Ballarat secures statewide January sporting event

A statewide sport event expected to attract a wave of tourists to Ballarat will take place in January 2024.

The City of Ballarat has secured the Bowls Victoria 2024 Regions Sides Championships.

The event is forecast to contribute more than $215,000 to Ballarat economy and attract a substantial number of visitors to the city during the January school holiday period.

Importantly, the bowls event will be held on 13 and 14 January, a weekend when there are no bowls competitions played throughout Victoria, which is expected to lead to an influx of spectators and competitors.

It will also follow hot on the heels of separate major competitions hosted by Sebastopol Bowling Club and Ballarat Memorial Sports Bowls Club in the week prior, with many visitors expected to stay in Ballarat for more than a week to compete in multiple events.

More than 1200 people are anticipated to attend the Regions Sides Championships, which is viewed as a vital competition for bowlers seeking to earn state representative status.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said it was exciting for the city to attract the event.

“It is attracting events like the Bowls Victoria 2024 Regions Sides Championships that cements Ballarat’s national reputation as a sports events destination," Cr Hudson said.  

“We are thrilled to welcome the event to Ballarat and we look forward to seeing many hundreds of visitors throughout the city.

“As a Council we have invested heavily in our sporting facilities over many years and that puts us in a strong position to attract events like this.”

Bowls Victoria General Manager Commercial Operations, Andrew Haug said Ballarat was the ideal destination to host the 2024 Region Sides Championships.

“With its central location together with a wide-ranging choice of accommodation, extensive list of restaurants, cafes and tourism attractions, the City of Ballarat was the perfect choice to host the Region Sides Championships in 2024,” he said.

“With a long-standing history of hosting some of the country’s largest and most significant events we know the bowls fraternity and their families will look forward to immersing themselves in all that Ballarat has to offer and calling the region home for the Region Sides Championships for many years to come.”

The exact host venues for the event are yet to be confirmed.