Adelaide Oval to host rugby league’s State of Origin showpiece in 2020
ADELAIDE is set to play host to rugby league’s showpiece event — State of Origin — in an historic first.
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ADELAIDE Oval is set to play host to rugby league’s showpiece event — State of Origin — in an historic first.
State Tourism Minister Leon Bignell confirmed on Wednesday morning Adelaide will for the first time host a match in the best-of-three series between Queensland Maroons and New South Wales Blues in 2020.
Speaking at the announcement at the oval, Mr Bignell said SA would host game one or two of the series as a stand-alone event on a Sunday.
He said the event would generate $15 million for the SA economy and expected 30 per cent of the oval’s 53,500 capacity to be filled by interstate fans.
“This will be a sell out,” Mr Bignell said.
“This is one of the biggest coups we’ve ever pulled off getting State of Origin to Adelaide in 2020.
“Everyone in Australia knows this is one of the biggest rivalries in sport, not just in Australia but around the world, when New South Wales and Queensland go head-to-head.
“Rugby league is moving the game around and we’re delighted to have got in there and won this race, not just for South Australia, but the people who will come here (from interstate).”
Mr Bignell said the State Government would begin discussions about fitting the weekend match into the AFL fixture given the State of Origin is generally played in June-July.
He would not reveal how much the government paid to attract the event, but said it would deliver a “very, very healthy return on investment”.
“We don’t sign up for things that are going to be loss-makers,” Bignell said.
“We go out there to attract the very best events in the world and in Australia to be here in South Australia.
“It’s also where we get to showcase the wonderful Adelaide Oval.
“It’s like a giant advertisement that will be beaming out around Australia and some parts of the world as well.”
Lord Mayor Martin Haese said the city looked forward to welcoming rugby league fans from across Australia in 2020.
“The State Government’s certainly scored a try and converted on this one,” Mr Haese said. “It’s a major coup for the city, and we look forward to seeing a sea of maroon and blue on our streets.
“Events of this stature have a fantastic flow-on effect for the city as fans from interstate fill our hotel rooms and spend money in our great bars and eateries.”
The National Rugby League has made regular visits to Adelaide since the demise of the Adelaide Rams Super League team in 1998.
Last year a crowd of more than 21,000 watched the high-profile Sydney Roosters beat Melbourne Storm in an enthralling contest at the Oval.
This year the Oval will be the setting for one of the most anticipated games of the 2018 NRL season when new Rooster Cooper Cronk faces his old club and reigning premier Melbourne Storm on June 29.
The State of Origin series will return for a game in Melbourne this year after attracting a whopping 91,513 fans in 2015 and has also fixtured a game at Perth’s new Optus Stadium next year.
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