Margaret Court Arena

Margaret Court Arena

Arena in use during the 2017 Australian Open
Full name	Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park
Former names	Show Court 1 (1988-2003)
Location	Melbourne Park, MSEP Melbourne, Victoria Australia
Owner	Melbourne & Olympic Parks
Operator	Melbourne & Olympic Parks
Capacity	7,500 Formerly 6,000
Surface	Plexicushion (Tennis) Hardwood (Basketball / Netball)
Construction
Broke ground	1987
Built	1987
Opened	1988
Renovated	2014
Expanded	2014
Construction cost	A$ 180 million (2014 expansion)
Architect	NH Architecture and Populous
Tenants
Australian Open (Grand Slam) (tennis) (1988–present) Davis Cup (Australian national team) Melbourne United (NBL) (2014–2015) Melbourne Vixens (Super Netball) (2015–present) Collingwood Magpies Netball (Super Netball) (2017–present)

Margaret Court Arena is an Australian tennis and multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue located in Melbourne, Victoria. The arena, which was built in 1987, has a capacity of 7,500. The venue is part of the National Tennis Centre at Melbourne Park, which is part of the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct (MSEP).

Originally named Show Court One, the venue was opened in 1988, the year the Australian Open tennis championships moved from Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club to Melbourne Park. The show court had a capacity of 6,000 people and was renamed to Margaret Court Arena in early 2003, as a tribute to Australia’s most successful female tennis player.

In response to the issue of recurring heatwaves at the Australian Open, as well as a demand for a smaller multi-purpose stadium in the city, the Victorian Government announced in January 2010 a redevelopment plan for Margaret Court Arena, to occur in tandem with a broader upgrade to the Melbourne Park precinct, at a total cost of $363 million.Lend Lease Group was awarded the tender in October 2011, at which point the Government announced the cost of the upgrade to the arena exclusively; $180 million. Construction of the arena began in March 2012 and was undertaken by NH Architecture and Populous.

The redevelopment made the arena the third in the precinct to have a retractable roof and increased the stadium capacity from 6,000 to 7,500 seats. The redevelopment was completed in January 2015, prior to that month's Australian Open. The arena is the third largest capacity venue at the Australian Open tournament, behind the 15,000 capacity Rod Laver Arena (centre court) and the 10,500 seat Hisense Arena.