With fans making a beeline to the Central Coast to witness the Mariners’ sold-out A-League Semi-Final against Sydney FC and their historic Grand Final against Melbourne Victory – plus back-to-back NRL games featuring Roosters v Bulldogs and Rabbitohs v Tigers – the events have been a boon for local businesses and driven the Central Coast region’s visitor economy to new heights.
A Stadium Data Analysis conducted by Central Coast Council – plus game-day ticketing report data – have revealed the true value of major sporting events at Industree Group Stadium, the home of live sport, entertainment and community events on the Central Coast.
The Council report estimates that the A-League Grand Final showpiece alone was worth $3M in total economic activity on the Central Coast, with a total visitor spend of around $2M.
The economic benefits have been felt not just in the regional city of Gosford but throughout the vibrant mix of urban hubs, beach towns and hinterland villages that form the NSW Central Coast (population 350,000).
The first A-League Grand Final ever held on the Central Coast on Saturday 25 May smashed the all-time attendance record at Industree Group Stadium, with additional seating required to host 21,379 fans.
Thousands more watched the Grand Final from a Live Site, set up outside the Stadium by Central Coast Council and supported by Destination NSW, so fans could be part of the historic Grand Final event.
Regional Visitation Benefits
More than 7,700 visitors stayed on the Central Coast on Grand Final weekend – driving a hotel occupancy rate above 90 per cent. The hotel occupancy rate reached 63.1 per cent for the Mariners v Sydney FC event (May 18) and soared to 79.4 per cent for the Roosters v Bulldogs NRL game (June 22).
The Council report estimates the Mariners’ Semi-Final was worth $3 million in total economic revenue and the Roosters v Bulldogs game was worth $2m.
All three of these events were sell-outs at Industree Group Stadium, with the Mariners’ Semi-Final attracting 20,059 fans and a weather-hit Sydney Roosters game drawing 16,868 fans through the gates.
A fourth bumper sporting event – the South Sydney Rabbitohs v Wests Tigers NRL game on Saturday 20 July – drew a crowd of 16,284 and delivered another impressive boost to the Central Coast visitor economy.
Local Employment
Industree Group Stadium Venue Manager Kath Casey said a total of 1250 local people were employed directly at Industree Group Stadium for the four major sporting events.
The Stadium Data Analysis conducted by Central Coast Council suggests the equivalent of an additional 50 annual jobs have been created by the four major events.
“The employment impact of an event is expressed in local jobs. For example, an event that generates 4 weeks of work for 13 people (52 weeks of work in total), would have an employment impact equivalent to 1.0 annual local job,” the report says.
“The direct addition of [substantial expenditure] as a result of staging these events leads to a corresponding direct increase of employment across a range of industries.”
The State Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, and the Member for Wyong, David Harris – the latter also the NSW Minister for the Central Coast – described the A-League Grand Final as “the biggest sporting event ever seen on the Coast”, saying the event had kicked a major goal for regional tourism.
Apart from the record attendance inside the ground, some 8000 fans passed through the community Live Site at Leagues Club Park directly across from Industree Group Stadium, a high proportion of them young families with children.
Bars, clubs and restaurants reported heavy bookings across the Grand Final weekend – and similar spikes for the other three major events.
Hotels, clubs and restaurants have been packed on game days not only in the city of Gosford but at Wyong, Terrigal, The Entrance, Ettalong Beach, Budgewoi and Bateau Bay.
Triumph for the A-Leagues
The success of the A-League Grand Final in Gosford was a triumph for the A-Leagues who made the bold decision to take the Grand Final back to the fans and scheduled this year’s decider on the Central Coast for the first time.
Such was the heavy demand for tickets, the A-Leagues were able to set an average ticket price for the Central Coast Grand Final almost four times that recorded in Western Sydney for the 2023 A-League decider, making the 2024 Grand Final a very profitable event for the code.
The run of sold-out events has also been a triumph for VenuesLive, the experienced venue management company that took over the operations of the Central Coast stadium, on behalf of Central Coast Council, in July 2022. The venue has been on a steep positive trajectory ever since.
Industree Group Stadium Manager Kath Casey said VenuesLive was bringing more events and more diversified content to the local stadium.
“When we bring quality events to the Central Coast, everyone in our community benefits and this new data from Council and ticketing demonstrate the extent of the benefits,” said Ms Casey.
“Visitation numbers increase, hotel beds are filled, and money is spent in the local community, bringing prosperity to the region and creating local jobs.
“Looking forward, I can reveal there are some very exciting family events to be announced for the summer months.”
Central Coast Showcased to Bumper TV Audiences
Paramount+ announced the live broadcast of the Grand Final had been watched by 1.12 million viewers across its streaming service and Channel 10, a figure up 12 per cent on the previous year.
FOX Sports viewership for the Roosters v Bulldogs NRL game was 517,000 and similar numbers were recorded for Rabbitohs v Tigers.
But TV numbers, as impressive as they are, don’t tell the whole story.
With Industree Group Stadium sitting pretty on the Brisbane Water and with its famous palm trees creating a relaxed holiday feel, media coverage of events at the stadium ensures the Central Coast becomes a magnetically attractive destination for those watching on.
Snapshot of economic benefits from four monster sporting events at Industree Group Stadium in 2024
A-League Grand Final, May 25.
Crowd: 21,379. Hotel occupancy rate 90%. Visitor spend $2m. Total economic value $3m.
A-League Semi-Final, May 18.
Crowd: 20,059. Visitor spend $1.8M.
NRL Roosters v Bulldogs, June 22
Crowd: 16,868. Visitor spend $1.2m.
NRL Rabbitohs v Tigers, July 20
Crowd: 16,284. Visitor spend $M.
Total attendance: 74,590. Visitor spend $6M. Total economic value $9.75M. 1250 locals employed at Stadium, 50 new fulltime jobs created on the Central Coast.
