Brisbane will play host to English Premier League clubs Crystal Palace F.C. and West Ham United F.C. later this year as part of a package of events secured by the Palaszczuk Government which will deliver a $5.92 million windfall for the state’s economy.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today announced the EVA Air Queensland Champions Cup, which will feature matches between Crystal Palace F.C., West Ham United F.C. and Queensland’s only A-League side, Brisbane Roar F.C. To be contested between 11 July – 18 July 2020, the EVA Air Queensland Champions Cup will see each club participate in two games each, with the side amassing the most points to claim the inaugural title.
The Premier today announced Townsville’s new Queensland Country Bank Stadium will host Crystal Palace F.C. v Brisbane Roar F.C. on 11 July, Gold Coast’s CBUS Super Stadium will host West Ham United F.C. v Brisbane Roar F.C. on 15 July and Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium will host West Ham United F.C. v Crystal Palace F.C. on 18 July.
“This is about supporting local jobs in the tourism industry,” the Premier said.
“Soccer has a rapidly-growing, global following. These games, featuring some of the world’s best players will be major drawcards for Queensland.
“Queensland will be the only place to see English Premier League sides Crystal Palace F.C. and West Ham United F.C. on Australian soil in 2020.
“When it comes to major events, we’ve kicked plenty of goals over the last couple of years. Securing these two EPL sides exclusively for Queensland is a great win for the state’s tourism industry.”
Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said combined, these matches would generate 26,559 visitor nights for local businesses and pump $5.92 million into the economy.
“Tourism businesses are struggling as a result of bushfires and the coronavirus. This couldn’t come at a better time,” Ms Jones said.
“If you’re an Aussie soccer fan, Queensland is the place to be in 2020. “It’s just another reason for thousands of Aussies to book a Queensland holiday.
“You don’t get EPL stars come out to Australia every day. For a lot of people, this will be their only chance to see some of the world’s best on Australian soil.
“The English Premier League is the best soccer league on the planet. The fact that we’ve secured two current EPL sides to come here is a testament to the fact that Queensland is a world-class events destination.”
TEG CEO Geoff Jones said the company was proud to host a series of EPL blockbusters in Queensland.
“The EVA Air Queensland Champions Cup is an exciting opportunity for fans and major event goers to witness live two current clubs from the world’s leading and most popular football league, the England Premier League,” he said.
“We are delighted to be staging this event in three of Queensland’s premier venues and in three different cities through our event partners Tourism and Events Queensland, Stadiums Queensland, Suncorp Stadium, City of Gold Coast and City of Townsville.
“We’d like to thank the Queensland Government for their role in facilitating the opportunity.”
The package of events has been secured in partnership with TEG Live. Tickets for all three matches go on sale at 12:00pm AEST on Wednesday 11 March at www.ticketek.com.au.
