Craig Tiley’s radical plan to expand the event
Amid speculation that he is preparing to accept a new job at the US Open, Tiley looks set to innovate further at the Australian Open.
“We want, for example, a glass court with a digital, immersive and interactive surface,” he said at an earlier press conference.
Fans wait in long queues outside the entrance to the Grand Slam Oval for day one of the Australian Open.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“We are considering developing a sphere-like dome where we can bring an off-site experience to the construction site and have a fully immersive experience on 270-degree displays with 8K quality.”
Stating that more than 1.3 million people entered the door for this year’s tournament, Tiley said that the event needs more screens, shade, seats and space.
“There’s an oval on the other side of Gosch’s Paddock, AAMI Park, MCG, those are good pieces of land and property that we can look at and expand,” he said.
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“We’re on a journey to transform the fan experience on the field. We have big plans next year.”
Organizers had to form long queues and jams outside the courts to get into Melbourne Park, at one stage even stopping the sale of ground passes. Some fans requested refunds because they missed the start of the game or were unable to enter stadiums such as KIA or John Cain Arena due to popular demand.
Tiley said TA is exploring policies and technology to ensure higher turnover on outside courts and prevent people from parking in the same spot all day long.
“Fans want to experience tennis, they want activation,” he added. “Now we’re a music festival, we’re a food festival. We’re going to be more of a fashion festival. This year was the first year where a really comprehensive statement was made.” [a] beauty and healthy living festival.”
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