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(EMAILWIRE.COM, February 04, 2009 ) Australia - A multi-million pound facelift of the ageing Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne - home to the Australian Open Â– has been announced in a bid to stop rival cities poaching the famous Grand Slam event and luring the valuable publicity and tourists away from MelbourneÂ…

The annual Australian Open Tennis Tournament is one of the biggest sporting events of the year and last year attracted more than 600,000 visitors.

It has been held in Melbourne Park for the last 21 years and now, following bids from Sydney, Shanghai, Dubai and Madrid to snatch the Open from Melbourne, from Melbourne, an extreme makeover of the venue is planned to ensure the tournament stays put.

Chief Executive of Events NSW, Geoff Parmenter, confirmed Sydney's interest in the Australian Open, Â“The Australian Open tennis is arguably the best annual event in Australia. I think any events company in the country would be negligent if they didn't have it somewhere on their radar,Â” he said.

The Rod Laver Arena, which was completed in 1988, is a multi-use venue which is able to host a wide range of sports and entertainment events, from Grand Slam tennis matches to international rock stars, conferences and opera.

The most dynamic transformation Rod Laver Arena has seen was in March 2007 with the FINA 2007 World Swimming Championships when a 50-metre temporary pool was built on the arenaÂ’s floor.

The Victorian Government is now hoping that this latest planned upgrade will keep the Australian Open in MelbourneÂ’s hands until 2036.

The Â£2.3 million plan, which is due for completion in 2016, includes a modernization of the Rod Laver Arena, a roof for the Margaret Court Arena, new Tennis Australia headquarters, more practice courts and a covered piazza for visitors to the event.

Victorian Premier John Brumby said, Â“This is the biggest event anywhere in the world in January, and we need to keep it.

Â“Our current arrangement to host the Australian Open until 2016 is now fast approaching and we are working to ensure Melbourne retains this important event for a further 20 years.Â”

Mr Brumby said the redevelopment would be undertaken Â“over the years so that the Open can be continued to be conducted here with minimum disruption to all the spectators.Â”

The Open is of massive value to Melbourne, both in terms of finance, tourism and publicity. Last year, the tournament brought Â£77.5 million into the Victorian economy, while television broadcasts promoted the event to more than 200 million viewers around the world.

All over the globe, Grand Slam tennis venues such as Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows are all undergoing changes to keep up with expectations.

Wimbledon has unveiled a masterplan that includes the current redevelopment of Centre Court, new show courts, new media facilities and player areas.

Unlike these other famous venues, Melbourne Park has not undergone any significant upgrades in recent years.

Last year, the playersÂ’ restaurant was extended after some players complained it was too small and some are calling for more seats to be added for spectators.

These latest makeover plans are also hoped to end calls to move the tournament from January to February when the Melbourne weather is a bit cooler.

For more information on Australian properties and the market in general, please visit http://australia.themovechannel.com/

-ENDS-

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