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 interesting place all about Australian sport. It's located right inside the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia. This museum used to be known as the National Sports Museum.
At the museum, you can explore exhibits about many different sports. These include cricket, Australian rules football, and the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. You'll also find displays on tennis, rugby league, rugby union, soccer, basketball, boxing, and netball.
The museum is also home to the Australian Sports Hall of Fame. Plus, it includes the Australian Racing Museum and the Melbourne Cricket Club Museum. 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 horse racing now has its own special place alongside other big Australian sports.
The museum was called the National Sports Museum for a while. It closed in August 2019 for a big upgrade. This project cost $17.1 million. The museum then reopened in February 2020 with its new name, the Australian Sports Museum.
History of the Museum
The First Museum
Before the Australian Sports Museum opened, there was another museum. It was called the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum. This museum was open for 17 years. It was located in front of the old MCC Members Stand. That stand opened way back in 1928. Both the museum and the stand were taken down at the same time.
The Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum first opened on November 22, 1986. It closed its doors to the public on October 4, 2003. In its final week, more than 35,000 people visited the museum. It was free to enter then, and visitors could also see the old MCC Members Pavilion.
