The recent Munster v Crusaders rugby match in Cork generated a whopping €5.6m in revenue, with the local economy benefitting to the tune of €2.9m, research has found.
The match billed as the “Clash of the Champions” took place at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on February 2 and played out in front of a sell-out 40,885 crowd – and saw URC champions Munster narrowly beat Super Rugby champions, Crusaders from Christchurch.
An online economic impact survey was distributed to ticket holders by Munster Rugby in the immediate aftermath of the game and had a total of 2,008 replies.
Pinergy (Munster Rugby’s energy partner) chief executive, Enda Gunnell said: “We were delighted to be the presenting partner for this unique match in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh last month. This independent assessment highlights the positive impact the game had on the local Cork economy.”
Ian Flanagan, Munster Rugby chief executive: “We would like to thank the IRFU, the GAA, Cork GAA, and Crusaders for facilitating our request to host this fixture. Welcoming 40,885 Munster supporters to Supervalu Páirc Uí Chaoimh was a unique and special occasion and we are hugely appreciative of your continued support.”
Highlights of the Survey:
- The majority of the attendance travelled from within Munster to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh with 5,111 (12.5%) coming from outside the province and 900 people (2%) travelling from overseas.
- The total direct expenditure generated by all attendees was €5.6 million.
- Total direct expenditure by visitors from outside Cork city and county is estimated at €2.7 million. This figure relates to match attendance expenditure and does not include pre match expenditure on tickets.
- The number of accommodation bed nights generated for Cork city and county was 5,100.
- The average overnight spectator spend per night was €233 and the average spend by day-trippers to the game was €76.
- In addition to the economic impact of visitors to Cork, there was an estimated €2.9 million spent by city- and county-based attendees to the game.
