Fix it up or knock it down? How a hidden velodrome is holding back John Cain Arena

A velodrome lying dormant beneath the retractable seats of John Cain Arena is causing headaches at Melbourne Park, with secret plans drawn up to remove it and industry leaders contemplating knocking down the stadium and rebuilding it.

The arena, which holds up to 11,000 fans, opened in 2000 with a built-in 250-metre cycling track, which was included in the $65 million project with a view to securing the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

“The velodrome will enhance our reputation as the sporting capital of Australia and one of the great sporting capitals of the world,” Liberal MP Martin Dixon told parliament at the time.

The venue has since gone through numerous upgrades and name changes, and in recent years has hosted everything from bull riding to Cirque du Soleil, on top of its regular tennis, basketball and netball roster.

Notably absent from its eclectic roster, however, is one of the main sports the arena was purpose-built to host – track cycling. The timber velodrome remains mostly hidden beneath drop-down seating, unused since 2019.

Former Victorian sports minister Martin Pakula said he had no doubt if Melbourne Park authorities had their time again they would not build the velodrome, which he said was rarely used and took up thousands of seats of space.

He said at some point the arena would probably have to be rebuilt, ideally with the help of private investment and with greater capacity, though in his view, redeveloping the MCG remained the priority.

The space the arena sits on is limited by surrounding infrastructure, so if it were to be demolished and rebuilt, it would be unlikely to be able to expand significantly outward, though some extra capacity for fans could theoretically be built in.

A source not permitted to speak publicly told The Age that Development Victoria put together a plan a few years ago to phase out and remove the velodrome, and to upgrade the Joe Ciavola Velodrome at Darebin International Sports Centre. It is unclear where this plan ended up.

Several Melbourne Park stakeholders who spoke to The Age, also on the condition of anonymity, said it would be either impossible or extremely expensive to remove the velodrome as it was built into the original structure. Development Victoria has been contacted for comment.

Melbourne’s status as Australia’s sporting capital – and what the city needs to do to retain it – is central to Melbourne Assembly, a civic forum hosted by The Age next week, bringing together industry leaders, key decision-makers and the community to help shape the city’s future.

AusCycling said it was firmly against any moves to scrap the velodrome. The national cycling body currently hosts most of its major events in Victoria not at John Cain Arena, but at the Darebin facility, the construction of which was part-funded by the Melbourne and Olympic Park Trust.

When what is now known as John Cain Arena was being built, the Trust was required to make a capital contribution towards building a competition-grade velodrome in Darebin for training purposes as part of funding arrangements with the government.

AusCycling says Melbourne is the only city in the world with two premier indoor velodromes.