A report commissioned by WellingtonNZ to evaluate the costs and benefits to Wellington of hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 (FWWC) has identified a net benefit to the city of $24.6 million.
In a statement, Wellington City Council said the cost benefit ratio was 1.42, meaning that for every dollar invested there was a returned benefit of $1.42.
The evaluation, undertaken by Fresh Information, exceeds expectations and is a strong result compared to 2019 projections, it said.
WellingtonNZ events and experience general manager, Warrick Dent says the report shows the tournament was an outstanding success for the city.
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup exceeded expectations across many areas and has left a lasting positive impact on Wellington showcasing the city as a vibrant and friendly place to visit capable of hosting major events which augurs well for the future. It also generated significant social, economic and cultural benefits and was embraced by locals.”
“We are very proud to have delivered such a successful event which would not have been possible without the input of a range of people and organisations and we hugely appreciate the work of everyone involved.
“In addition to strong economic results, this evaluation found that hosting FWWC 2023 delivered a range of intangible benefits for football and women in Wellington and New Zealand including achievement of the key objective of “increasing the visibility of, and value placed on, women in sport and wider society,” said Mr Dent.
He said the FWWC was held in July and August and was one of the largest and most complex sports events ever hosted in Wellington.
Nine of the 29 cup matches held in New Zealand were held in the capital – the same number as Auckland. However, Wellington had the busiest schedule of any stadium in Australia and New Zealand with seven pool games played over 14 days, which meant a match every second day.
The $24.6 million net benefit to Wellington was $13 million more than projected in the 2019 evaluation and the cost benefit ratio of 1.42 was higher than that achieved in Auckland, Hamilton and Dunedin, said Mr Dent. Nationally, the cost benefit ratio was 1.34.
The tournament also generated 100, 124 visitor nights in Wellington with $44.7 million of additional expenditure in Wellington across event operations and tourism.
