This weekend's Junior State Cup touch football tournament has the potential to be as significant an event for Wagga as the annual Gold Cup, according to mayor Greg Conkey.
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There will be 198 teams in action at the inaugural southern conference event running from Friday morning through to Sunday afternoon at Jubilee Park. It's tipped to bring an estimated 10,000 visitors, and a $2.3m to $3m injection to the economy.
"Accommodation was booked out about 12 months ago so that's great, great for the city (and) great for the region because accommodation is not just for Wagga," Conkey said, with towns more than an hour away also taking bookings.
"It's great to see. A lot of restaurants and a lot of shops will be very pleased about this. The money pouring into the city is truly fantastic, so it's a great event. It also gives us an opportunity to showcase this city and also this region."
New format, huge opportunity
It's the first time NSW Touch has split its iconic Junior State Cup in two, with Wagga granted hosting rights for the first three years of the southern conference.
Conkey said the city will be up to the challenge of hosting a major event that he considers on a par with the annual racing carnival at the Murrumbidgee Turf Club. With an NRL game also coming in the first week of May, the mayor says this helps stamp Wagga as the premier sporting city in the state's south.
"It's right up there with the Gold Cup," he said. "That's a huge weekend because not only do we have the Gold Cup but we have the Raiders coming to town (to play Penrith). I understand half the tickets for the Raiders game have already been sold… We're a sporting capital of southern NSW and that's great news for the city."
NSW Touch says the event's arrival is the culmination of two-and-a-half year's preparation. General manager Dean Russell said they have 14 staff on the ground but admits to some caution amid the excitement of a new event.
"We know how to run our events logistically, but this is a first for us. Our staff are down here straight on the back of last weekend running a 237-team northern conference event. There was 12,000 people at that particular event (in Port Macquarie). It was a totally different set-up to what we've got here. It's the first time we've run an event of this size in Wagga, so there's going to be some learnings for us, but we've got planning in place," Russell said.
"We've run a number of large events so we rely on our experience in those areas."
Opening up to the south-west
Russell said they like the set-up at Jubilee Park with a central organisation area concentrated inside the athletics track, while games will be played on the regular touch fields as well as a mini-stadium-like Conolly Rugby Park, which will also host Sunday's finals.
Adding to the 'unknowns' are the number of teams who will be new to the state cup concept. But that's the attraction of holding a southern conference event.
Russell doesn't believe splitting the Junior State Cup in two will dilute the competition.
"We’re expecting an extremely strong competition. One of the key factors that we looked at when we decided on the split… was making sure that we look to have an even spread of talent in both events," he said.
"There are some very strong clubs that went to the northern conference but by the same token, there are some very strong clubs here.
And the exciting part for me is, we’ve got the Waggas, the Easts, the Parramattas, the Wests and the Penriths, but it’s actually the likes of Griffith and the south-west associations which historically were very strong but with the event moving north, there was a disengagement. And by bringing the event back, we’ve been able to re-engage with them.
"I’m really looking forward to (seeing) how the south western teams are going to perform."
Wagga touch official Chris Dolahenty is vice-president of NSW Touch. He said introducing a southern conference has seen nearly 50 new teams from the Riverina area enter state cup competition.
"We have some really good coaches and players all over the state, and it gives them more opportunity to showcase (their skills)," Dolahenty said.
There are 17 home teams entered with Wagga Vipers keen to make an impact. But hot competition is expected from the 'big three' in Sydney, Eastern Suburbs, Wests and Penrith.
Forging community links
Port Macquarie has hosted many Junior State Cups and built a strong volunteer base and affiliation with the event. NSW Touch expects that, over the course of its three year hosting arrangement in the south, Wagga will develop a similar partnership.
"Wagga Touch Association is a really strong and successful member of our association," Russell said.
"One thing that we're really keen on doing is making sure that we forge a linkage with the community and not just the local touch association. We are bringing around 10,000 people in to the town this weekend… so we're really confident that the mark we leave on Wagga will be a positive one."
Dolahenty is confident that by Sunday, his home city will have returned the favour.
"Absolutely. The town of good sports - we can put on a good show," he said.
"Wagga Council's been really supportive. You look at the precinct and the work they've done around here, it's been outstanding and that can only grow from there."
Mayor Conkey is already thinking along those lines. Wagga has hosting rights until 2021 but the city is hopeful it can make the southern event so at home, it will be hard to leave.
"We'll see what we can do in years two and three. I know there was one band interested in coming along and providing music. Maybe we can make it more of a festival. But we'll talk to NSW Touch association, find out how it went and what we can do to improve it next year," he said.
The tournament, which includes an under eights competition for the first time, kicks off on Friday morning. Finals are on Sunday afternoon.
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