Australian Sports Museum facts for kids
Outside Australian Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
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| Former name | National Sports Museum |
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| Established | 22 November 1986 As the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum 13 March 2008 As the National Sports Museum |
| Dissolved | 4 October 2003 As the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum |
| Location | Melbourne, Australia |
| Type | Sporting museum |
The Australian Sports Museum is a super cool place where you can learn all about Australian sports! It used to be called the National Sports Museum. You can find it inside the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia.
This museum has amazing displays about many popular sports. You can explore exhibits on cricket, Australian rules football, and the Olympic Games (both Summer and Winter!). There are also sections for tennis, rugby league, rugby union, soccer, basketball, boxing, and netball.
Inside the museum, you'll also find the Australian Sports Hall of Fame. This special area celebrates Australia's greatest sports heroes. Plus, the Australian Racing Museum and the Melbourne Cricket Club Museum are part of it. The MCC Museum shows off the long history of the Melbourne Cricket Club.
In 2010, the Australian Racing Museum joined the Australian Sports Museum. This means that exciting horse racing history is now shown alongside other major Australian sports.
The museum closed in August 2019 for a big upgrade. It got a new name and a $17.1 million makeover! It reopened in February 2020, ready for new visitors to enjoy.
History of the Museum
Before the Australian Sports Museum opened, there was another museum called the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum. It was open for 17 years. This older museum was located in front of the old MCC Members Stand.
It first opened its doors on 22 November 1986. It closed to the public on 4 October 2003. In its final week, over 35,000 people visited the museum for free! They also got to see the old MCC Members Pavilion.
