
Bundaberg Regional Council has entered into a three-year partnership to host the Bulls Masters cricket event for 2021, 2022 and 2023.
At the Council meeting on 28 July Councillors voted unanimously to enter into the three-year agreement, as well as a separate agreement to support the Bulls Masters Cricket Youth Cup for 2020 with financial support of $60,000.
Bundaberg Regional Council Sport and Recreation portfolio spokesperson Vince Habermann said Council was pleased to support the high-profile cricket competition which offered regional cricketers an opportunity to play at a higher level and produced a massive boost to the local economy.
“Council is pleased to help fund these major sporting events which ensure our residents have the opportunities at their front door rather than having to travel to enjoy this level of entertainment,” Cr Habermann said.
“The Bulls get out and about in the local schools with coaching clinics and meet and greet opportunities.”
Bulls Masters originally approached Council in 2017 with an offer to host the successful cricket event.
The event sees a team of high profile celebrity former cricketers and sports people visit the local area and conduct local coaching clinics, a corporate golf day, school visits, a T-20 match against a local team, and a Gala Ball to raise funds for the local Bundaberg Cricket Association.
Over the three years that Bundaberg has played host to the Bulls Masters cricket event, the Bulls Masters has donated over $110,000 to local Bundaberg cricket.
Bundaberg Region Mayor Jack Dempsey said the Bulls Masters cricket event was always popular and extremely well attended because of the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the best current and past players.
“We are certainly proud to have the opportunity to support the Bulls Masters event,” Mayor Dempsey said.
“The opportunities for our residents to enjoy matches of this calibre are all too infrequent and this is really a major boost for the sport locally to have legends of the game play a match against our local team.
“We’ve seen through the Bulls Masters Country Challenge and the Youth Cup that cricket in Wide Bay is improving, and a lot of that has to do with the initiatives that the Bundaberg Cricket Association has put in place over the past few years.”
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