Kooyong Stadium Explained
Kooyong Stadium, at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, is an Australian tennis venue, located in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak, adjacent to the namesake suburb of Kooyong. The stadium was built in 1927, and has undergone several renovations.
It has a seating capacity of slightly more than 5,000. At its peak the stadium was capable of hosting up to 15,000 patrons.[2]
History
Kooyong was the venue for the Australian Open whenever that tournament was held in Melbourne, becoming the permanent venue from 1972 to 1987. It was the last Australian Open venue to play on grass courts.
The tournament was moved to the hard courts of Melbourne Park in 1988.[3] Now a hard-court surface, it remains the venue for the Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament.
Kooyong has also hosted several Davis Cup ties and finals, including the 1986 Davis Cup Final which saw Australia defeat two-time defending champions Sweden 3–2 in late December. The stadium hosted a tie for the 2016 Davis Cup against the USA in March 2016 on a portable grass court.[4]
In 2019 the club demolished the upper western and southern stands, revising the seating capacity to approximately 5,000.[5] The venue had previously been capable of seating 8,500 spectators.[6]
Concerts
The venue has also hosted several concerts:
- On 24 October 1971, Elton John performed a concert there.[7]
- On 20 February 1972, Led Zeppelin held a large open-air concert at the venue as part of its Australasian Tour.[8]
- On 13 January 1973, Black Sabbath performed a concert there.
- On 17–18 February 1973, the Rolling Stones played three shows there as part of their 1973 Pacific Tour.
- On 16-17 February 1985, Greek singers George Dalaras and Dimitra Galani performed two concerts there.
- In February 1986, Bob Dylan performed three concerts there.
- In November 1987, David Bowie performed four concerts at the venue.
Notable members
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: Kooyong Tennis Stadium – Malvern Historical Society.
- Web site: A Rich History . 19 September 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090914195624/http://www.kooyong.com.au/history_history.htm . 14 September 2009 . dead .
- Web site: Australian Open at Kooyong Stadium . 19 September 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090914204025/http://www.kooyong.com.au/history_AustralianOpen.htm . 14 September 2009 . dead .
- Web site: Davis Cup clash between Australia and United States to be hosted at Kooyong. ABC News. 24 December 2015 . 24 December 2015.
- Web site: Former world No.1s, grand slam champs descend on Kooyong Classic. Herald Sun. 29 October 2019. The club has started an $18 million redevelopment, which includes returning the stadium to its 1930s form ahead of major clubhouse and site improvements in 2020. A reduced capacity crowd of more than 5000 [results] in what organisers hope will provide a "boutique atmosphere" at the former home of the Open..
- Web site: Kooyong: Demolition taking Australia's spiritual home of tennis back to basics. The New Daily. 18 July 2019.
- Web site: Elton John Tour 1971. JPJ Audio. 2017-10-05.
- Web site: February 20, 1972 . ledzeppelin.com . 21 September 2007 . 21 November 2022.
- News: December 2009 . Eva Recognised with Stonnington Award . https://web.archive.org/web/20230326004154/https://www.kooyong.com.au/documents/10184/39975/2009_december.pdf . 2023-03-26 . Courtside . 38 . 24.
