Gold Coasters who utilise grass roots sports clubs will be major beneficiaries of next year’s ninth edition of the 2014 Pan Pacific Masters Games from 1-9 November.
More than 12,000 participants from 30 countries took part in the previous event in 2012 with similar numbers expected to converge on the Gold Coast in exactly 12 months time for Queensland’s largest multi-sport event – the largest biennial Masters Games in the world.
And according to event General Manager Cameron Hart, they’ll deliver an estimated $250,000 windfall collectively for Gold Coast sports clubs.
“Each year of the event more than 5000 people travel from interstate and 1000 competitors travel from outside Australia, including many teams from New Zealand and Papua New Guinea,” Mr Hart said.
“The economic benefits to Queensland are in the tens of millions and that of course is a great boost for tourism in the State.
“But there is also a significant injection of funds generated within the clubs and organisations which host our sports, which in turn is put back into grass roots sport.
“Those monies are derived from participation fees, on-site food and beverage and merchandise sales, functions and events and traditional fundraisers such as raffles,” he said.
Baseball is one of the largest sports at the event and 54 teams from all over the world competed in 2012 at the Benowa and Nerang diamonds.
Surfers Paradise Baseball Club President Tony McPhail said construction of a $250,000 toilet block and change rooms at the Sir Bruce Small Oval clubhouse would not have been possible without the Pan Pacific Masters Games.
“Every two years our involvement in the Games provides us with the ability to undertake major projects in conjunction with the State Government Department of Sport and Recreation and Gold Coast City Council,” Mr McPhail said.
“The ablutions block was constructed through a grant that required us to raise 25 per cent of the money ourselves, which we were thankfully able to do through our Games involvement,” he said.
Mr Hart said the Pan Pacific Masters Games has been nominated for Australia’s Favourite Event with voting now open at http://www.eventawards.com.au/?v=PPMG12
“A team of our executives recently attended the Australian Masters Games in Geelong and the overwhelming feedback is that the Pan Pacific Masters Games is a competitor favourite.
“It’s the same when we attend the New Zealand Masters Games. The Kiwis can’t wait for the Gold Coast event to roll around.
“Right now we’re busy finalising next year’s sports and entertainment programs and we’ll be releasing those soon.
“The good news is all our favourite key sports are confirmed and we’ll have some exciting announcements over the coming month or so.
“And being exactly one year out from the start of the action we are saying to those people who intend participating that it’s a good time to talk to family, friends and teammates and start planning,” Mr Hart said.
The new system was born here and filagra this is not anything that we would like to see. Caverta although better in some elements but not significant for us.
