since 2002 that the stadium will utilise its Movable seating for a sporting event
• Robbie Williams Close Encounters World Tour concert
• Melbourne Victory home matches - eight of their eleven 2006-07 A-League season home games have been moved here from Olympic Park Stadium

2007

• 2006-07 A-League Major Semi-Final and Grand Final
• Tool 2007 10,000 Days Tour
• Melbourne Storm vs. Parramatta Eels preliminary final [2]

Annual/Regular

• RMIT Graduation Ceremony
• AFL Premiership Season (approx. 44 matches)
• AFL Finals Series (approx. 2 matches)
• NAB Cup (approx. 4 matches)
• E.J Whitten Legends Game
• Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal
• Hyundai A-League Melbourne Victory home matches

Attendance records

• Largest attendance
  Catholic Jubilee Mass
  November 15 2000
  70,000 people
• Largest entertainment event attendance
  Robbie Williams Close Encounters Tour
  December 18 2006
  66,500 people
• Largest sporting event attendance
  Rugby Union - Australia v British and Irish Lions
  August 7 2001
  56,605 people
• Largest A-League attendance
  February 2007
  Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United A-league Final
  55,436 people
• Largest AFL attendance
  Round 12, June 15 2007
  Carlton v Hawthorn
  53,459 people

Trivia

• St. Kilda did not lose a game at the Telstra Dome during the 2004 season, winning 13 straight games played at the venue that year. Their first loss at The Dome came a year later against the Kangaroos, Round 3, 2005.
• The Telstra Dome appears in the 2007 movie Ghost Rider in which its name, wherever visible, has been digitally changed to the SoBe Dome.
• Melbourne Victory FC will split home games at the venue, with blockbusters that attract over 35,000 to be moved to the Dome, while most season matches for the Victory will be played out of the 32,000 capacity Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. All Victory AFC Champions League matches will be played at Docklands in 2007.
• The Melbourne Storm played all of their home matches in the 2001 season at this venue. However, it did not work, with attendances decreasing. The following year, they moved back to Olympic Park.

External links

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

References

1. ^ "Seven sells Telstra Dome stake", News Limited, 2006-07-21. 
2. ^ "Surface Tension ends at Telstra Dome", Australian Stadiums, 2007-06-24. 
3. ^ "Turf Experiment for Dome", Australian Football Association of North America, 2006-08-27. 
4. ^ "Turf's up at the Dome", Herald Sun, 2007-08-15. 
5. ^ "Turf's up at the Dome", Herald Sun, 2007-08-15. 
6. ^ "Dried out grounds bring hard times", The University of Melbourne Voice, 2007-04-30. 

Coordinates: 37°48′59.35″S, 144°56′50.35″E

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