Melbourne Arena to be renamed in honour of John Cain

A little over a year after being rebranded Melbourne Arena, the Melbourne Park venue is set to be given another new name – John Cain Arena.

The 10,300-capacity multi-purpose arena will be renamed to honour the late Victoria Premier John Cain who is credited with keeping the Australian Open in Melbourne. The name change will take place in December.

Melbourne Arena opened as Vodafone Arena in 2000, before becoming Hisense Arena in 2008. It was given its current name in August 2018 following an agreement between Tennis Australia and the Victorian Government which at the time was for “at least the next five years” to promote the Melbourne brand to international audiences.

Current Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews made the announcement on Monday that the venue would be rebranded in tribute to the former state Premier, who died in December at the age of 88.

“People will see his name and know the story of a man who made our state a better place.” Mr Andrews said the renaming of the arena will happen in the coming months, with the move endorsed by Tennis Australia, which has agreed to relinquish naming rights.

John Cain served as 41st Victoria Premier from 1982 to 1990 and played a major role in the Australian Open’s relocation from Melbourne’s Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club to the Melbourne Park complex in 1988.

The second-largest stadium at Melbourne Park, the arena hosts key matches during the first week of the Australian Open and is also the home court of Melbourne’s two NBL teams, two Super Netball teams, as well as cycling events and concerts.

The venue is essentially the ‘third’ venue at the Australian Open following the redevelopment of Margaret Court Arena, but is a popular venue, generally known as ‘the people's court’, with fans able to enter on a ground pass ticket and generating an electric atmosphere.

The 2020 Australian Open attracted a total of 812,174 fans across the 14 days, smashing the previous attendance record of 796,435 from 2019.