As some of you might already know, we’ve been doing some work to make Melbourne Arena even bigger and better.

As some of you might already know, we’ve been doing some work to make Melbourne Arena even bigger and better. The Victorian Government has granted us the resources to transform Melbourne Arena, as well as other exciting changes:

• A redevelopment of the State Basketball Centre, Wantirna South;
• A business case into the construction of a new arena at the State Basketball Centre;
• The expansion of Basketball Victoria’s high-performance programs through the establishment of seven regional hubs.

All these big developments have been put in motion because the Government believes in investing in basketball. They’re committing millions of dollars to make Victoria the basketball capital of Australia.

So, what does this all mean?

Well, aside from the fact that ‘Victoria: basketball capital of Australia’ has a nice ring to it, it means that Victoria has granted us and other venues the resources to make basketball even more popular and the opportunity to really bring it to the forefront of people’s minds.

Melbourne Arena is the premier basketball venue in Victoria and is home to the National Basketball League (NBL) side, Melbourne United.

The upcoming season could be the biggest one yet as we’re hosting matches involving United and the newly established NBL side, South East Melbourne Phoenix.

As Phoenix took the all-important first win last Thursday, it’s very much all to play for when they next face off on November 2nd. There’s no doubt that the rivalry between these two Melbourne based sides will put the spotlight on basketball and really capture the attention of the public.

While Melbourne Arena draws in big crowds (we had 454,546 visitors last year alone) and hosts upwards of 100 sports and major events a year, there’s always room for improvement.

An upgraded Melbourne Arena will:

• Provide a flawless audio-visual experience for guests through the installation of a new ‘cube’ and improved sound system;
• Make sure corporate partners and visitors can easily find food and drinks;
• Effectively use space in and around the venue for fan engagement and commercial activities, as well as food and beverage sales.

Exciting, right?

Overall, we’re hoping to make Melbourne Arena even more memorable. Somewhere fans are buzzing to visit, somewhere teams can’t wait to play.

We want to lift the venue to a standard befitting the quality of the NBL competition, leading the way to greater opportunities for both Melbourne NBL clubs to maximise revenue and remain in the spotlight.

Basketball fans will no doubt notice a difference in the venue, but it will also benefit fans of other sports and entertainment events, as the new and improved arena will help everyone to have an unforgettable experience each and every time they visit.