Visit Victoria major events boss Brendan McClements on what to expect at the MCG on Friday.

All of us who love Melbourne, all, all of us who love Victoria are going to walk into that venue and just be proud as punch.

You'll come across the top, you know, those who know that as you come to the G, you get to the top of the concourse, and you look alo- cross that spectacular ground, and it's in a way we've never seen it before, except when we look at some of the biggest sports events in the world.

It is absolutely brilliant.

So I think, uh, I'm expecting there to be a bit of crowds at the top.

People stop, they'll get their phones out, they'll take a photo, and you just...

It, yeah, yeah, I, I came away enormously proud about what Melbourne is.

... to those who don't quite know it?

Well, look, a couple of things I think worked in our favor.

One is, uh, genuinely our success breeds success.

So, um, the commissioner and his social circles had many people who've been out for the tennis, for example, and they would come back and say, "Melbourne, you know, understand how it gets behind an event." So what they'd witnessed here, what they'd experienced here during the tennis.

And the rise of Formula 1, I think, in America also played to our advantage, where, um, those who follow this closely have seen Formula 1 increasingly, um, become extremely relevant in America from, from no races to three races.

So both of those things really sort of gave us the credentials, the sort of the, the, the courage to be in that conversation and say, "No, we can do this." Uh, and the other part, which was important from, um, all sorts of perspective, they, they love the venue, right? They, they love being part of, uh, stadia that have a history, that have a relevance that are globally significant.

So the MCG and its role in Australian and global sport, uh, 56 Olympics, um, so many firsts, uh, that's where Australian sports history happens.

How strong is the six months from here, say, to the Formula 1 Grand Prix?

just explain about trying to get a game here on our shores.

Yeah, that's right.

So 2011, we'd seen some of the things they'd done in London in particular by then.

And we initiated a conversation with some people over there about would that be something you're interested in coming to Australia to think about? And then in 2015, actually, they sent one of their senior VPs out to have a look at Australia.

And I had to sit down with that person as well.

Both of those didn't lead to anything, but the thought was always in the head.

And in our business, what we've seen... increasingly is we describe it clubs and leagues as being the source of you know incredible things that Melbourne would be interested in hosting that move away from the typical federation structure you know world championships these sorts of things so we've been following clubs and leagues for a while and yeah we had two sort of baited the hook a couple of times I suppose but Then in about early 2004, 2024, I should say, we just got wind of some change that might be a fortune in the NFL.

Yeah, well, this might have been the reason we got the game because if Roger Goodell had said no, then you'd hold that grudge towards him.

Will it pay its way in Melbourne?

Absolutely, yeah.

Yeah.

Uh, in a couple of ways.

Pe- people think it's, um, all about just the people who come.

That's one way of measuring it, but, but another part of this is making sure, you know, I'm... my job is destination marketing, we've gotta make sure people wanna come to Melbourne, uh, that this creates future demand as well.

So the deal with Netflix is a wonderful deal for us.

How strong is the six months from here, say, to the Formula 1 Grand Prix?

beat because they run the show of the NFL, don't they?

Yeah, they're really clear on what they want to do, right? And that's great.

There's no ambiguity about it.

You've got to know what they want to do.

But our first meeting, my first meeting at the NFL rather was probably in about 2012.

Wow.

So we've had a couple of goes.

Why are they wanting to do this? Is it to get new fans? Is it to grow their game? And then I suppose, what do we get out of it as well?

Tell us a bit about the build-up, what we can expect, and I'd love to hear more about how it's not just at the G, it's all around Melbourne,

right? Absolutely.

Everything indicating this is going to be a fantastic occasion.

Another big crowd at the MCG.

You'll see an extraordinary transformation of Yarra Parkers.

Everything comes alive here, but across the road, Melbourne Olympic Park Trust, the NFL's taking over that area, turning into a fan zone.

in and around the city, Federation Square, down to Crown Casino.

American food.

Wow.

Extraordinary.

The longer the Carlton can go in throughout the finals, the more it legitimizes the wildcard round.

And that's obvious because they just snuck in and are playing some fine football.

