Dubbo has the facility and the drawing power to host an NRL game and it should be given the chance to do it, mayor Ben Shields has said.
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After watching Bathurst renew its long-standing deal with the Penrith Panthers for 10 years, and Mudgee signing on to host the St George Illawarra Dragons four times in the next two years, Mr Shields said Dubbo had every right to want a game.
He said Dubbo had a proud culture as a sporting city and with a facility like Caltex Park, capable of holding more than 10,000 people, it could be a success for any team that brought a game.
“Bringing an NRL game to Dubbo would benefit more than just the sporting fans in the city. It would provide a major boost to the local economy,” Mr Shield said.
“It would draw visitors to the city and that would be great for motels, restaurants and other tourism attractions.
There have been numerous attempts to bring NRL games to the city. The former Dubbo City Council and Group 11 worked to try and get a team to commit to a game at Caltex Park.
They came close to luring a Manly Sea Eagles game only for Albury to pay a financial incentive to attract the game there instead.
A City v Country Origin match in 2014 attracted just shy of 10,000 people, despite terrible weather conditions while an NRL trial between the Canterbury Bulldogs and Canberra Raiders drew more than 8000 people in 2010.
The abolition of City v Country after this year’s game in Mudgee has reduced the number of chances regional areas have to host games.
Country Rugby League chief executive officer Terry Quinn said earlier this year, after confirmation of the Panthers’ 10-year deal with Bathurst, games needed to be shared around the state.
He said then, Dubbo and Mudgee would struggle to get a game because of the Bathurst deal and one for Mudgee would impact even further on Dubbo’s chances.
Mr Shields said he had seen Dubbo residents were asking questions about why Dubbo was missing out when nearby towns were securing events and said he agreed with them.
“I’ve certainly noted the mood of the community and I applaud the community for having this attitude.They are keen to get Dubbo up and running and that’s exactly what we want to do.”
