The annual Bundaberg Cup has been given a funding boost of $60,000 by Bundaberg Regional Council to ensure it continues in the region for the next three years.
The Bundaberg Cup is a social community touch football event which has been held in Bundaberg since 2016 by Touch Football Australia and Queensland Touch Football.
The competition caters for elite to social players in open divisions and provides development opportunities for junior teams.
Mayor Jack Dempsey said the premier sporting event had attracted more than 250 interstate teams to the region since its inception, resulting in a major boost to the local economy.
“In the five years that the Bundaberg Cup has been running, 9000 visitors have made their way to our beautiful region as participants and spectators of the competition” he said.
“This is an outstanding number of people travelling to the area, using our local facilities and enjoying all that the the region has to offer.
“Overall, it has resulted in a spend of $4,872,804 which has been driven straight into the local economy.
“Council is pleased to support an event that is doing so much to support the region.”
The funding has been approved under a three-year partnership agreement with Council which will see $60,000 in assistance delivered to the Bundaberg Cup from 2022 to 2024.
In-kind assistance, including waste services and additional water allocation, has also been approved.
Bundaberg Touch Football Association president David Field said the Bundaberg Cup was originally established to assist the social recovery of the region following the tragic flooding events of 2011 and 2013.
“The inaugural concept and approach was a weekend touch football knockout event featuring social participation,” he said.
“The Bundaberg Cup, held at the Greg Duncan Touch Fields on University Drive, is promoted as Australia’s richest touch football knockout event and has seen the initial uptake of 32 teams in 2015 grow to 64 teams in 2021, including juniors.”
David said the funding boost from Bundaberg Regional Council would greatly benefit the competition, assisting with the promotion of the event and its continuation in the region into the future.
“Overall, the funding helps to secure the event within the region for the next three years, making Bundaberg the premier destination for the popular touch football knock out,” he said.
The next Bundaberg Cup is scheduled to take place in February 2022.
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