Munster rugby game brought €5.6m boost to Cork economy

Last month’s rugby match in Cork between Munster and New Zealand side Crusaders generated €5.6m for the local economy, according to an independent assessment.

Munster’s second-ever game at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh attracted a sell-out crowd of 40,885, who saw the haka and then the Irish side prevail by 21 points to 19.

According to the assessment, by Repucon Consulting, two-thirds of attendees at the match were from Cork. Just 6.5pc were from Limerick, where Munster play most of their games, the same percentage as travelled from Dublin.

Overseas visitors represented about 4pc of attendees, with three-quarters of those from the UK, and only a tiny proportion from New Zealand.

The fixture generated 5,100 additional accommodation bed nights in Cork, according to the assessment. Hotels accounted for 4,400 of the total.

Total direct expenditure by visitors from outside Cork is estimated at €2.7m, a figure that does not include tickets or spend in the stadium itself on the day.

The economic impact assessment was developed from feedback provided by more than 2,000 match attendees.

An online survey was distributed to ticket holders by Munster Rugby after the game, with 2,008 replies received.

The survey found that about one in five fans (19pc) were spending at least one night in Cork, while about one in three (35pc) were on a daytrip to the city.

Those who stayed overnight spent an average of €233 per night. Accommodation accounted for one-third of this, with food and drink accounting for just over half, which the authors of the assessment say “further highlights the popularity of socialising in the city before and after the game”.

Research by Repucon in advance of the game found that the average advertised price of a hotel room in Cork was €153 per person.

This comparedwith €110 the previous weekend, highlighting the increased demand for rooms due to the game.

Average spend by dayvisitors to Cork amounted to €76 per person.

The popularity of the fixture will have been welcomed as much by the GAAas by Munster Rugby, since there is still a €30m debt hanging over the redeveloped Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

A plan to rename it SuperValu Páirc was widely criticised earlier this year, including byTánaiste Micheál Martin.

A compromise, to call it SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, in a 10-year naming rights deal, was later struck.

The Crusaders game was the second that Munster have played at the venue. In November 2022, they met South Africa A in a fixture that also drew a capacity crowd.

While Munster play most of their games at Thomond Park, which has a capacity of 25,600, there is now an expectation that the team will have an annual “friendly” fixture in Cork.

Earlier this month, the GAA cleared the way for more rugby and soccer matches to be played at its stadiums.

Both its management committee and Central Council gave permission for games in both codes to be played in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh and at Croke Park.

The GAA first relaxed rules around the use of its venues in 2019 after a controversy over its initial refusal to allow a testimonial game for the late Irish international footballer Liam Miller to be staged in the redeveloped Cork grounds.