Australia’s bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup has been given a major boost after securing a million dollar funding package from the Australian government to push forward with the project.
Rugby Australia announced in 2017 it would bid for the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup and the men’s tournament in 2027 - but after missing out on the 2021 women’s showcase, attention has turned to the men’s tournament.
The formal bid process is expected to start in the middle of 2020, before a final decision is made in 2021.
The Rugby World Cup is the third largest sporting event in the world, behind the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.
After lobbying by Rugby Australia, the Federal Government elected to throw its support behind a bid by committing funds for “scoping” work and foundation planning.
The funds will be used for a feasibility study into what is required to prosecute a successful campaign.
The $1 million for 2019-20 in funding for Rugby Australia’s bid was declared in the Government’s Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook, and was listed as a 'decision taken but not yet announced’ in the 2019-20 Budget.
“Rugby Australia is most grateful and extremely pleased to receive this support from the Australian Government for our foundation planning phase,” Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle said.
"As a country, we are fortunate to have strong support from governments that recognise the importance of hosting major events and what they can deliver, which was recognised in the Sports 2030 Plan and Sports Diplomacy 2030 Plan.
“We were fortunate to receive strong support last year from the Australian Government for our Women’s Rugby World Cup Bid and we welcome the support provided today which will enable us to undertake important scoping work this year, in partnership with Australian Government agencies, around the viability and strategy for a bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“The Rugby World Cup is one of the greatest sporting events in the world and is known for bringing fans from many different countries for a celebration of everything that is great about Rugby.
“Australia is a great sporting nation and hosting RWC 2027 would be another proud chapter in Australia’s rich sporting history of delivering global major events. We look forward to working with Australian Government agencies over the coming months before the official process kicks off next year."
Australia last hosted a Rugby World Cup in 2003.
Government backing is critical to winning hosting rights for Rugby World Cups, but the economic impact can be enormous for the host nation.
In 2015, the tournament in England generated economic output of around $A4.47 billion and it is estimated that the 44-day tournament in Japan later this year will generate a record output of $A5.4 billion for the local economy, attract up to 400,000 international visitors and support up to 25,000 jobs.
