What’s the Buzz: Melbourne topping Sydney in sports calendar

The luring of Rory McIlroy is the latest in a long list of blue-ribbon sporting events to land in Melbourne. It’s time for NSW Premier Chris Minns to do something about it.

Phil Rothfield

@BuzzRothfield

less than 2 min read

May 17, 2025 - 6:55PM

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First the NFL and now golf champion Rory McIlroy – Melbourne is smashing Sydney on bringing the biggest sports and superstars to Australia.

NSW didn’t even bid to get the Australian Open golf – the tournament that will draw the US Masters champ down under for the first time in more than a decade.

The Irishman isn’t just one of the most popular golfers in the world, he’s one of the most popular athletes on the planet.

And given the Victorian Government is paying, you can be sure there’s a clause that will stop him doing anything in NSW or elsewhere.

The Victorian sporting calendar is full to the brim and has a match for every major event played in NSW – and the kicker is that we’ll never get the Australian Open tennis or the F1.

That’s why huge new sporting events like the NFL are so important and so valuable for the cities that host them.

Rory McIlroy will play the Australian Open in Melbourne. Picture: AP Photo/David J. Phillip

The NFL will bring the attention of the world to Melbourne when the LA Rams play the first regular season NFL match on Australian soil in 2026.

It will be like a mini-Olympics with global exposure for Melbourne, tourists flying in from everywhere, full hotels, busy restaurants, and huge economic benefits for Melbourne and beyond.

Adelaide has the LIV Golf festival, which is the only place in the world where the mega-rich competition works.

And it’s a rolled gold certainty that Queensland Premier David Crisafulli will be looking for massive sporting events to open his new Olympic stadium as they get ready for Brisbane 2032.

As for NSW … we’re just left behind, apart from hosting UFC which half the population hates.

Same old events, same old story.

No commitment from the NSW government to even fix or modernise Accor Stadium to attract more global sport and entertainment.

It’s time for Premier Chris Minns get in the game.