Vodafone Arena
Encyclopedia
Hisense Arena is a sports venue that is part of the Melbourne Park
complex, in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
. The current arena's name was purchased in July of 2008.
. The arena features a cycling track which is covered over with seating for court events. The tennis court is a Plexicushion
surface and the roof is retractable, making it one of the few venues where tennis can be played during rain.
The South Dragons
NBL team had made the Venue its home court. Formerly, the Victoria Titans
and Melbourne Tigers
used it as their home, until high rental prices forced the teams to find other venues. Until this recent move the venue was largely empty outside of the two weeks of the Australian Open
tennis tournament. The Dragons withdrew from the competition after winning the championship in 2009, leaving the arena and the NBL.
In August 2004, the Multi Purpose Venue hosted its only WWE
show as part of the Return of the Deadman Tour. It has been used for netball
since 1997 for Melbourne Phoenix
and Melbourne Kestrels
games in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy
. The Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne Kestrels played their last home game there before aligning to become the Melbourne Vixens
. The Melbourne Vixens now use it for home games in the ANZ Championship
.
The largest netball attendance at the arena was set on 20 November 2004 when 10,300 saw Australia
defeat New Zealand 53-51. The largest basketball crowd was set on 18 October 2008 when 9,308 fans attended a local derby NBL game to see the Dragons defeat the Tigers 108-80.
in a multi-million dollar six year deal.
tennis tournament. It is generally used only during the day, in the first week and a half of the tournament. The first Australian Open match to be played in the Multi Purpose Venue, on 15 January 2001, lasted less than ten minutes, Monica Seles
advancing through the first round when Brie Rippner was injured in the second game of the match. The first match completed on the court was Tim Henman
's first round win over Hicham Arazi
.
the stadium was used for basketball and other sports, its name changed to "Multi-Purpose Venue", with all Vodafone-related signs covered over with black shrouds because Telstra
, a competitor of Vodafone, was a major sponsor of the Games.
due to its higher capacity, however, the Multi Purpose Venue provides a suitable alternative when the Laver is unavailable.
Melbourne Park
Melbourne Park is a sports venue in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Since 1988, Melbourne Park has been home of the Australian Open in tennis, which is played annually in January...
complex, in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The current arena's name was purchased in July of 2008.
History
Construction of the arena, which has a maximum capacity of 11,000 people, commenced in the late 1990s, and was completed in 2000. It was originally called the Multi-Purpose Venue, until the naming rights were sold to VodafoneVodafone Australia
Vodafone Australia is a mobile telephone company, a subsidiary of Vodafone Hutchison Australia. Vodafone Australia was formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Plc ....
. The arena features a cycling track which is covered over with seating for court events. The tennis court is a Plexicushion
Plexicushion
Plexicushion is a tennis surface system made by Plexipave, a company based in Massachusetts, USA.- Description :According to the Plexipave website there are four different types of Plexicushion...
surface and the roof is retractable, making it one of the few venues where tennis can be played during rain.
The South Dragons
South Dragons
The South Dragons is a former team in the Australasian National Basketball League . They made their début in the 2006/07 season and played their final season in 2008/09...
NBL team had made the Venue its home court. Formerly, the Victoria Titans
Victoria Titans
The Victoria Titans were an Australian basketball team, that played in Melbourne, Victoria, in the National Basketball League. The team was the result of a merger of two Melbourne clubs for the inaugural NBL summer season of 1998/99...
and Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne Tigers
The Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...
used it as their home, until high rental prices forced the teams to find other venues. Until this recent move the venue was largely empty outside of the two weeks of the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
tennis tournament. The Dragons withdrew from the competition after winning the championship in 2009, leaving the arena and the NBL.
