Robbie Williams will perform at this year's Melbourne Cup, playing four songs in Flemington's mounting yard before the race and another hour after the last race, as part of Victoria Racing Club chief Kylie Rogers' campaign to turn the racecourse into an entertainment destination.
Rogers said Williams had been at the top of her list for this year's Cup, and his response when she used the slogan of the race that stops a nation was characteristically modest: "No one stops a nation like me. I'm in."
The club had the green light over the weekend, but with Williams in the middle of his European BRITPOP tour, on Monday night the Melbourne Cup trophy was put on a plane to London with a VRC representative. By Wednesday it had reached his Mayfair penthouse, where the VRC had secured 60 minutes with the singer for a promotional photo shoot.
Rogers describes the booking as part of the "festivalisation of sport", a philosophy she brought from the AFL, where she joined in 2017 and became acting chief executive during the 2022 grand final period. "Whether you call it the festivalisation of sport or sportainment, it's incumbent upon every sports administrator out there to offer more than just the sport," she said.
The 2022 meeting came after Williams, in Melbourne while working on his biopic Better Man, asked to see the AFL chief executive. With Gillon McLachlan overseas, Rogers took the meeting and made her pitch: "We have the greatest game in the world. You are the greatest performer in the world. How about you play at our grand final?" Williams agreed on the spot, and the resulting choreographed, 360-degree production broke the template of a band on a still stage facing one side of the stadium, she said.
She would not be drawn on Williams' price tag, though his 2022 grand final appearance was reported to have cost the AFL more than $1 million.
Last year, DJ Fisher headlined the final day of the carnival, when about 65,000 people attended, according to Rogers, well above a previous benchmark of around 50,000. For Rogers, this was evidence that entertainment could introduce a younger audience to racing without diminishing the sport. This year the VRC has moved its major entertainment stage to the end of the Flemington straight, closer to the action.
Rogers described three priorities for the VRC: world-class racing, with 21 annual meetings and 35,000 members forming the foundation; "Flemington Green", an ambition to activate the precinct year-round, with major concerts and festivals featuring Calvin Harris and Kings Of Leon part of the strategy, and Harris' February show already sold out; and a long-term master plan exploring opportunities for community sporting facilities, a riding school, equine therapy programs and a pedestrian bridge connecting the racecourse to Footscray Park and Victoria University. The club also owns seven hectares of freehold land behind Flemington railway station, with permanent restaurants and residential opportunities among the ideas being considered.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The Melbourne Cup carnival is being remade as a music festival, with the VRC betting that big-name acts will draw younger crowds who stay for the racing.
- A successful Robbie Williams booking would validate the "festivalisation of sport" model that other sporting codes are watching.
- The VRC's master plan points to a long-term shift in how the Flemington precinct is used outside race days.
Background
Rogers came to the VRC after a stint at the AFL, where in 2017 she joined and later became acting chief executive. In 2022 she invited Williams to play the grand final after meeting him backstage at Rod Laver Arena, and she went on to bring Kiss, Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg and Kylie Minogue to the MCG. Last year the VRC recruited DJ Fisher to headline the final day of the Melbourne Cup carnival.
Key Perspectives
Robbie Williams: accepted the booking with the quip the VRC reports: "No one stops a nation like me. I'm in."
Kylie Rogers, VRC chief executive: says sporting administrators must offer more than the sport itself, calling the approach "the festivalisation of sport or sportainment"; she says last year's Fisher concert drew about 65,000 people and proved entertainment can broaden racing's appeal.
What to Watch
- Whether the entertainment stage's new position at the end of the Flemington straight helps draw younger racegoers for the full day.
- Whether Calvin Harris' sold-out February concert under "Flemington Green" becomes the first of many year-round events at the precinct.
- Whether the VRC's master plan advances, including a pedestrian bridge to Footscray Park and Victoria University and development of seven hectares behind Flemington railway station.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedWilliams said, “No one stops a nation like me” in response to Rogers using the race’s slogan.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Williams’ response was characteristically modest. “No one stops a nation like me. I’m in.””
- SupportedRobbie Williams will perform at this year’s Melbourne Cup.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Williams will perform four songs in Flemington’s mounting yard before the Melbourne Cup, bringing a dose of international pop spectacle to the race that stops a nation.”
- SupportedWilliams will play four songs before the race and another hour after the last race.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Williams will perform four songs in Flemington’s mounting yard before the Melbourne Cup, bringing a dose of international pop spectacle to the race that stops a nation. Then, he’ll play for another hour after the last race.”
- SupportedThe VRC sent the Melbourne Cup trophy to London for a promotional photo shoot with Williams.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “So, on Monday night, the famous trophy was put on a plane to London, accompanied by a VRC representative, for what would amount to a fleeting audience with British pop royalty.”
- SupportedWilliams was at the top of Rogers’ list, and he replied, “No one stops a nation like me. I’m in.”Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Robbie Williams, the British pop icon who had helped transform the AFL grand final’s pre-match entertainment four years earlier, was at the top of her list. ... Williams’ response was characteristically modest. “No one stops a nation like me. I’m in.””
- SupportedThe VRC had the green light over the weekend; on Monday night the trophy was flown to London with a VRC representative.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The VRC had been given the green light over the weekend, but there was one significant logistical hurdle: the Melbourne Cup was on the other side of the world. So, on Monday night, the famous trophy was put on a plane to London, accompanied by a VRC representative”
- SupportedBy Wednesday, the Cup had reached Williams’ Mayfair penthouse, where the VRC had secured 60 minutes for a promotional photo shoot.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “By Wednesday, the Cup had made its way to Williams’ Mayfair penthouse, where the VRC had secured just 60 minutes with the singer and the trophy for a promotional photo shoot.”
- SupportedRogers calls the approach the “festivalisation of sport” and says administrators should offer more than sport.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “She calls it the “ festivalisation of sport ”. ... “Whether you call it the festivalisation of sport or sportainment, it’s incumbent upon every sports administrator out there to offer more than just the sport,” Rogers says.”
- SupportedRogers joined the AFL in 2017 and was acting chief executive while Gillon McLachlan was overseas during the 2022 grand final period.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Her thinking was shaped during her years at AFL headquarters, where she arrived in 2017”
- SupportedIn 2022, Williams wanted to meet the AFL chief executive; Rogers pitched him on playing at the grand final, and he agreed on the spot.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““I said to him, ‘We have the greatest game in the world. You are the greatest performer in the world. How about you play at our grand final?’” Williams looked at his manager and agreed on the spot.”
- SupportedWilliams’ 2022 AFL grand final performance was reported to have cost the AFL more than $1 million.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “She would not be drawn on his price tag, but his 2022 grand final performance was reported to have cost the AFL more than $1 million, which looks like a bargain.”
- SupportedLast year, about 65,000 people attended the final day of the carnival, above a previous benchmark of around 50,000, according to Rogers.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “On a bitterly cold November day, with rain sweeping across the racecourse, approximately 65,000 people attended, according to Rogers, well above the previous benchmark of around 50,000.”