Two major sports competitions this weekend are set to inject millions into the Ballarat economy.
The 50th McDonalds Ballarat Junior Basketball Tournament and the CLFA Victorian Country Soccer championships will be held over the long weekend, with well over 10,000 visitors expected to head to the city.
President of the Ballarat District Soccer Association, Herman Bogers, says he expects some of the Ballarat teams to do well in the competition.
“I expect the 15’s and 13’s to do very well.”
“The girls under 16’s I believe will do quite well, I think they’ll hold their own, we expect one or two flags to come back,” Mr. Bogers said.
The City of Ballarat says the economic impact this weekend from these two events alone is worth more than $5 million.
“Attracting these major events shows exactly why we have put so much focus on enhancing our sporting facilities in Ballarat,” Cr. Ben Taylor said.
“For example, we’re going to see the new pavilion at Victoria Park used for the soccer tournament after it was officially opened last month. The Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility and Trekado Park will also be utilised to conduct the event,” he said.