2019 State of Origin fixture another event for Perth’s Optus Stadium

The NRL has confirmed that game two of its 2019 State of Origin series will be played at Perth’s new Optus Stadium.

Continuing with the experiment of playing State of Origin matches on a Sunday, the fixture will be played on 23rd June next year, the first time an Origin match has been played outside the eastern states apart from the 1987 match in California.

First suggested by NRL Chief Executive Todd Greenberg in 2016, the fixture is aimed at attracting similar interest to that experienced by staging State of Origin ties in Melbourne.

Speaking at the time, Greenberg advised “we saw Melbourne embrace State of Origin in 2015 and we expect Perth to do the same in 2019.

“By then Perth will have a state-of-the-art facility which will be a fitting new venue for the biggest sporting event in the country.

“Taking Origin to new venues has huge benefits for the game (as) it grows the game in other markets and showcases our premium product to a new audience.”

The State of Origin fixture represents another major event secured for the new venue with a Bledisloe Cup tie, Test match cricket and potential AFL finals all secured over the next 18 months.

Along with Roger Federer’s return for the 2019 Hopman Cup, these events and growing sports tourism success is making a major contribution to the Western Australian economy.

According to Tourism WA figures, the 2018 Hopman Cup - where Federer was the main drawcard - generated more than 16,500 visitor nights and $4 million in visitor expenditure.

It also generated 963 hours of television broadcast in Western Australia's key tourism markets valued at $41.5 million, with more than half (54%) coming from international markets.

At the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event at Perth Arena in February, 30% of the 12,437 crowd were overseas or interstate visitors.

The NRL double-header played at Optus Stadium earlier this year was also a success, attracting a crowd of 38,824 to watch the Rabbitohs take on the Warriors as well as the Bulldogs against the Storm.

The second Test between India and Australia at the new venue in December is another big attraction with the match to be televised to a potential audience of more hundreds of millions of cricket-mad Indians.

Image: Perth's Optus Stadium, courtesy of Grant Trouville/NRL Photos

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