One of Australia’s most iconic and best-known rugby league clubs – the Sydney Roosters – will play a home game against the Melbourne Storm at Adelaide Oval during the 2017 NRL season.
Tourism Minister Leon Bignell today joined NRL Head of Football Brian Canavan, Sydney Roosters CEO John Lee, Coach Trent Robinson and senior player Mitchell Aubusson to announce the return of NRL to Adelaide and the Roosters’ first game in South Australia.
Passionate interstate fans are expected to travel to South Australia for the match, which further reinforces Adelaide Oval’s reputation for hosting world-class events.
The date of this clash will be unveiled when the full NRL 2017 season fixture is released on Thursday.
Background
The State Government has allocated $70 million in additional tourism funding in the State Budget to market South Australia nationally and internationally and attract major events and conferences.
Rights to host this match have been secured through the State Government’s Major Events Bid Fund and in partnership with the Sydney Roosters and the NRL. Visit www.nrl.com for more on the league.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Tourism Leon Bignell
This match is a fantastic win for South Australia and I would love to see it pave the way for Adelaide to host one of sport’s most iconic rivalries – State of Origin.
We are confident Adelaide Oval will draw a spirited crowd to watch some of Australia’s best athletes in action, both for this clash and any other NRL matches that may follow.
Playing host to the Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm adds to an already exciting 2017 events calendar, which includes the highly anticipated Mundine versus Green rematch at Adelaide Oval next February as well as the Santos Tour Down Under, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Clipsal, WOMADelaide, the Women’s Australian Golf Open and more.
All eyes have been on South Australia recently. We have been named as one of the top five regions in the world to visit in 2017 by Lonely Planet and were awarded the Best Events State in Australia award for the second year in a row in September.
Our investments in recent years – including an additional $70 million into the tourism portfolio – has resulted in an unprecedented number of visitors from interstate and overseas travelling here.
South Australia’s visitor economy is at an all-time high worth almost $6 billion and tourism jobs have grown by 4000 in the past two years.
Quotes attributable to Sydney Roosters Chief Executive Officer John Lee
There’s no doubt that there is an appetite for rugby league in South Australia, and we are delighted to confirm that the Roosters will be playing a home game in Adelaide next season.
We are keen to do what we can to continue to grow the game of rugby league in Adelaide and we’re looking forward to engaging with the local community in lead-up to the game.
Quotes attributable to Sydney Roosters Coach Trent Robinson
Adelaide Oval is one of our country’s most iconic grounds, and to have the opportunity to play at the ground is something we’re all really looking forward to.