In August 2004, the Multi Purpose Venue hosted its only WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
show as part of the Return of the Deadman Tour. It has been used for netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
since 1997 for Melbourne Phoenix
Melbourne Phoenix
The Melbourne Phoenix were an Australian netball team. They were one of two teams representing the city of Melbourne, Victoria in the national Commonwealth Bank Trophy. They have been replaced by the Melbourne Vixens in the ANZ Championship...
and Melbourne Kestrels
Melbourne Kestrels
The Melbourne Kestrels were an Australian netball team. They were based out of the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Melbourne, Victoria and were one of two teams from the city to compete in the national Commonwealth Bank Trophy, alongside the Melbourne Phoenix. The Kestrels were coached by Jane...
games in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy
Commonwealth Bank Trophy
The Commonwealth Bank Trophy was the pre-eminent national netball competition in Australia from 1997 to 2007.It was established in 1997 as a true national league to replace the ailing, state club-based Mobil League. Designed from the beginning to be more marketable to the general public, it saw...
. The Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne Kestrels played their last home game there before aligning to become the Melbourne Vixens
Melbourne Vixens
The Melbourne Vixens are an Australian netball team in Melbourne that compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The team were formed in 2007 as an amalgamation of the Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne Kestrels from the previous Commonwealth Bank Trophy. Sharelle McMahon and Bianca Chatfield have...
. The Melbourne Vixens now use it for home games in the ANZ Championship
ANZ Championship
The ANZ Championship is the pre-eminent netball league in the world. The competition is held annually between April and July, comprising 69 matches played over 17 weeks. It is contested by ten teams, five from Australia and five from New Zealand...
.
The largest netball attendance at the arena was set on 20 November 2004 when 10,300 saw Australia
Australia national netball team
The Australia national netball team, commonly known as the Australian Netball Diamonds, represent Australia in international netball tests and competitions. The team was formed in 1938 and played in the first international game of netball, against New Zealand...
defeat New Zealand 53-51. The largest basketball crowd was set on 18 October 2008 when 9,308 fans attended a local derby NBL game to see the Dragons defeat the Tigers 108-80.
Naming rights history
On 12 May 2008, it was announced that as of 1 July 2008, Vodafone Arena would be renamed Hisense ArenaHisense
Hisense is a multinational electronics manufacturer based in China. It is a state-owned enterprise with publicly traded subsidiaries.The Hisense Group comprises two publicly traded companies, Hisense Electric Co Ltd, listed on the Shanghai stock exchange and Hisense Kelon Electrical Holdings Co...
in a multi-million dollar six year deal.
Australian Open
Every year, the Multi Purpose Venue hosts many matches as part of the Australian OpenAustralian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
tennis tournament. It is generally used only during the day, in the first week and a half of the tournament. The first Australian Open match to be played in the Multi Purpose Venue, on 15 January 2001, lasted less than ten minutes, Monica Seles
Monica Seles
Monica Seles is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Novi Sad, Serbia, former Yugoslavia to Hungarian parents. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994 and also received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007...
advancing through the first round when Brie Rippner was injured in the second game of the match. The first match completed on the court was Tim Henman
Tim Henman
Timothy Henry "Tim" Henman OBE is a retired English professional tennis player and former British Number One. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis that suited the grass courts of Wimbledon. He was the first player from the United Kingdom since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the...
's first round win over Hicham Arazi
Hicham Arazi
Hicham Arazi is a male tennis player from Morocco. He played professionally from 1993 to the end of the 2007. The left-hander reached his highest singles ranking in the ATP Tour on November 5, 2001, when he reached number 22 in the world. During his career, Arazi captured one singles title, in...
.
Commonwealth Games
During the Commonwealth Games2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
the stadium was used for basketball and other sports, its name changed to "Multi-Purpose Venue", with all Vodafone-related signs covered over with black shrouds because Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
, a competitor of Vodafone, was a major sponsor of the Games.
Concerts
The Multi Purpose Venue also plays hosts to Australian and international musical artists. Despite the more modern construction and facilities of the Multi Purpose Venue, promoters generally prefer Rod Laver ArenaRod Laver Arena
Rod Laver Arena is a tennis stadium that is part of the Melbourne Park complex located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and has been the main venue for the Australian Open in tennis since 1988, replacing the ageing Kooyong Stadium...
due to its higher capacity, however, the Multi Purpose Venue provides a suitable alternative when the Laver is unavailable.