Heineken Cup brings 'very significant' impact to Limerick economy

An economic impact study, conducted by BDO Simpson Xavier, Limerick, has revealed that the Heineken Cup quarter-final match against Ospreys in April generated €10.5m for Limerick city.

The general impact of the Heineken Cup home matches on the city amounts to an average of €6m.

Munster Rugby CEO Garrett Fitzgerald said: "We are delighted that the investment made in the new stadium is having such a positive economic impact for Limerick and the wider business community.

"We were always aware of the level of business activity in the city on the strength of Heineken Cup matches, however these study findings confirm the economic potential of stadium events for Limerick city and the Mid West region."

Mark O'Connell, Consulting Director with BDO Simpson Xavier, added: "The previous economic impact study conducted for the Munster versus Wasps game in January 2008 highlighted an almost identical spend per visiting supporter of €530 over the weekend of the games.

"The major difference for the city is now the ability of Thomond Park to accommodate more Munster and visiting supporters and create a much higher level of economic activity across the city.

"The value of the media coverage for the city and region is also very significant. Games such as the Ospreys game can create a latent tourism spend effect of €12m for the city based on the international match coverage across all media formats.

"It was estimated that the value of global media coverage for the city for the past season was €58m including the All Blacks game last November."