But there are still, despite two spectacular displays of football, many that are... and probably will be forever, against the wildcard round.

But you've got to think beyond just the arguments they put forward about the legitimising, the importance of making finals.

You've got to also think of what it brings to football.

So there was

They've got a place that's got 17, there's a place in town that's got 17 beds and there are a range of Airbnbs.

Yeah, that's the way you discover it.

A little bit of work to find out where you want to go, but the rail trail is also another great way to tour here.

So this part of Victoria really is a terrific place to come and just unwind, relax, enjoy what the state has to offer.

So the rail trail, that is a bike ride, right? Yeah.

And that is very popular? Yeah.

Yeah, about 130km.

bit

trails,

isn't there? Yes, there is.

I think we've got Australia's largest network of rail trails and the communities have spent a lot of time and a lot of effort to allow people to discover their areas that way.

Nice.

I wonder why it is that Gippsland is so sort of...

It's almost at a blind spot for some people, isn't it? Yeah, I think that's exactly right.

It's a bit of a blind spot, but it's, I mean, this is nature in its purest form down here, and even when you get a bit further down, you know, around Lakes Entrance, that area, this Gippsland, you could spend quite a while just discovering things here.

you'd have to sell to them is because they whine like EH diffs about the flight time from Los Angeles to Melbourne, tell them, well, listen, when we want to go to London, it's a bit harder than that.

What's doing on September the 6th?

Good morning, gentlemen.

Well, we're trying to break a world record, Ross and Russ, for the largest cheerleading dance in history.

So on the Sunday the 6th of September, 11.30am, for a 1pm sharp kick-off, led by the San Francisco 49ers cheerleaders, we're hoping more than 1,371 people will turn up to take part in a Melbourne Cheer Challenge.

Is one of the teams coming out well in advance and the other not? Is that why it's the 49ers only?

No, both the teams themselves are arriving at different times, but the circus, I guess, arrives a little bit earlier.

So both the 49ers and the Rams will be in town well and truly early.

Both are bringing their cheerleading squads out, which has become a fascinating thing for me to occasionally turn up to my gym in Elwood Park, the IMSAAC, and see the cheer community, because it is a sight to behold, I must say, when the Australian or the Victorian cheer championships are on.

What's doing on September the 6th?

Good morning to you.

Well, we're trying to break a world record, uh, Ross and Russ, for the largest cheerleading dance in history.

So on, uh, the Sunday, the 6th of September, 11:30 AM, uh, for a 1 PM sharp kickoff led by the San Francisco 49ers cheerleaders.

Uh, we're hoping more than 1,371 people will turn up to take part in a Melbourne cheer challenge.

Is, is one of the teams coming out well in advance and the other not? Is that why it's the 49ers only?

No, both the, the, the, um, teams themselves are arriving at different times, but the circus, I guess, arrives a little bit earlier.

So both the 49ers and the Rams will be in town, um, well, well and truly early.

Molly, Molly the waitress at Grays who, um, h- she arrived here some years ago and has never left 'cause she thought it's felt like home.

Yeah, well, the fishing part of it has sort of, uh, obviously infected or in-inculcated the whole city.

So, um, down around here, the, the experiences you can have, this is a perfect place.

If you wanna get around, get away from Melbourne and just take a breath, relax.

Uh, as we've always talked about, regional Victoria offers that every day.

That is a big, big project.

I agree.

But as I said, the people are passionate about what they do down here, and when you come and experience it, um, you get the reward for that energy that's been put into the product.

Um, tell us how, how you describe the region and what it has to offer.

Well, I think, uh, the Goulburn region is, uh, it's a, a fantastic place.

It's a bit of an undiscovered region from a Melbourne perspective.

You, you come up here and you find yourself immediately relaxing.

I think we've seen that here at, uh, Mitchellton and Tabook just down the road, and certainly wineries if, if you like, the anchor tenant, which will bring people up.

But the experiences around from adventure on Lake Nagambie, uh, the things you can do, the horse racing, the history that's in this place, it's a fantastic place to be and only an hour and a bit up the road.

And we've said, we both said eighteen.

Eighteen.