CHAMPION EARNER
Figures reveal fans poured extra £45m into city during league final
C ARDIFF is understood to have directly benefited to the tune of at least £45m by hosting the Champions League final in 2017, Wales On Sunday understands.
This weekend marks exactly one year since the eyes of the world were on the Welsh capital.
The city council leader Huw Thomas has confirmed that visitors to the city during the event last year exceeded expectations by 45,000, with more than 300,000 people coming into the city on the evening of the final alone.
Cardiff airport saw 380 additional aircraft arrivals and departures as a direct result from the final.
And it is understood that an economic impact evaluation undertaken after the event also met with expectations.
In the build-up to the event, the immediate impact of hosting the final was estimated to be around £45m in direct additional spending in and around Cardiff.
The figure was calculated from post-event reports from previous finals.
Lisbon hosted the final in 2014 and netted an estimated 45 million euros. Of this, 54% was spent on overnight stays, 22% in restaurants and bars and 7% in tourist activities. When the final was held in London in 2011 the city earned an estimated £43m.
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has confirmed that an economic impact evaluation of the Cardiff final was commissioned by the FAW as a requirement of hosting the final.
And while details within it have not yet been made public, the FAW has confirmed that the economic benefits of hosting the showpiece met expectations. “The post-event economic impact work undertaken by the FAW corroborated the estimated benefit communicated to the media ahead of the event,” a source within the FAW said.
Real Madrid beat Juventus 4-1 on June 3 last year but Cardiff enjoyed a week of festivities leading up to the showpiece match.
A festival was held in Cardiff Bay during the week, offering food, drink, games and live music.
A legends match took place during the build-up, featuring some of the world’s greatest-ever players, including Ryan Giggs, Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos.
And the Cardiff City stadium also hosted the women’s Champions League final, which saw Lyon beating Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.
City council leader Mr Thomas has revealed the local authority would “relish” bidding to host again in future.
“I think at times you were pinching yourself, here was one of the biggest spectacles in sport and two of the most famous football clubs in the world playing in our capital city,” he said.
“Firstly we have to recognise the vast amount of numbers that came into the city and we smashed the target by 45,000.
“More than 300,000 people came into the city centre for the evening and it brought Cardiff to a global audience of thousands and millions.
“It was unbelievable and that effect is carrying on and will get even bigger with Cardiff City in the Premier League.
“We have seen some record numbers of visitors coming to Cardiff.
“We saw around 20 million visit Cardiff last year, which is a record, so we’re claiming our place as a visitor destination.
“It’s useful having that name recognition, which is important when you’re having meetings around the world about selling Cardiff as a visitor destination.
“This was the biggest sporting event in the world and I think we pulled it off spectacularly, and the line from UEFA presidents was we offered nothing short of excellence.
“Let’s not underestimate what a huge challenge it was to deliver from the council, police and other agencies’ point of view but working together it was a great effort.”
He said: “There are a number of significant milestones coming up over the next few years, such as the FAW’s anniversary so we’re definitely up to it.”