- The famous club has existed for almost two centuries.
- Maintains high standards, especially when it comes to dress code.
Australia’s most prestigious sporting club has reworded its dress code to accommodate transgender, non-binary, intersex and other genders outside of traditional male and female.
The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) is one of Australia’s oldest and most prestigious sporting clubs after its founding in 1838.
It is responsible for managing the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and has a long waiting list, with prospective members often waiting over 20 years for full membership status.
MCC membership provides access to a variety of sporting events at the MCG, including cricket, AFL and other major events.
Membership fees for the 2024/25 season vary by level and location, with full membership fees starting at $875 for metro members, while restricted and provisional memberships are lower.
There is also an entry fee of $1,210 that is paid in installments as members advance through the levels.
The club has over 140,000 members, including full and restricted members, making it one of the largest sports clubs in the world by membership.
The Melbourne Cricket Club at the MCG (pictured) is Australia’s most prestigious and exclusive sporting group.
The MCC has a very strict dress code to keep up with their traditional standards.
The MCC also maintains strict dress codes and standards of behavior for members and guests within its exclusive areas.
MCC’s dress code requires smart casual attire at a minimum, and men ages 15 and older require a collared shirt. At Jim Stynes Grill, hats are only allowed if they are part of the national or religious dress.
The Long Room, Members’ Dining Room, Committee Room and John Landy Room require a more formal standard, with lounge suits or tailored jackets for men and equivalent dress for women; No sneakers, jeans, cargo pants, or open-necked shirts are allowed.
Text on the MCC website has added provisions for members who identify as male or female.
New wording on the MCC website shows the club has moved into the modern world with provisions for genders other than men’s or women’s.
The new dress code provisions at the MCC have not been matched elsewhere in Australia.
Major venues in Australia also have strict dress codes, but until now they have not included gender provisions like the MCC.
Accor Stadium does not mention gender at all in its list of dress standards, nor does the Bankwest Club at Perth’s Optus Stadium, the Adelaide Oval, the Sydney Cricket Ground or the Gabba in Brisbane.
Other Australian stadiums, including Allianz, People First and CommBank Stadiums, also do not include provisions for members who identify as a gender other than their birth sex.
The notoriously strict Lords cricket ground in the UK also refers to its members only as men and women in its dress code. Premier League clubs only ask their members to wear smart casual clothing, with no warnings for fans who identify as male or female.
It comes after the MCC came under fire in 2023 after members complained standards were falling.
Members who paid top dollar to attend events at the MCG said they were forced to drink from cans, dirty glasses were piling up in the prestigious members-only areas and food standards had also dropped.
‘The service has decreased. Prices have gone up… And we spent 30 years on a waiting list for this,” one disappointed member then posted.
A Delaware North spokeswoman said the organization “takes great pride in providing a high level of service to all customers who attend the MCG.”
“We were disappointed to hear some comments from customers about their experiences at one of the bars during the game on Friday night,” he said.
“We have taken this feedback into account and will be adding resources during peak service periods to ensure this situation is rectified for future games.”