John Cain Arena

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Updated On :26 Sep, 2026

Full Name
John Cain Arena

Capacity
concert: 11,000Basketball / Netball: 10,500Tennis: 9,500Track Cycling: 4,500

Type
Indoor

Location
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

John Cain Arena, formerly known as Melbourne Park Multi-Purpose Venue, is a well-known sports arena, located in Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. Previously known as Vodafone Arena (2000–2008) , Hisense Arena (2008–2018) , it was opened in 2000 and has a maximum capacity of 10,500 spectators. The arena is a part of the National Tennis Centre at the Melbourne Park. The park also has a cycling track. It was designed by an Australian-based architecture firm Peddle Thorp. The seating capacity of the arena ranges from 4,000 to 11,000 for different events held here. The venue has also hosted exhibition games featuring the Harlem Globetrotters during their Australian tours.

On 4 February 2023, John Cain Arena hosted a WNBL matchup between the Southside Flyers and Sydney Flames. The game attracted significant attention because Australian basketball icon and Hall of Fame inductee Lauren Jackson was playing, drawing a record crowd of 7,681 spectators for a WNBL match.

John Cain Arena hosted the Pro Kabaddi League: Melbourne Raid on 28 December 2024, one day before the Season 11 championship match. The programme consisted of two exhibition fixtures: PKL All Star Masters versus PKL Mavericks, followed by a match between the Pro Kabaddi All Stars and the Aussie Raiders.

Trivia

The arena was known as "Vodafone Arena" until 2008 after which the naming rights were handed to the Hisense Co., Ltd. (a Chinese multinational white goods and electronics manufacturer) after which the venue came to be known as the Hisense Arena.

Significance

The park was used for netball games in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy. The Melbourne Phoenix and the Melbourne Kestrels have played their home games in this arena.
The arena hosted the UCI Track Cycling World Championship in 2004 and 2012.
It was one of the venues to host significant events of 2006 Commonwealth Games.
It also hosted the auditions of the X-Factor in 2011 and 2013.
In June 2013, the Hisense Arena hosted an exhibition ice hockey match between the United States and Canada.
The arena has also hosted the home games of the Melbourne Vixens in the ANZ Championship from 2007 to 2016.
The arena is the home to the National Basketball League (NBL) team Melbourne United. It has also been used by NBL teams such as Melbourne Titans and South Dragons.