MONCTON – A new report released Thursday confirmed the FIFA World Cups held in Moncton in 2014 and 2015 brought in millions of economic activity to the region.
But the final numbers are lower than originally projected.
Moncton was one of the host cities for Canada’s 2014 U-20 Women’s World Cup and 2015 Women’s World Cup. The games generated $22.5 million dollars in industry output for the city, and $33.9 million dollars for the province.
The report found the games were a financial success, but these numbers are less than the original projection of $27 million for the city and $40 million for the province.
Joe Guest, deputy general secretary for the Canadian Soccer Association and chief competitions officer for the games, told reporters he was pleased with the report, which was prepared by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA).
The report followed an economic assessment model that considered many factors, including: “the number of people who attended the games, the number of people who came in from out of town, the number of hotel nights that were used,” Guest said. “At some point come with that big figure for you.”
Mayor George LeBlanc said he was pleased with the final numbers.
“It puts dollars into the businesses that we have here in Moncton,” he said. “It puts money into the pockets of the people working here in Moncton and it supports and creates jobs in Moncton.”
Local business owner, Steve Clerke, agreed with the mayor’s assessment saying that he has seen a huge impact from the games at his Main Street store, Gifts Galore.
Clerke said many visitors told him they came to the city after seeing it on TV during the Women’s World Cup.
“Even yesterday, we had a lady and her husband here from Brazil,” he said Thursday. “They said their daughter was playing for the team, Brazil, – and they had to come back and experience Moncton.”
In a press conference, Mayor LeBlanc said the report was good news for the city, as it tries to attract more large sporting events, like the 2021 Jeux Francophonie. Officials from those games spent the week visiting Moncton and Dieppe to assess their bid.
The report also includes the initial expenditures made in each city, putting Moncton at $14.7 million, including the cost to convert the University of Moncton stadium from grass to artificial turf.
Tony Fisher, a researcher at CSTA told Global News they arrived at this number by considering things like spending on capital upgrades, spending by organizers to host the games and spending by tourists to attend the games.
Overall, Canada’s games exceeded national expectations, generating $493.6 million in overall economic activity, and a net of $249 million above the initial expenditures.
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