Saturday's AFL game is expected to have netted the region close to $4 million, but it will be the peripheral benefits that AFL Cairns will be pushing when it begins its campaign to bring further games to the city.
Richmond have elected not to extend the three-year contract to stage games here and AFL Cairns president Gary Young says work is due to start on a new proposal imminently with a looming deadline of August when Events Queensland, which sources funding for the games, holds its board meeting.
He said Saturday's crowd of 11,197 was slightly up on last year's match which was likely to provide an economic boost of about 5 per cent. But Mr Young said the new proposal would include input from tourism and accommodation bodies to outline the wider impact.
"A lot of the people who did go also spent time in Port Douglas or Palm Cove. I spoke to a few senior AFL people who stayed in Palm Cove with their families," he said.
"A lot of things can spin off this that Events Queensland doesn't have to find funding for, but will still get the benefits out of. "We've got to look at the big picture, it's not just about a game any more."
Mr Young said the region remained an attractive prospect for clubs, with two already in talks with AFL Cairns about post-season training camps.
Richmond held its pre-season camp in the city late last year and Mr Young said if the Tigers made the finals it could make Cairns an even more enticing spot for other clubs. He said Events Queensland was likely to form the concept into a whole package, including a NAB Cup game in Townsville and draft on the Gold Coast, along with a Cairns game before putting it to the AFL which will finalise the 2014 draw later this year.
Last Modified on 09/08/2013 13:58