By David Owen
December 6 – Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium – which was a venue for the London 2012 Olympic football tournament and may play a part in UEFA’s innovative, multi-country Euro 2020 competition – generates more than £130 million a year for the Welsh economy and sustains more than 2,500 permanent jobs, a new report has revealed.
Results of the report – conducted by Econactive for the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), owner and operator of the venue, which was built in 1999 and staged many English club football set-pieces in its early years while Wembley Stadium was being rebuilt, were unveiled by First Minister Carwyn Jones at the Event Wales international conference in Cardiff, the Welsh capital.
A similar study six years ago had put the venue’s then contribution to the Welsh economy at an annual £100 million.
Jones said that the “thought-provoking” report “reiterates the importance of major events to the economic development and regeneration of host cities and regions and demonstrates the part played by the Millennium Stadium in achieving this.”
The stadium was, he said, “a key component of what Wales has to offer as a host of major events.
“The stadium has set its sights on attracting high profile events of global importance which have attracted more visitors from outside Wales.
“We look forward to working with the Millennium Stadium as we continue to expand on our exciting portfolio of events which showcases Wales as a contemporary and dynamic nation.”
The average per capita spend of overseas visitors was put at £370, against £195 for UK visitors and £54 for visitors from Wales. The research also indicated that more than a quarter of visits to the stadium would involve people from outside the immediate geographic area.
The stadium attracts around 770,000 paying visitors each year to events such as rugby internationals and music concerts; more than 50,000 visit annually for guided tours.
The venue staged 11 London 2012 football matches all told, including the very first event of the Games, when the Great Britain women’s team beat New Zealand 1-0 two days before the opening ceremony, and the men’s bronze medal match when more than 56,000 watched South Korea beat Japan 2-0.
Future high-profile sports events at the stadium include the final of this season’s Heineken Cup, European rugby union’s premier club competition, and eight Rugby World Cup games in 2015.
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