Toowoomba Regional Council put $21,500 in in-kind support towards local NRL match

The Toowoomba Regional Council has revealed its full investment towards securing the city’s NRL match and the figure could deliver a tenfold economic return.

From left: Mayor Paul Antonio, and a shot from the Dragons-Roosters match earlier in 2021.

No ratepayer cash was handed over to secure Toowoomba’s first NRL match in three years, the council says.

Mayor Paul Antonio has lifted the lid on the final negotiated amount, which comes to $21,500 in in-kind support from the council towards the event on Sunday.

The figure is largely made up of traffic controlling and waste management both before and after the game.

The investment could deliver a tenfold return for the region, with economic development experts putting the economic output of the match this weekend at over half a million dollars, not including the value of national exposure through broadcasting.

Speaking at Tuesday’s ordinary meeting, Mr Antonio said the arrangement reached was a big boost.

“I thank the NRL for their commitment to Toowoomba, and this could bring an enormous amount of economic development to our region,” he said.

“The other thing I have in mind is to try and get a yearly game to Toowoomba, which will not only drive economic development, but we know about the social benefits of sporting events like this.”

Deputy Mayor Geoff McDonald endorsed the comments, saying the match was the first step towards a long-term arrangement that could deliver much-needed infrastructure.

“I’m hopeful that this relationship that’s been built over the past six weeks will go towards a new stadium,” he said.

“Our region is prepared to do our little bit, and it is a little compared to what it could have been.”

Councillors like Megan O’Hara Sullivan and Nancy Sommerfield highlighted that some residents held hesitations about the game going ahead amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. Mr Antonio said the match had been cleared by health authorities.