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  • Essay / Melbourne, the city of “events” - 821

    After being named the most liveable city for the third time in a row (Staff, 2014), Melbourne is definitely having a moment. But can the most pleasant city to live in also be the most sporty? The Ultimate Sports City has been won by Melbourne “three times – 2006, 2008 and 2010” (Heenan & Dustan, 2014) and once again, Melbourne is on the list of 5 finalists for the bi-annual award presented by Sport Business (SportBusiness Group). , 2014). The purpose of this essay is to justify this award and Melbourne's position in the global sports market. This will be supported by studying the number of global sporting events hosted by Melbourne, the location of sporting arenas in relation to another highly regarded sporting city, London. , as well as taking into account attendance rates and how sport drives Melbourne's economy.EventsJust looking at the number of international level sports played in Melbourne, there is no denying that it would be a contender again competitively priced at Ultimate Sports City. Almost every two months something big happens in Melbourne. With "the Australian Open played annually in January, the Australian Football League Grand Final played annually in September and the Spring Racing Carnival in October and November, all contribute to the promotion of Melbourne and Victoria as as prime sporting venues for potential tourists” (Gamage & Higgs, p.16). This doesn't even include the International Cricket played at the MCG during the Australian summer or the Grand Prix held at Albert Park every March. LocationOne of Melbourne's strengths as an events city is the proximity of sports fields and arenas to the city centre. “The particular location of a sports field will improve or decrease its quality of life. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113 (2), pp. 143--148. O'hanlon, S. 2009. The event city: sport, culture and the transformation of inner-city Melbourne, 1977-2006. Urban History Review/Revue d’histoireurbane, 37 (2).SportBusiness Group. 2014. Five cities shortlisted for the Ultimate Sports City Award. [online] Available at: http://www.sportbusiness.com/sportbusiness-international/five-cities-shortlisted-ultimate-sports-city-award [Accessed: March 21, 2014].Staff, C. 2014. Melbourne succeeds three years in a row as the most liveable city in the world. [online] Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/28/travel/melbourne-most-livable-city/ [Accessed: March 21, 2014].Tom Heenan, DD 2014. Melbourne: The Ultimate Sports City. [online] Available at: http://www.backpagelead.com.au/index.php/afl/12069-melbourne-the-ultimate-sports-city [Accessed March 21 2014].