The Hawthorn Football Club has contributed $28.5 million to the Tasmania economy during the 2017 footy season, according to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers report.
The report found the Hawks’ four home games at Launceston’s UTAS Stadium, and one JLT Community Series game, attracted 61,301 fans.
Importantly, one in every four fans was from interstate or overseas, with the majority staying for at least one night, representing a significant economic benefit for Tasmania’s visitor economy.
Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman said the report confirmed the value of the state’s partnership with the Hawks.
“The benefits of our partnership with the Hawks clearly go much further than the game-day excitement in Lonnie,” Premier Hodgman said.
“The economic impact amounts to a return on investment of about $7.50 for every $1 we put into the deal.”
“Attendance is up and fans are spending more, with an additional injection of $19.8 million into the local economy.
“This is great not only for footy fans, but our broader economy with this cash flowing to accommodation, transport, retail, food and drinks – supporting an estimated 137 jobs.
“While most Tasmanians look forward to seeing a team of our own in the AFL, there is no doubt that the deal with the Hawks continues to deliver significant economic, cultural and social benefits for our State.”
Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves said the results of the study are pleasing for Hawthorn, the state of Tasmania and the City of Launceston.
“We’re extremely proud of our unique and successful, long-term partnership with Tasmania and we are delighted that together we continue to increase visitation to Tasmania and help strengthen the state’s economy,” Reeves said.
“We love playing footy in Tassie and are committed to bringing fans an elite and entertaining product.
“Our partnership extends beyond the football field and we are equally committed to having an impact through a meaningful community footprint.
“We’re extremely grateful to the City of Launceston and the Tasmanian Government for their support over the last seventeen years and are excited about what we can achieve together in the future.”
City of Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said he wasn't surprised by the benefits to the Northern economy outlined in the report.
"This report reinforces what we were already well aware of - that Hawthorn playing AFL matches in Launceston provides an enormous boost to our local economy,” Mayor van Zetten said.
“You only need to see the activity around the City around each game day. Launceston is abuzz with people packing our restaurants, our shops, our hotels every weekend when there's a game on.
"With more than 61,000 people attending the four matches last season - an estimated 15,126 of those travelled from interstate or overseas, with 77 per of those spending at least one night in the state. That's people spending money in our hotels and our restaurants, creating jobs for Northern Tasmanians.
"We're delighted that the State Government has worked proactively in recent years with the Council and other key stakeholders to realise the agreement we have in place today, because they have understood the importance to Launceston of these matches."
Full report http://www.premier.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/376379/HawthornPWCreport.pdf