Etihad Stadium Appoints New CEO

Melbourne, Australia’s sports and entertainment Etihad Stadium has officially appointed Michael Green as new chief executive officer.

Photo: Melbourne Stadium Ltd.

When a massive storm hit Melbourne Feb. 28 forcing the cancellation or delays of many festivals and concerts, Foo Fighters managed to play the Australian city when the 53,359-capacity Etihad Stadium closed its retractable roof. The Foo Fighters visit was booked through Frontier Touring.

He has been acting in the role since February when British-born Paul Sergeant quit after three and a half years. Green joined the 53,359-capacity stadium in 1998 while it was still under construction. He held roles as chief operating officer, GM of sales and marketing, and GM of commercial business.

After Sergeant’s departure, the stadium board did not advertise the role, saying Green was perfect for the role. Sergeant struck some hard deals with sporting clubs, putting him offside with them. Green’s approach is said to be more “collaborative,” with the Australian Football League, and sporting clubs as soccer’s Melbourne Victory and volleyball’s Melbourne Renegades. He also has close ties with Melbourne’s music and entertainment promoters.

The AFL is contracted to purchase the stadium in 2025. But it has been contemplating buying it over earlier, to ease the financial burden on some sporting clubs whose deals with the venue are crippling them.

Stadium chairman Tony Hallam said, “There has been a lot of speculation about the long term future of the stadium but Michael’s brief is to execute our existing schedule of upgrades to the stadium and continue to expand our program of events for the two million plus patrons who visit Etihad Stadium each year.”