Occupancy of the MCG is shared equally between Australian football (April to September inclusive) and cricket (October to March), although by mutual agreement the sports’ controlling bodies may vary arrangements slightly from time to time.
Australian Football
The MCC has a long-term agreement with the Australian Football League that expires in 2037 to schedule a minimum of 45 home and away matches annually, plus a minimum number of finals matches, including the grand final.
More than two million fans watch football at the MCG annually, with approximately 2.8 million clicking through the turnstiles in the 2009 AFL season.
The Grand Final usually attracts a crowd of at least 98,000 and in most seasons five or six home and away matches draw 80,000-plus to the ground.
Four AFL clubs – Collingwood, Hawthorn, Melbourne and Richmond – play their home matches at the MCG.
Cricket
Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria stage interstate and international cricket at the ground on about 30 days each summer.
The Melbourne Test, which starts on Boxing Day, draws crowds of 60-80,000 for what is always a very special day for fans of the traditional game.
Overall attendances for cricket, including one-day internationals and the popular new Twenty20 format average more than 300,000 each season.
Victoria’s elite team, the Victorian Bushrangers, plays Pura Cup matches, Ford Ranger Cup matches and Twenty20 Big Bash matches at the MCG each season.
The tenancy of football and cricket authorities does not preclude other events such as concerts and rugby and soccer matches being staged at the ground when fixturing allows.
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