National Sports Museum at MCG gets $17m revamp to attract new generation of fans
The National Sports Museum at the MCG is to be revamped and a treasure trove of sporting memorabilia temporarily will be off limits during a $17 million transformation.
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The home of Australian sport will undergo a $17.1 million redevelopment to give it a much-needed modern facelift.
The National Sports Museum at the MCG will be revamped and a treasure trove of Australian sporting memorabilia temporarily will be off limits to the public while it undergoes a significant transformation.
The MCC and Andrews Government will tomorrow unveil plans to breathe new life into the shrine to Australian sport beneath the nation’s greatest stadium.
AFL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES REFLECT ON CAREERS
It will include an expansion of the AFL Hall of Fame, more-modern facilities, expanded screens and interactive exhibitions.
MCC president Steven Smith said old-school plaques would make way for touch screens and videos to make the museum more appealing to a new generation of sports fans.
“This upgrade will ensure a visit to the National Sports Museum is fun, exciting and interactive and offer a shared family experience that will encourage people to come back over and over again,’’ he said.
The museum features Australia’s biggest sporting collection, displaying memorabilia from some of the country’s biggest sporting heroes.
But several of its exhibits are dated, such as a 3D hologram experience of Shane Warne reliving his career billed as “state-of-the-art”. More holograms will be included in the revamp, with AFL heroes Buddy Franklin, Dustin Martin and Patrick Dangerfield likely to be considered.
There will be a bigger focus on female athletes, with the likes of cricket stars such as Meg Lanning and soccer ace Sam Kerr in the running for starring roles.
And trailblazing AFLW players such as Daisy Pearce will take their rightful place in the museum.
Plans for the redevelopment — to be finished in time for the 2020 ICC T20 World Cup — include:
A FULL revamp of the interactive “Game On” gallery.
A NEW Australian football section with a more interactive Hall of Fame.
NEW sports star holograms.
UPGRADED education zone for school groups.
AN enhanced celebration of grassroots sports.
The 11-year-old museum opened in March 2008.
Exhibits includes Don Bradman’s baggy green cap, Cathy Freeman’s running suit from the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games cauldron.
More than 140,000 people visit the museum each year but it is hoped the upgrade will lure even more visitors.
The Victorian Government will chip in $5 million towards the project.
Sports Minister Martin Pakula — who will join swimming great Shane Gould to announce the project tomorrow — said the museum captured the nation’s sporting spirit and success.
“The MCG is a Victorian icon, and there’s no better place to honour our nation’s greatest sporting moments than at our greatest sporting venue,” he said.
“By showcasing the best of Australian sport at the National Sports Museum, we’re enhancing Melbourne’s reputation as Australia’s sporting capital and inspiring the next generation of athletes.”
The museum will be closed from mid-August and open in the lead-up to the women’s World Cup next March.
‘Angels’: Hero Coles workers save mum’s life
A mother of three has opened up on how her life was saved after she suddenly collapsed while doing a routine supermarket shop.
Wildlife and traffic fears over music festival
Wildlife advocates fear a weekend music festival in central Victoria will endanger native animals including rescued joeys.