Ballarat – Australia’s regional sports event capital?

The City of Ballarat is shaping up as one of Australia’s leading sports event destinations with an enviable national sporting calendar coming up for 2022 and into the future.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Councillor Daniel Moloney said an investment in relationship building with the Western Bulldogs, a heritage of Olympic Rowing, the new MARS Stadium and Council’s focus on improving local sporting amenities along with a sports loving community, had all helped in what was fast developing into a preferred destination for national sporting events.  

“The City of Ballarat has a great sporting base to build on. Our local schools and the community are sports hungry and we have invested in supporting that appetite through the funding of sports facilities across the city. We recognise the importance of nurturing sport at the junior level and importantly, we understand the benefits in producing top level local athletes and hosting national sporting events. Both deliver a massive return on investment both socially, recreationally and economically,” he said.  

February will see Ballarat’s MARS Stadium further expand its sporting repertoire with the hosting of a Melbourne Storm and Newcastle Knights National Rugby League trial for the first time. 2022 through to 2024 will also see Ballarat again become the adopted regional home of 2021 AFL finalists, the Western Bulldogs. The Women’s National Basketball League’s Perth Lynx will also use Ballarat as its home away from home in January as will the A-League’s Western United FC. 

“From the 12-16 January 2022, the annual Australian Cycling National Championships will once again battle it out on the Ballarat and Buninyong circuits and be beamed live to more than 40 countries.  

“Add to this the National Basketball Leagues 3x3 Big Hustle in January, the Victorian Rowing Regatta and the National Polocrosse Championships in March and the Trans-Tasman Bowls Championships mid-year and it just shows the depth and breadth of sporting events that Ballarat is able to attract and host,” Cr Daniel Moloney said.  

“The City of Ballarat’s investment in its 2018-2028 Events Strategy is paying off. It provides a framework for all events selection, creating a balanced portfolio that builds and celebrates Ballarat’s strengths, fosters local talent, activates the city’s precincts, and delivers strong economic and social returns.  

“Ballarat’s sporting calendar is a remarkable opportunity for us as a tourism destination to further value-add to the visitor’s experience beyond just coming to see a sports event,” he said.