Melbourne United to Play First Three Home Games in Bendigo

Melbourne United have finalised an agreement with the City of Greater Bendigo to play their first three home games of the 2021 Hungry Jack’s NBL Season in one of Victoria’s premier regional cities.

Due to the ongoing challenges of coronavirus and the Australian Open preparations in January, the club were advised there would be no possibility of playing these games at John Cain Arena (formally Melbourne Arena), and to seek an alternative venue outside of Melbourne to start the season.

The games are now as follows:

Round 1

Throwdown V

Melbourne United vs South East Melbourne Phoenix

Bendigo Basketball Stadium

5:00pm Sunday January 10

Round 1

Melbourne United vs New Zealand Breakers

Bendigo Basketball Stadium

7:30pm Friday January 15

Round 4

Melbourne United vs Brisbane Bullets

Bendigo Basketball Stadium

3:00pm Sunday February 7

Melbourne United CEO Vince Crivelli said while the club would not be able to play in Melbourne it was excited by the opportunity to take NBL games to Bendigo.

“The Bendigo Basketball Stadium is first-class and will allow Melbourne United to present our game day to the high standard our fans and sponsors have come to expect,” he said.

“We are looking forward to showcasing our club to new fans from regional Victoria who may not have had a chance to get to Melbourne to enjoy one of our home games before.

“It is also a chance for our Melbourne-based fans to get out of the city for a day or two and experience all the City of Greater Bendigo has to offer. There is so much to see and do in the region so I would really encourage our fans to come up early and enjoy themselves.

“The club is also looking to work with the City of Greater Bendigo to turn this into a regular event each season. A number of our players and coaches hail from and have represented country Victoria at a number of levels so to go back and play elite level basketball is great for both our brand and our sport.

“We are disappointed to not be able to play these games on our usual home court, but we feel as though we have made the absolute best out of a bad situation.

“We understand that as a result of being displaced from John Cain Arena by Tennis Australia that we will have a challenge with getting all of our members to the opening games, but we remain committed to having all of our members at as many of our home games as possible this season. Rest assured we will do everything we can to maintain the highest of standards and meet the expectations of our wonderful fans and sponsors.”

Hungry Jack’s NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said: “We welcome the opportunity for Melbourne United to partner with the Greater City of Bendigo and showcase the league for fans in regional Victoria.”

The club is now focused on working through the detail on how fans, and members in particular, can access the first three home games of the season.

The team is well into its preparations for the season, with American Scotty Hopson set to join the team on Boxing Day, once he’s completed his 14-day quarantine after arriving in Australia on December 12.

The squad will travel to Cairns for a mini pre-season camp, which will include a game against the Taipans on December 31^st. This game will be live streamed via the club’s social media accounts.

Tickets to Melbourne United’s first three home games will go on sale to the public at 1pm on Monday December 28 via www.ticketek.com.au.