Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium has been named Global Venue of the Year at TheStadiumBusiness Awards in Manchester.

The award celebrates the most innovative and leading sports facilities from around the world and has been dominated by USA stadiums over the past four years with Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco) and MetLife Stadium (New Jersey) among the previous winners.

Marvel Stadium was recognised for its variety of events held throughout 2018, including AFL, BBL Cricket, A-League and major concerts including Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. The Docklands venue hosted more than 55 events with over 2 million fans passing through the turnstiles and its 40-millionth visitor as it celebrated its 18th birthday.

While the stadium has been criticised on occasions, the fact it is centrally-located, well serviced by public transport, and has a retractable roof, has it playing host to such a wide range of events attracting large crowds.

In the 2018 Austadiums Awards, Marvel Stadium came in at number 9, with fans voting the MCG as Australia’s best stadium.

The stadium is now owned by the AFL and is about to embark on a major $225 million redevelopment with a focus on improving the fan experience. Last year, a landmark deal was signed with the Walt Disney Company which saw it rebranded from Etihad Stadium to Marvel Stadium.

Ian Nuttall, founder of TheStadiumBusiness, says that the awards put Marvel Stadium in a league of its own.

“Since 2010 we have given awards to some of the top venues from around the world and this year is no exception,” he said.

The award winners were announced at TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2019 Gala Evening on Tuesday, 4 June in Manchester, UK with Marvel Stadium nominated alongside other outstanding international venues including State Farm Arena (USA), Etihad Stadium (UK) and Banc of California Stadium (USA).

Receiving the award, Marvel Stadium CEO Michael Green said it was an honour for the stadium and its team to be recognised on the world stage.

“We work hard to make sure that our fans have a great experience at the stadium, and our talented team go above and beyond week in, week out to keep everything running smoothly.

“Since our opening in 2000, we have been committed to delivering brilliant events and creating memorable experience for our millions of patrons, and 2018 was no exception,” he said.

The big events continue at Marvel Stadium in 2019, with the venue set to host the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest basketball event in August when the Australian Boomers play USA Basketball in front of 100,000 fans over two days.

See all the award winners on TheStadiumBusiness website.