Melbourne's Etihad Stadium will be renamed Marvel Stadium from September 1 2018 after the Walt Disney Company won the naming rights.
The name change is part of a new, eight-year partnership between the Walt Disney Company and Melbourne Stadiums Limited, which manages Etihad Stadium. In addition to being renamed Marvel Stadium, the new partnership will include the construction of a Marvel retail store on site as well as the installation of Marvel 'activations'.
Michael Green, the CEO for Melbourne Stadiums Limited, told The Age: "This partnership will allow us to take the stadium atmosphere to the next level and create memorable experiences for a vast array of audiences, and we look forward to delivering a truly game-changing experience."
The Docklands stadium can seat more than 50,000 people and is a regular venue for AFL, A-League and Big Bash League matches as well as hosting concerts for the likes of Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and the Foo Fighters. With the AFL finals series beginning August 31 there's a chance footy fans will be some of the first to experience the newly named stadium.
Before being named Etihad Stadium in 2009, the venue was known as Colonial Stadium and the Telstra Dome.